The written article for the DPS
Arianrhod is the biggest upcoming artist for the New Year and has America at her feet. So where do all the emotions her songs are filled with come from?
As Arianrhod steps into the room, dressed cool and relaxed in a maroon shorts, a black top with several long necklaces, bracelets and rings, she comes straight over to greet us with a warm hand and a welcoming smile. We make our introductions, and take our seats around the table.
“My crew and me want to thank you for agreeing to personally introduce us, InD to the person behind and before the music. That is truly a question everyone one wants an answer to, so we feel very lucky” I say. Arianrhod agrees as she says its maybe about time she tells her story and set all the rumours straight.
“Well it all started when my dear sister Lucy was 6 years old and got acute promyelocytic leukemia, which is a blood and bone marrow cancer. She was dying and the only way to save her was by conceiving me as a savoir sibling, in order to use my blood in her treatments. The treatments initially were successful, but Lucy relapsed and I, as the only compatible family member, had to be used as a donor for any other body substance needed to treat Lucy, even if it meant for me not being able to live like a normal kid, play sport or any other sort of activity that might be too rough. Lucy continued to swing between remission and relapse the next years. I was 12 when Lucy first told me that she didn’t want me to donate any more on her behalf but instead wanted me to have a life on my own. Knowing that if I stopped donating my sister would eventually die with in a short time period, so I refused to what she asked of me. Instead I tried finding hobbies that didn’t require any physical activity to show her I managed fine as a donor, so I started playing the guitar, and I was actually really good. A year late she woke me up really early one day to show me she had made a picnic for us in the sun, that’s when she again told me she couldn’t bear going in and out of the hospital any more. She had had enough, Lucy said that I was her only hope since she knew our mother would never willingly give up without a fight. I remember Lucy sitting on the banquet, sun shining on her face when she was saying that it was her time to go know now. I cried all day knowing the consequence of going though with what she wanted, I loved her so much but if this was what she truly wanted how could I refuse. So in the evening I told my mother I didn’t want to donate any more. At first she just laughed at me, but when she realising I meant what I said she got furious and scream awful things like “Do you want you sister to die?!” and etc. It was horrible but the thing that kept me going was that I knew I was doing it for my sister, it’s what she wanted. About 4 moths later my sister got really bad, she got admitted into the hospital where she lay weeks before the day came that we all knew would be the last. It’s truly the worst day of my life, seeing my sister so weak she could barely speak or move. It was never the same after my sister died. My mother kept blamed me for Lucy’s death even when I told her what my sister had asked of me, she just kept on saying you should have refused, if you had she would be alive now. My dad started drinking as well as my mother started soon after. It was a mad house, so I was happy for the time I got away for my guitar lessons, which soon went to an ended since my parents stopped paying the bill. The only thing that made me able to shut the world out was playing my guitar. It reminded me of my sister, I used to play my guitar and sing to her every day at the hospitals. That’s where my songs are from, the love I shared with my sister. We had so much fun fiddling around with lyrics, making our own love songs pretending to be somebody else, making angry, sad and happy songs all depending on our mood. We loved hearing the artistic sound of the guitar to our voices. When I was 16 I moved into an apartment with my best friend Alex Mangfield, who was the one supporting me to a career within music. He got me in touch with an old friend of his father who runs Release, actually the record label I’m now realising my second album with, “When her heart stopped”. Andrew Filton, the label president, knew I was a long shot but took a chance and I can’t think he regrets that choose today. She laughed but turned serious again and said that all her music is dedicated to her dear sister Lucy.”
The room turns quite after Arianrhod’s stops speaking, I think we’re all pretty shocked. I tell her that I would never have though her adolescence was that hard and that I’m so sorry about her sister and how her parents treated her afterwards. She answered that having to know your conceived for your sisters need is not easy, but I never blamed her or my parents, they where desperate. What I couldn’t cope with was the fact that my mother blamed me for my sister’s death. I loved my sister so much and then having to hear that I was to blame for her death was unbearable. I barely survived the last year living there but luckily I got out and when I did I promised my self I would never go back to them and I’ve kept that promise. With good help from my friend Alex I have managed to turn my sorrows, anger and love into something good, into good music. I don’t know what I would have done with out him.
I nod my head in understanding while saying that he sounds like a true friend, and a real keeper! We rap up the interview and thank Arianrhod so much for sharing her upbringing with us especially knowing know how hard it must have been. We give hugs and say our goodbyes living with a more open and understanding sight of the world and the difficulties in it. We all agree on that Arianrhod is truly strong person going though all that and being where she is today.
Quotes:
“I wouldn’t be her today if it wasn’t for my sister”
“Use your head and follow your heart”
Tatto picture meaning:
"What will be, will be"
