Aries was born Chester Cornelius III in Orange County, California, and grew up there. He began producing music when he was in his teens, and in 2016, he launched a YouTube channel where he posted videos for his own compositions as well as technical videos on music production and beatmaking. In one set of videos, Aries attempted to explain and recreate the production of popular songs by artists such as Future, Kendrick Lamar, and 21 Savage in under two minutes. Though he started with his 2016 song “Mr. Fantastic,” his sound evolved over the course of 2017, moving away from the more nostalgic, sample-heavy styles of his early work and toward more trap- and mumble rap-influenced compositions. His somber one-off songs “Deadman Wunderland” and “Less Than Friends” followed his dark 2017 single “Upside Down.”
By 2018, Aries’ platform had grown dramatically, with over 300,000 people watching his production videos and listening to his original songs. Early that year, he released the singles “Carousel” and “Sayonara,” and in 2019, he released Welcome Home, a collection of nine of his best songs. He released the songs “Fools Gold” and “Conversations,” which were both featured on his sophomore album, in 2020. Believe in Me, Who Believes in You was released in November 2021, and it finds Aries developing on his debut’s cross-pollinated pop and postmodern hip-hop psychedelia.
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Is Aries a self-employed artist?
The first astrological sign in the zodiac, Aries, is a fire sign. Aries is also the moniker of a multi-hyphenate from Los Angeles who was raised in Orange County and whose real identity is unknown. Aries signed a bargain surrounded by flames that sparked something in him. “Over our Transatlantic video conversation, he tells me, “When you first get into music, when you really get into it, you sign a deal.” “I can’t seem to get away from the fact that everything I do outside of music is somehow tied to music. Not that I want to, but it’s as if I made a contract with the music devil, who says, “OK, now everything you do has to be for this music thing.”
This was something Aries took to heart, and he developed his own diverse musical persona as a result. In 2019, the 22-year-old launched his debut album WELCOME HOME on his own indie label WUNDERWORLD, and in late 2020, he released two songs “CONVERSATIONS” and “FOOL’S GOLD.” Aries’ skill set spans everything from singing and producing to directing and illustration, and he’s determined to keep his word by creating a complete creative world around his songs. When I ask him what he intends to accomplish, he responds simply: “WUNDERWORLD hegemony.”
On our video conference, Aries is sitting in a basic environment, slumped against a neutral sofa. His fish tanks linger on the edge of the frame, a piece of the sea transplanted into his home, a perennial source of inspiration and childhood comfort. Later in our conversation, he leans forward, his eyes bright. He takes a glance around the room, comparing its size to his childhood bedroom, where he first began to compose music. He recalls nights spent at the beach while reminiscing, and it’s clear how much has changed.
Aries’ passion with alternative music inspired him to write lyrics long before he considered himself a professional musician. When he reflects back on his middle school years, he stops, hints of fondness and humiliation erupting from nostalgia “Getting stoned and rapping freestyle with the homies.” He began experimenting with creating films inspired by the burgeoning YouTube movement when he was in elementary school. Aries would eventually benefit from this early interest as he navigated the digital realm, gaining notoriety and a loyal following through his YouTube channel.
“He admits, “I’ve tried a lot of different methods to get successful on YouTube.” He began with an episodic series before launching his how-to video, which consisted of a sequence of images that examined and replicated the production behind popular tracks on the edge of becoming mainstream. It didn’t take long for them to acquire traction, drawing millions of views and a following. It became the right environment for the young artist’s shift to releasing original music, since he was surrounded by music fans and creatives.
Aries is now determined to maintain the spirit of community that has characterized him since his YouTube days. He launched a similar competition for his new single “CONVERSATIONS” two years after the remix contest for his first album’s “SAYANORA,” with 10,000 individuals registering up and over 1,000 entries.
In his first ever editorial interview, we caught up with Aries to talk about his experience thus fargrowing up on the internet, YouTube’s influence, the WELCOME HOME tour, WUNDERWORLD, and moreas he prepares for future releases.
Who is a well-known Aries?
Aries is a sign of the zodiac that is known for being brave and passionate. Aries is represented by Lady Gaga, Kourtney Kardashian, Paul Rudd, and Chance the Rapper.
What are some of Aries’ favorite songs?
Aries is a fire sign, thus lively and hot music appeals to them. They like a night out dancing and enhancing their mood with music. Slow music quickly bores Aries, who frequently flick to the next track as soon as the current one begins. On an Aries playlist, any song that gets your blood pumping is perfect.
What is the age of the zodiac Aries?
Many astrologers believe that ages based on the vernal point travelling through the randomly sized zodiacal constellations or the sidereal zodiac are too unstable, and instead round all astrological eras to the nearest 2000 years. The years are usually nicely matched in this method, so that the Aries age is found from 2000 BC to AD 1, the Pisces age is discovered from AD 1 to AD 2000, the Aquarian Age is found from AD 2000 to AD 4000, and so on. The precession of the equinoxes is incompatible with this method. According to the precession of the equinoxes, a one-degree change occurs every 72 years, therefore a 30-degree shift will take 2160 years to complete.
What kind of microphone does Aries use?
The Aries comes with a typical zipup protective case and a sturdy microphone clip (albeit mine lacks a threadadaptor insert for the clip). The microphone resembles a Shure Beta 57 in appearance, albeit it is slightly larger at 40 x 168mm. The Aries is light, weighing only 260g, but it’s perfectly balanced for handheld operation and appears to be sturdy enough to withstand some road abuse. This mic’s robust metal body, which is solid, does not scratch easily, and is contoured to fit nicely in your hand, is something I especially enjoy about it. The grille that hides the pop shield and is supposed to protect the threequarterinch goldevaporated diaphragm is a little less pleasing. The grille feels and appears to be a little flimsy, yet it is certainly sturdy enough to perform its job and is easily removed for cleaning.
Most microphones of this type have at least a twolayer ‘pop shield,’ but the Aries only looks to have a single layer of foam, making it vulnerable to extreme plosives (such ‘b’s and’p’s). While an inbuilt shockmount reduces handling noise, the Aries shockmount appears to be less effective than those found on competing microphones on the market. Rather than hanging the capsule with rubber strips, the shockmount inserts it within a rubber ring on the end of three rubber shockabsorbers. The Aries’ handling noise didn’t bother me too much, but when I touched the end of the XLR, I heard a distinct metallic ‘clunking,’ which I didn’t hear with any of my other mics.
In terms of general characteristics, the Aries boasts a low selfnoise of 17dBA, which puts it on level with some of the more expensive competitors. It has sufficient of power and can handle sound pressure levels (SPLs) of 134dB (for 0.5 percent distortion), which isn’t bad at all, and requires substantially less gain than, say, a Shure SM86.