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Aria Brooks "Am I Next?" key art

Source: Tevin Johnson / @tevin.us

Fans may recognize ARIA as the bright young talent from Nickelodeon’s All That or her stellar performance in Harriet as Harriet’s niece Anger. She is best known in film and television as Aria Brooks but when it comes to the music, the budding singer and songwriter strips away her full government name and gives fans a taste of authentic lyricism and vocals that will simply blow you away. At the tender age of 14 years old, ARIA releases her latest single “Am I Next” discussing the dangers that both her generation and the Black community face each day while spotlighting the importance of speaking out against social injustices.

The single, written back in July by the Atlanta talent herself, came at a time where ARIA and the world witnessed a series of protests, hate crimes and violence at an alarming rate despite facing something so unfamiliar to us all like a global pandemic. It is commendable to see a young artist like ARIA briefly shift the focus from TikTok dance crazes and the typical nuanced “I have a crush on you” content within music to important subject matters like the ones discussed in “Am I Next?” that are troubling the entire world. We would be remised to say that ARIA doesn’t enjoy a TikTok dance or two in her spare time, but her aim to prioritize social issues within her music is laudable.

ARIA is a triple threat lending her creativity to acting, dancing and singing. She is sure to incorporate issues and support causes that are relevant to and directly impact her community. Most recently, she announced her latest partnership with celebrity-based app Cameo, which allows fans to request and purchase customized video shout outs from celebrities where profits support a charitable cause.

ARIA released her latest single alongside a captivating visual directed by Neighborhood Rejects, which features an emotional liturgical dance number choreographed by Brittany Jones. The newly released video accompanies the song graciously with scenes of ARIA and friends playing video games, perusing social media and relaxing until they are interrupted by countless headlines and news updates of the tragedies she refers to in the song. The DeV.B-produced single will pull at your heart strings with a montage of audio clips from protests and notable words from civil rights leader John Lewis who coined the phrase “good trouble.”

It is a must-watch video and stand out track from a young promising artist who is full of talent and hope for her growing community. ARIA wants the world to continue to support all of her creative endeavors and she promises to keep organically cultivating a platform that uplifts and inspires her generation and growing community.

Be sure to watch ARIA’s “Am I Next?” video available now on YouTube and listen to the single here. We can’t wait to see what else this rising star has to offer the world.