ARI LEE writes songs about womanhood, fighting men while wearing pearls and heels, and unfortunately falling for them at times. She is an emerging independent singer-songwriter from Hong Kong and Portugal, and is currently based in London.
Photographer: Esme Buxton (@esmebuxtonphotography)
Ethnicity: Chinese - Portuguese
Location: London (UK)
Instagram: @aaarilee
Website:
GET TO KNOW - completed March 2025
3 words to describe you:
Loving, thoughtful, silly
Describe your sound:
I would say that my current sound is indie girl pop with an alt edge – I write a lot of sad songs but I also love showing the feminine rage, psycho ex-girlfriend, Stepford-escapee character that I am creating. Growing up, I loved a lot of the pop queens like Lady Gaga, Britney, Katy Perry, and Rihanna but also listened to a lot of older stuff – from 80's synth pop to The Beatles and The Killers – so there's a bit of that in my music too.
Describe the moment you knew that you wanted to pursue music:
I've been writing songs since I was 10 and singing long before that. I've actually always wanted to pursue music since I could remember, but only had the courage to start releasing my stuff about a year ago. I had just moved to London from Hong Kong and I came to the realization that I was in the wrong movie. Why am I not doing what I want to do? It was like something had been pulling at me inside for almost a decade and I was ignoring it. Because I knew pretty much nobody in London, it gave me the freedom and space to explore my creativity and start writing and releasing my music more seriously. I have zero regrets.
How does your heritage impact your art?
A year ago I would've said that my Chinese side actually hindered my art, because I felt like I had to fit into a specific box and not ruffle any feathers – collective over the individual. In actuality, I think it has informed a lot of my art now and given me a unique lens to write through. More specifically, I hope that I can help others realize that you can be both creative and care about the collective and that the two aren't mutually exclusive.
As for my Portuguese side, it made me learn to stand in spaces where I wasn't totally accepted. I'm only 1/4 Portuguese and present mostly Asian, so when I'd visit growing up, I was the odd one out. Becoming comfortable in that has allowed my art to be less apologetic once I got over the initial hurdle of wanting to be a "good girl" in society, which now I'm like fuck that.
What moment are you most proud of in your music journey so far?
I'm most proud of the fact that I continued to put out music even when I didn't feel "ready," especially with my last single "Never Be Yours Again." I didn't even want to put it out to be honest because I thought it was too sad, but I forced myself to just practice being okay with imperfection when developing my craft. It ended up on several Spotify editorial playlists, which I was surprised by. Overcoming that mental block proved to me that I won't die if I release something imperfect, and that I can do things scared, which is really important for me as an artist because...I have been scared for most of my life!
Your next music goal:
My next music goal is to release my EP "Trophy Wife In Training" this year. I have been working on it for a year and it means so much to me. I also want to choreograph a performance video for one or a few of the songs on the EP because I grew up dancing, and I feel like that would be the epitome of my creativity and something that I've always dreamed of doing.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who and why?
I was going to say Niall Horan cause he was my favourite in One Direction but maybe that's kind of random. I think RAYE or MARINA because I love both of their lyricism and honesty.
Lyrics you live by:
"Cause I'm a woman, a very fucking brave strong woman, and I'll be damned if I let a man ruin how I walk how I talk how I do it"
(RAYE - Ice Cream Man)
The song makes me cry every single time. She's one of my all time favourite artists.
3 songs you're listening to right now:
Only Ever - Lucy Park
Fucking You To Death - LAUREL
remains - Naaz.
Your community shout out:
Naaz! (@bitsofnaaz) She's a Kurdish independent artist, vocalist and producer based in the Netherlands. I love all of her music and she is such a talented producer and songwriter. It really blows my mind. Her music is so beautiful and emotional and her story is so inspiring. It would be a dream to see her play live one day.
Anything else you'd like to share:
My single "Trophy Wife In Training" will be out April 19. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!
