In reading The Gifts of Imperfection by the life-changing author Brené Brown, one thing that stuck with me was Brown’s advice to “always be kind to yourself.” Singer India.Arie helps with this, allowing every woman to embrace her flaws, surmount her insecurities, and be unapologetically her.
Becoming an avid India.Arie listener truly helped me develop the self-love I have today. I know that at the end of the day, I am enough, and I want all women to feel the same way. India is this week’s #WomanCrushWednesday and in honor of that, here are 5 India.Arie songs that will uplift and empower you as you grow as a woman. Time to be inspired!
Starting with the obvious and perhaps the song Ms. Arie’s most known for, “Video” inspires women to love ourselves the way God created us, even if that creation doesn’t meet the standards of a superficial society.
Notable lyrics: “When I look in the mirror and the only one there is me / Every freckle on my face is where it’s supposed to be / And I know my creator didn’t make no mistakes on me / My feet, my thighs, my lips, my eyes / I’m loving what I see”
2. “Private Party” Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
What’s probably my favorite India.Arie song, “Private Party” serves the purpose of building a strong relationship with oneself, growing in love with who we are as individual women and solidifying the bond between body and spirit. (Watch Ariana Grande’s cover to this song!)
Notable lyrics: “I’m having a private party / Ain’t nobody here but me, my angels, and my guitar / Singin’, ‘baby look how far we’ve come’, yeah / I’m having a private party / Learning how to love me / Celebrating the woman I’ve become, yeah”
3. “I Am Not My Hair” Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
We all know that for a woman, her hair is everything, and I often wonder if this strong dependence is psychological. In “I Am Not My Hair,” India does an amazing job at reassuring women that we are not the body we possess, but the beautiful person who lives inside it.
Notable lyrics: “I am not my hair / I am not this skin / I am the soul that lives within”
4. “Get It Together” Voyage to India
“Get It Together” calls for one to forgive those who hurt her in order to live a happy, virtuous life. India sings that the choice is ours: to either hold onto the pain that was once inflicted upon us, or to let it go and fly once and for all.
Notable lyrics: “‘Cause the words that come from your mouth / You’re the first to hear / Speak words of beauty and you will be there / No matter what anybody says / What matters most is what you think of yourself”
5. “I Choose” Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
Speaking from her own experience, India teaches us in “I Choose” to stop living for everyone else and finally choose to live for ourselves. She also sings that “I don’t need to change the way that I live just to get a man.” Amen, India!
Notable lyrics: “And I choose to be the best that I can be / I choose to be authentic in everything I do / My past don’t dictate who I am / I choose”
I hope these songs inspire you to celebrate the woman you’ve become! HCXO.