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 the music.” I say. Arianrhod says it’s about time she tells her story and set the rumours straight.
“Well it all started when 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 a saviour sibling, in order to use the blood and other body substance in treatments. Which is why I was conceived, even if it meant for me not being able to have a normal life, 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 wanted me to have a life on my own. Knowing that if I stopped donating my sister would eventually die within a short time period, I refused to do what she asked of me. Instead I found a hobby that didn’t require any physical activity to show her I could manage fine as a donor, so I started playing the guitar. A year later 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 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 the sun shining on her face when she was saying that it was her time to go now. I cried for week 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 on the same day 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 it 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 the trut, she just said you should have refused, then she would be alive now. My dad started drinking and my mother followed soon after. It was a mad house, 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 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 songs, 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 with a career in music. He got me in touch with an old friend of his father who runs Release, the record label I’m now releasing 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 think he is quite happy about it today.” She laughed but turned serious again and said that all her music is dedicated to her dear sister Lucy.
The room turned quiet, I think we’re all pretty shocked. I told her that I never though her adolescence was that hard and that I’m so sorry about her sister and how her parents treated her afterwards. She answered ‘Que sera sera’ which means ‘whatever will be, will be’ which she said was something her gandma always used to say about life. So with good help from her friend Alex, Arianrhod managed to turn her sorrows, anger and love into something good, into good music. Arianrhod say with a smile on her mouth that she doesn’t know what she would have done without him.
I nod my head understandingly while saying that he sounds like a true friend, and a real keeper! We wrap up the interview and thank Arianrhod so much for sharing her upbringing with us especially knowing know how hard it must have been. We share hugs and say our goodbyes leaving with a more open and understanding sight of the world and the difficulties in it. We all agree on that Arianrhod is truly a strong person going though all that and being where she is today.
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