Arielle

Born in New Jersey and raised in California and Hawaii, Arielle’s musical journey began at age 5 with the Peninsula Girls Chorus of California. By age 10, she received her first guitar. She pursued formal musical education, earning a degree from Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles and continuing her studies at London’s Institute of Contemporary Music Performance. In 2010, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt discovered her, leading to an indie record label signing. During this period, she toured extensively across North America and the UK, opening for and performing with notable artists such as Heart, Joan Jett, Graham Nash, Joe Bonamassa, and Guns N’ Roses. She also performed on the main stage at Coachella as part of Cee Lo Green’s band. Her career advanced significantly when Brian May selected her for a role in the London musical “We Will Rock You,” based on Queen’s songs. This opportunity broadened her performance experience and public recognition. Further achievements included being featured on the cover of Guitar Player Magazine, being recognized by Vince Gill as one of the ‘Top 5 Best New Guitarists,’ and a role as a guitar player on the TV show Nashville. Her song “California” reached No. 3 on the CMT Pure chart.

Arielle eventually left her record label to pursue an independent career, citing creative differences and pressures related to her image as a woman in the music industry. This marked a turning point in her artistic control and personal development. As an independent artist, she released her debut album, “The Whale,” in 2015, followed by two EPs in 2017, “Interim” and “My Gypsy Heart,” the latter featuring Eric Johnson. In 2018, she released “Mind Lion,” which spent seven weeks on the Billboard ‘Independent Album’ chart and received critical acclaim. Reviewers noted her ‘stellar vocal range’ and described her as ‘an up-and-coming songstress who possesses a calm, cool confidence beyond her years.’ Beyond her music, Arielle is involved in guitar design, notably with “Two-Tone,” a custom guitar she co-designed, which served as the inspiration for “Arielle Guitars,” a line of instruments for women. She also advocates for animal welfare and environmental causes.