The Realness: Soulful Def Jam singer/songwriter Miss Aja Lorraine-Her Story
Life and Style Union warmly welcomes sultry, singer and songwriter Aja Lorraine, signed to Def Jam and Ruff Ryder record label. This woman, as previously described in LSU updates, bleeds positivity and a self-awareness most cannot even fathom. Her signature phrase “ I am so blessed to know myself…” only entices LSU to get to know her, so let the show begin!
AF: Great to have you on Life and Style Union Aja! Give us a taste of Aja Lorraine…
AJA: THANKS FOR HAVING ME!!! (SMILING BRIGHTLY)
Age: 31
Hometown: BROOKLYN, NY
Ethnicity: BLACK/HISPANIC
Fave Color: RED
Fave Restaurant: PHILIPPE CHOW
Fave Music: JAZZ, OLD~SCHOOL HIP~HOP AND R&B
Fave Food: NOW THIS IS A HARD ONE!!! I LOVE FOOD!!! MY FAVORITE WOULD HAVE TO BE ITALIAN...
AF:Now that the basic 411 is covered, onto the grown-up talk(smiling)... As a music artist, what genre do you fall under?
AJA: I TRULY HATE THE WHOLE GENRE THING, LOL BUT IF I HAVE TO CHOOSE, I WILL SAY R&B, NO WAIT, SOUL... OH NO HOLD UP, MAYBE I'M HIP~HOP... COULD BE JAZZ...SEE WHAT I MEAN??? I LET THE FANS DECIDE... (smiling)
AF: When did you decide to pursue music as a career?
AJA: I NEVER GREW UP THINKING I WANTED TO BE A SINGER, I JUST ALWAYS SANG AND WROTE SONGS... MUSIC IS JUST A PART OF ME THAT COMES NATURAL LIKE WALKING AND TALKING... I DID MUSIC BECAUSE IT MADE ME FEEL GOOD, SLOWLY PEOPLE BEGAN TO TAKE NOTICE AND THAT IS HOW MY MUSIC CAREER DEVELOPED INTO WHAT IT IS NOW... TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION DIRECTLY, I WILL SAY THE DAY THAT I SIGNED TO RUFF RYDERS WAS THE DAY I DECIDED TO PURSUE A MUSIC CAREER... (laughing)
AF: There are so many singers/songwriters in the industry, both nationally and internationally. What distinguishes you from all the rest?
AJA: I THINK IT'S THE FACT THAT A LOT OF SINGER/ SONG~WRITERS ARE JUST FOLLOWING THE TRENDS... I TEND TO WRITE WHAT I AM FEELING OR GOING THROUGH AT THE TIME AND I SING IN MY OWN UNIQUE WAY, (FROM THE HEART)AND ALSO I TRY VERY HARD TO STAY AWAY FROM COPYING ANY~ONE'S STYLE OR GOING WITH WHATS IN... I ENJOY BEING UNIQUE...
AF: When were you signed to Def Jam/Ruff Ryder?
AJA:WELL, THAT IS A LONG STORY BUT I WILL GIVE YOU THE SHORT VERSION... I CAN'T EXACTLY RECALL THE YEAR I SIGNED WITH RUFF RYDERS, BUT I RESIGEND WITH THEM AND SIGNED A DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH DEF JAM IN '05...
AF: Have we seen you in any music videos? Any guest appearances on MTV,VH1,BET or any on-camera features?
AJA: I WAS IN DRAG~ON'S VIDEO, DMX VIDEO... NO MTV, VH1, OR BET YET.
AF: I listened to your track collab with the beautiful EVE. How was it working with one of the most dynamic and lyrically blessed female hip hop artists in the country?
AJA: SHE MAKES YA BRING YA A GAME... SHE'S A VERY HARD WORKER...SHE IS SO FUN AND OUT~GOING... SHE WAS A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH AND I AM TRULY BLESSED TO HAVE MET HER AND WORKED WITH HER!!! LOVE YA EVE!!!
AF: Have you worked with any other mainstream artists and/or producers?
AJA: LET'S SEE.... DRAG~ON, EVE, DMX, JADA~KISS, STYLES P, JIN, SWIZZ BEATS, NEO DA MATRIX, MAHOGANY, TIMBALAND, ANGIE STONE... AND THERE MAY BE A FEW OTHERS...
AF: I think you and Andre 3000 would make a mean track in the studio;both of you are so diverse and bring a different flavor to mainstream music on the ?whole. Do you concurAJA: OH HELL TO THE YES!!! I LOVE ANDRE... HIS MUSIC IS GREAT!!! I THINK THAT WOULD BE ONE OF MY BEST COLLABS EVER... I FIND A LOT OF SIMILARITIES BETWEEN US... HE SEEMS LIKE HE JUST ENJOYS MAKING GOOD SOULFUL MUSIC AND HE FOLLOWS HIS OWN GUT INSTINCTS AND FEELINGS JUST LIKE I DO...
AF: Are you going to make that happen (laughing)?
AJA: NO DOUBT!!! THAT IS ON THE TO DO LIST!!! ( LAUGHING HARD) BUT SO SERIOUS!!!
