[Aria Brooks](https://www.instagram.com/itsariabrooks/?hl=en) is only 14 years old and has already accomplished more than most would hope to in a lifetime. Hailing from Atlanta, Brooks wears multiple hats from actress and writer to recording artist and activist. An all-around creative and performer, Brooks’ biggest passion lies in creating content, whether she’s singing, dancing, or writing scripts and films.
Aria’s biggest mission in life is to express herself fully through her art, while inspiring the masses to do the same. As a little girl, she watched Zendaya and Skai Jackson on television, so it’s no surprise that they are her biggest influences to this day. She’s proud to follow in their footsteps as she embarks on her own creative journey with music and acting.
Following a string of singles which she wrote and produced, “Truly Me,” “Time Off,” and “Am I Next?,” the teenage star recently released her debut EP titled _castles pt. 1_ under the moniker ARIA. The 6-track project features lead single “twinnin’,” a vulnerable and honest track chronicling her own experiences with mental health struggles. Fans can expect _castles pt. 2_ to drop later this year.
_Flaunt_ caught up with Aria via Zoom while she was in New York wrapping up a project she was very excited about, but she could not disclose any details. Read below as we discuss her roots in Atlanta, her dreams and aspirations, film and acting influences, love for music, the meaning behind _castles_, what inspired “twinnin’,” playing Nola in Netflix’ _Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings,_ her IG live show called Ask Aria, passion for social justice, fashion sense, goals, and more!
**Being from Atlanta, what was that like growing up?**
A lot of TV and film projects are moving to Atlanta, so it's very cool being able to live my dreams and do all the things that I really want to do at my own house or in my home city. That's very fun. Growing up in Atlanta can sometimes feel like a lot because it’s a big city. I don't look at it from the eyes of a tourist, so it’s like anything else to me. It's boring at times to be honest, because I live here.
**You say live your dreams, what are your dreams exactly?**
First of all, I want to inspire people in the way I’ve been inspired by a lot of actresses and singers I've grown up listening to and watching. That's my goal first and foremost, inspiring other people and enjoying what I do. My biggest dreams are to act, sing, and to make music and films. Make projects for people that they can relate to. I want to give back and make people feel the same things I feel whenever I listen to a song or watch a movie.
**Biggest influences coming up?**
The biggest one is Zendaya, she’s my biggest inspiration. I hope to someday work with her, I love her so much. I also really love Skai Jackson. I remember specifically the time I realized that I wanted to act in TV and film. I was watching Skai Jackson on _Jessie_ and I said “oh my gosh, I’m going to act to be just like her.” Skai Jackson and Zendaya were big ones for me.
**At what point did you realize this music thing was for real?**
It’s crazy, and a lot of people don't know this, but music came first for me. It doesn't come first as in take precedence over acting because I love both of them equally, but it's the first thing I got into. Both of my parents are music teachers and music educators, so I grew up around that. It has always been an interest of mine, it’s always been embedded in me. They always said I could do whatever I want as a career, but I naturally wanted to follow my parents’ footsteps. As I got older, I started loving it for myself and it became a passion of mine. Music and writing songs has always been of interest to me.
**Do you have any musical influences?**
I’d have to say Zendaya again. She hasn't released music recently, but I still listen to her 2013 album on repeat. As a musician, I love her. Melanie Martinez is my favorite singer of all time, I love her songwriting. What she does with her writing, her choices, her metaphors, I look up to her so much. Her voice is amazing. Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, they are all really great and my favorites right now.
**You just released _castles pt 1,_ how are you feeling?**
I’m very proud of myself. I've been saying “oh, I haven't released an album. I need to release a project” for a year or two. It's really crazy that it's happening and I’m actually doing it. I’m very happy and very proud of myself.
**What’s the meaning in the title, _castles_?**
I was doing a lesson in school one day. The whole unit, one of the lessons was called Castles in the Air. It told us Castles in the Air are unrealistic expectations and unrealistic ideas of what something would be. The entire project _castles_ _1_ and _2_ is about me expecting something in life in general, as a teenager, as an actor, singer, whatever it is. Those expectations I had in life that were unrealistic. _castles_ is me tackling and handling those unrealistic expectations, and becoming the queen of my castles.
**I can’t believe you’re only 14! Do you feel 14?**
Yes and no. There’s a lot of times where people remind me like “you're such a baby!” I don't know whether to say thank you or not. Other times, people will tell me I have an old soul and I can definitely feel that sometimes. I don’t know, I never really think about it.
**What were you going through writing “twinnin’”? I love that it touches on mental health.**
That's very important to me, mental health is one of the main topics of _castles 1_ and _2_. For _castles_ as a whole, my mental health struggles were a big part of what the unrealistic expectations were. I had really bad anxiety. I’ve had it for a long time, but I didn't notice it until it had gotten pretty bad. I fell into a state where I didn’t want to be here anymore, it was a really bad time. It's very important throughout _castles, in_ “twinnin’” and in a lot of my songs that I talk about my growth. My point A and point B, how I went from not really mentally stable to being confident and great. I know my worth.
