Interview with Ari Gold

Recording artist Ari Gold began singing at age 5 and went on to sing over 400 jingles as a child vocalist—providing voices for Cabbage Patch Kids, Jem and the Holograms. He released his self-titled debut album in 2001, which won the 2002 Outmusic Award for Outstanding Debut Recording. Ari's sophomore CD Space Under Sun was released on his own label, GOLD18 Records.

Here Ari talks about growing up as an Orthodox Jew, the current state of pop and the joy of Barbie.

What was it like growing up as a gay kid in an Orthodox Jewish household?

The good thing about being Orthodox and gay is that the religion has all these rules that separate men from women, so you get to spend a lot of time in all male environments. Of course, I wish I could have appreciated those times a little more growing up without being scared that someone might catch me staring at the boy next to me in shul wearing teffillin! I mean, I was basically in a room filled with men bound by leather! Yep, that would be my Orthodox upbringing!

You came out at age 18 after years of singing and dancing around the house. Did your parents already suspect you were gay?

Parents of gay kids tend to willfully ignore all the signs as long as no one is saying anything to counter the fantasy that their child is straight—despite the Madonna shrine in the bedroom, the Wonder Woman costume I made that I called my Wonder Boy costume or the Annie dollhouse (and doll) that I used to put on musicals with.

When did you start writing music?

I started writing songs when I was about 14. One of the first songs I wrote was called “Experienced Girl” and it was about my girlfriend Dhalia who was in the grade above me that had more, um, “experience” than me. I ended up singing my song “Bashert (Meant To Be)” at her traditional “orthodox” lesbian wedding.

You're an R&B/Dance artist. How do you feel when people call your music Pop?

Pop music stands for popular music. Today R&B and hip hop is pop music, rock is pop music, dance used to be pop music in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. A lot of my favorite artists who essentially make soul/R&B music but who’ve sold tons of records are termed pop artists, like Whitney Houston, Michael and Janet Jackson, Prince, George Michael. So, I don’t mind as long as people don’t mistake pop with bubblegum 'cause my music is soul music.

What makes Ari Gold different in the music world?

A friend recently pointed out that I was the first R&B/pop artist to be out from the beginning of his career. And its cool to be the first anything, but what makes me different—more than just simply having been out from the beginning—is that I write and sing very explicitly about what it’s like to be gay.

I wrote love songs with male pronouns on my first album back in 2000 and on my second album I had a song where me and my girlfriend were fighting over the same man. On my new album I have a song called “Mr. Mistress” about discovering that the guy I’m seeing is married with kids.

All my songs deal with gay stuff in one way or another and we don’t hear any of that in pop music. I think its important to have music that speaks directly to who we are. I am just one version of who we are. Maybe by putting my stuff out there more people will put their versions of what it means to be gay out there. I’ve seen that happen already. I think the next thing we're going to start seeing is more straight people relating to what gay people have to say in music—in a similar way white people have related to hip-hop.

What was your favorite childhood toy?

My Annie dollhouse, my Cabbage Patch Kid and my Jem dolls. Gay, anyone?

What's the one thing you want that you know you can't have?

The spiritualist in me would say that if I cant have it then I probably don’t really want it. I really wanted a Barbie doll when I was a kid but wasn’t allowed one. Somehow I got away with the Annie thing 'cause at least she sang.

You describe your CD Transport Systems as a concept album. What's the overriding theme?

I don’t know if its a concept album per-say—I wouldn’t want people to think there’s anything neat or tidy regarding the album’s themes because life is messy and disjointed sometimes and people are multi-faceted! But there is definitely a theme of movement and progression and transformation; of letting go of the pain of the past to move to a better place. I think that comes through in my personal stories. Each song expresses and will hopefully resonate for gay people as we move forward in this new place of visibility and the fight for our rights.

Is your life a concept album?

Is my life a concept album or is my concept album my life? There’s a song on the album called “Where The Music Takes You” and that’s my motto right now. I just go where the music takes me.

Get Ari Gold music at arigold.com.