AF: Do/did you encounter any impediments while trying to make your stamp in the music industry? What about your journey to stardom- was it a difficult one?
AJA: I'M STILL ON THE JOURNEY!!! AND THE IMPEDIMENTS ARE OVERWHELMING AT TIMES... UPS AND DOWNS, DISAPPOINTMENTS... I KNOW THEM ALL TO WELL... BUT, I TRY HARD NOT TO FOCUS ON THAT... I JUST KEEP MOVING... THERE IS ONLY ONE THING THAT CAN MAKE ME STOP THE JOURNEY, THAT IS THE LOVE FOR MY KIDS... IF AT ANY TIME MY KIDS SAY IT'S TIME TO STOP AND JUST BE MOMMY, I WOULD KISS THE GAME GOOD~BYE...
AF: How have your life experiences molded you into the individual you are presently?
AJA: I HAVE HONESTLY BEEN THROUGH MOST OF LIFE'S DRAMA... FROM BEING A SEXUALLY ASSAULTED TEEN, TEEN PREGNANCY, HAVING A CHILD DIE AND COME BACK TO LIFE, DEATH OF LOVED ONE'S, BEING POOR, BEING RICH, FALLING IN LOVE, FALLING OUT OF LOVE, SELF ESTEEM ISSUES, FINANCIAL PROBLEMS, BEING IN JAIL, DOMESTIC ABUSE, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AND MUCH MUCH MORE... I AM LIVING PROOF THAT LIFE GOES ON!!! THAT YOU CAN KEEP A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AFTER ALL THE BULLS**T... I SMILE BECAUSE I AM TRULY HAPPY... I SING BECAUSE I AM HAPPY!!! I'M GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL TO GOD FOR HELPING THROUGH IT ALL AND ALLOWING ME TO GET TO KNOW MYSELF... I FEEL SOOOOOOO BLESSED TO KNOW MYSELF... THIS IS NOT A COCKY STATEMENT!!! EVERY~ONE SHOULD GET TO KNOW THEMSELVES WELL... HOW CAN YOU INTERACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND REALLY BE "YOU" IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO "YOU" ARE???I AM A SURVIVOR, A FIGHTER, A MOTHER, A DAUGHTER. A SISTER, A LOVER, AN ARTIST AND MUCH MORE... BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING, I AM A CHILD OF GOD...
AF: I find your statements very profound and so many people out there can relate to your story. So real.The crux of Life and Style Union’s mission as an online magazine is to give back to the youth community at large, for this population serves as the leaders of tomorrow? Do you share similar sentiments? How do you give back to your community?
AJA:CHILDREN ARE EVERYTHING TO ME!!! ALL CHILDREN... I AM WORKING HARD TO GET TO A POINT IN LIFE WHERE I CAN GIVE TO YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS THAT NEED HELP... THAT IS A MAJOR GOAL... AT THE TIME I AM NOT FINANCIALLY WEALTHY BUT I CAN GIVE MY TIME AND LOVE TO ANY~ONE WHO MAY NEED ME... SOMETIMES, IF ALL YOU CAN GIVE IS A SMILE, A HUG OR ENCOURAGEMENT, YOU ARE TRULY GIVING ALL YOU GOT... I TRY HARD TO PROVIDE ALL OF THESE THINGS EACH DAY...
AF: Aja ,this is your opportunity to address the masses of Life and Style Union youth readers all across the globe. What can you share with them about life and success? The floor is yours (smiling)…
AJA: TO THE YOUTH (THE FUTURE), I AM SAYING PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP ON YOURSELF, LEARN YOUR WORTH AND WHERE YOU STAND, THERE IS A PURPOSE AND A PLAN FOR YOU... YOU ARE SOOOOO MUCH BETTER THAN YOU KNOW, ALLOW YOUR CONFIDENCE TO GROW, DO NOT LET DEMONS ALSO KNOWN AS HATERS STOP YOUR FLOW... I KNOW LIFE BRINGS MANY PROBLEMS, YOUR CHALLENGE IS TO SOLVE THEM, DON'T GIVE UP ON YOU, YOU HAVE COME SO FAR... I KNOW THE WORLD MAY NOT ACCEPT YOU, HATERS HURT AND NEGLECT YOU, BUT YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD... SO PLEASE BE WHO YOU ARE!!! SHINE FOR ALL TO SEE, DON'T FALL SHORT OF BEING YOURSELF, DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF YOU... YOU GOTTA SEE THAT YOU ARE UNIQUE, IT'S IN YOUR WALK, YOUR STYLE, YOUR SPEECH...POTENTIAL IS INFINITE IF "YOU" BELIEVE!!!!SPEAK LIFE TO YOUR LIFE AND YOU WILL HAVE SUCCESS!!!
AF: Aja you are the epitomy of inspiration. What you said here, has touched me and I am confident it has touched the hearts of so many people...amazing. Thank you very much Aja for catching up with Life and Style Union. It has been a pleasure speaking with you. The LSU community welcomes you back at any time (smiling.)
AJA: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... THANK YOU LSU!!! GOD BLESS YOU AND ALL YOU DO!!! (SMILING BRIGHTLY)