**What do you do for self-care?**
Self-care for me is literally cleaning my skin, putting on a face mask, something along those lines. It's physical, really making myself feel good on the outside so it also helps inside. Also meditation and crystals. Over the pandemic, I did a lot of research on Law of Vibration and Law of Attraction, healing crystals and all that. It really stuck with me more than anything else has for me, really made me feel one with myself and the universe. That was very helpful for me.
**How is music a coping mechanism?**
Writing music is one of the biggest things that’s helped me. Whether it’s about a specific time, person, or period in my life, all my songs are always about something that has to do with me. I cannot write a song or write anything without my heart being in it. Music is normally how I cope. I never write a song saying “okay, let's write this so I can release it or write this so I can make a hit song.” I write how I'm feeling, that's where all my songs come from so it's a very big coping mechanism. I can't believe I didn't say that before.
**What led you to create your own Instagram Live show called _Ask Aria_?**
It was something I decided to do during the pandemic. I thought it would be something fun because no one could go anywhere. Since everyone was at home after shows and productions shut down, I figured it’d be something to keep people active and give them something to look forward to. I interviewed a lot of guests, I got to talk with a lot of really amazing people. I interviewed Kenan Thompson and Tabitha Brown. It was all very helpful for me because I learned so much. It was a great process, and I'm really glad I did it.
**How was it playing Nola in the Netflix anthology series _Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings_?**
That was very fun. I really enjoyed that project because the crew and everyone in the cast was super sweet. I got to meet Dolly Parton, that's insane to me. You’d never catch her in an outfit that is not absolutely amazing. She came in with her blue dress, that's one thing I’ll never forget when I first met her. She came in wearing a blue dress, her hair was big...it was amazing. Filming that, getting to act out that character was very fun because I cried on cue for one of the first times, which had been a really big struggle for me. I got to actually do it, I was very proud of myself.
**What do you feel when you act?**
Whenever I’m acting, I'm using whatever bottled-up energy I have and putting it in a character. It's not like I’m upset or sad, similar to songwriting that's my way of getting my emotions out. Acting is very freeing for me, I enjoy doing it. I enjoy every aspect of it, especially that I can feel free and can let out whatever I'm feeling through another character.
**You’re also passionate about social justice issues and encouraging people to vote. How’d it feel celebrating your 14th birthday with the 14 til 14 Challenge?**
I've gotten to an age where I don't really want much, especially not physical stuff. For my birthday, me and my mom worked together on the idea of doing 14 challenges for people to do that pertained to things I'm passionate about. All social justice related for the most part. That was very special for me to do the 14 til 14 challenge, because it got people active in things that I care about and people should talk more about.
Social justice as a whole is very important to me, even if it doesn't directly affect me. Some things directly affect me and I want to speak out on them because my life matters as much as anyone else’s. But even if it doesn't affect me, I need to be someone else’s ally because everyone deserves equality.
**What were some of the challenges?**
I remember there was one surrounding transgender rights, one surrounding domestic violence against women. There were things along the lines of Black Lives Matter. There was a Tolerance Day, you had to make a pledge for tolerance of people of different races and classes.
**What does Pride Month mean to you?**
Pride Month is very important because it's a month where people are allowed to be their unapologetic selves, be true to themselves and truly take pride in who they are. It's very important that we talk about it regardless of how you identify, if it affects you, or it's your month. It doesn't really matter, you have to be an ally. Regardless of who you are, Pride Month is such an important month, I'm glad it's there. I don't understand people who think it shouldn't be a thing. Pride Month should be the full month, it's very important to bring awareness to it and celebrate.
**Being 14, What do you like to do for fun?**
I love watching Netflix, Netflix all day everyday. I do rewatch the same show every day and my mom is annoyed. I rewatch the same show four times, but it's okay. I watch YouTube a lot lately, more than I have before. I play card games with my mom or by myself sometimes. There’s a Solitaire version of Uno, that’s fun. I love doing those things whenever I am free. I love eating too, I don't think that's a hobby but it should be. I like eating.
**What food do you like?**
I have the worst sweet tooth. I love Nutella so I dip pretzel sticks in it, it’s very good. I like Pop-Tarts and chips, and I do eat some fruit sometimes. I really like raspberries, so I promise I have some fruit in the mix.
**How would you describe your fashion sense?**
It's crazy, I was just thinking about this. What I want to wear changes so often. Sometimes I want to wear super baggy clothes and dress that streetwear vibe. Other days I want it to be the exact opposite, runway. I don't even know if I can answer that question, my style’s all over the place right now. This is the period of where I’m experimenting with my style. I’ll get back to you in a few years, maybe I’ll have the answer then.
**Goals for yourself at this point of your career?**
Definitely figuring out my style. That's a minor one. The big ones are that I want to book more projects. I definitely want to work on more movies and TV shows, that would be fun. I love being on set. I want to have a lot more music released. I want to keep writing and keep writing my music. Another big one is to release a script. I write so many scripts, I have a few in the bank right now. I definitely want to release those and sell them. Whatever’s in the stars for them, I definitely want to get those out there.
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Photographer: [PRIME](https://www.instagram.com/theartofprime/)
Creative Producer: [Erini Sadek](https://www.instagram.com/erinisadek/?hl=en)
Stylist: [Kristiana Cox](https://www.instagram.com/hersheys_kris/?hl=en)
