8 Questions With Arienne hearts Charlie

Thank you for your time. Thanks for speaking with us! How’s everything going?
Charlie: No complaints. Look who I’m sitting next to.
Arienne: I could say the exact same thing easily! It’s why our name is the way it is!

What sets your music apart?
Charlie: The fact that it’s based on our own love story makes songs easier to write. We have a whirlwind of a romance spanning over 11 years. It’s exactly as it appears and though we have ups and downs like any other couple, our ups far supersede the downs. We built our sound off that feeling. Hopefully, it shines through when people listen.
Arienne: I would agree. We don’t try to change the other person and he has always made our relationship a priority and I try to do the same with our levels of passion. He has always made it easy for me to sing from my heart.

What is unique, or at least uncommon?
Arienne: I think it’s unique for anyone to feel this degree of emotional safety and create music at the same time. Doing it with a person who is out to optimize you and looks after your best interest is hard to find. I’ve heard the music industry is a tough one and we know first hand how shallow and almost moody the media industry can be. Having each other makes it real music not just something built on things we are supposed to say. Our originals so far reflect our interest and passions with the other but also the struggles and arguments we have over things that may not matter as much in the scheme of things but can be equally important. Doing all this with the most beautiful man I have ever known is the cherry on top.
Charlie: Yes indeed. Arienne is one confident soul so I don’t ever feel like I’m working to help someone through their insecurities or past pain all the time. We have helped each other with those things but it’s not the only thing in the room when we are together. We stand together and create together and aren’t worried about what people think of us along the way. Life is too short to worry about all of that and when you do it can weigh heavy on the love you have for someone and I’m sure it affects your ability to create as well. She has been independent forever and that spoke volumes to me when she chose me. We are both PTSD survivors and she reminds me of that every time I see her. That we are strong together and there is no denying it. It comes out when she sings in such a dynamic way that is hard to hide.

Please tell us more about your single “Bare” How did this song first come together and what is the inspiration behind it?
Arienne: Haha! It’s a song about a weekend. A crazy good one that became pretty much every weekend thereafter with him. I like him naked (laughingly)
Charlie: Yes it was! it was the last weekend at a really small apartment we rented for a short period of time in a town named Monroe Louisiana.  Arienne was a mental health supervisor at a clinic we ended up owning and she was consistently late for work… because we liked each other ALOT i guess. I like her naked too (laughs)

You both have an amazing voice. Are you vocally trained?
Charlie: I sang some growing up in church choir at New Galilee Baptist Church in Monroe. We had some of the best vocalists I have ever heard out of the place. My sisters were both incredible and my parents had their own album released as the Voice of Salvation. I learned from them.My cousins Cynthia Kay, John Bowman, and Patrick Winnfield set the standard. Patrick passed away prematurely passed away but he left his mark on me with his mastering of falsetto. I also had a nontraditional singer as an influence named Lisa Spann. She was this cool ass white girl from Monroe that sang metal with this band Kamikazee and ended up being a jazz singer for hire.    Arienne and I saw her one of our first weekends away together while dating and I’ve been a jazz fan ever since. Later on she had this guitarist Dan Sumner that was sort unreal playing for her. It put jazz in perspective for sure.
Arienne: That one is easy for me. My uncle James was a big time local singer in the 80’s in our area. He showed me the ropes and was pretty hard on me in my early teens when it came to tone and staying in tune. He was into 80’s music and I learned a bunch from me because he really took the time to show me. Some of my fondest memories were of those times. He kept me singing through some difficult times. I learned a bunch then.
Charlie: Yes indeed. The funny thing is he was friends with a good friend of mine named Terry Brewster and he was a big influence on me as well inadvertently. I didn’t know James but I guess I felt him because guys like Craig and Sean were around in my life. David Hogue too. The race thing was a big deal for some back then but those guys like James and Terry sort of transcended that. David Hogue had me playing with a friend Scott  Webster at River Oaks High back then. Georgia Satellites and Rush I think, Rush I think, it was life-changing to do that at a predominately white school.
Arienne: (laughs) That was us back in the day. It’s hard to deny our North Louisiana routes. My mom and my aunt Carol were great singers too. My sister Aliya and I sort of just carried on the tradition.
Charlie: Those two can SING!

Which one of your songs has the most memorable story for you? Whether it’s the writing process, recording sessions or release of the song.

Arienne: I think being in love with him creates so many different layers. The fact that we created all of these originals so quickly felt like the right thing to do. Our first few cover songs didn’t do much for either of us but they showed us how to create something new. We aren’t some big time band but we do like creating together no matter what it is. We also like being intimate together and that only grows every year so all of this is natural.
Charlie: She IS music to me. It is that simple so I agree. Creating anything with her leaves our mark for our grandkid and we have two right now. It also makes most of our ten kids dance too. Most of them (laughs)

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Charlie: Check with us when we actually write more than 4 originals. (laughs)
Arienne: I’m with daddy on that one. (laughs)

What according to you holds the most importance, fame, respect, or money?
Arienne: we have our clinical work and travel agencies for money and as long as I’m famous to him that’s all I care about.
Charlie: TeaxasCarecenter.com and weekofTravel.com. Just making a shameless plug (laughs). Oh and SexBecause.com She is right. Who cares. We just want to keep making music that leaves a mark even if it’s just on us. I want to be dancing with her to our own stuff at 80. That’s all I care about. We’ve met some amazing famous people on our journey together from Rachel Starr to Kendrick to and Vanity Perkins to Jess Oreilly. One thing resonates is that they were all just real, caring, and loving people. That’s what we aim to be together.
Arienne: yes they were and I couldn’t have said that better. We are famous and rich with ten kids and two amazing grandkids and a daughter Sharyn who is awesome too. I’m not sure there are may people as wealthy as us.

For our final question, is there anything else you would like to add?
Arienne: thank you to everyone who has been so encouraging as we did this. Stewart Cararas and Shawn George and also our band.
Charlie: yes this was so much fun for our relationship and Stewart and Shawn as well as Will, Joylin, Ben, and Albert made it cool as hell. The last few years held surprise we never expected, It made us an even better couple. Thank you for the interview too.

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