Chapter 54 Aria
Aria
The week after Griffin’s brewery event, Monroe called Aria as she was leaving the gym, and the first words out of her mouth were “I’m not sure I’ve ever had more fun than I did listening to Gerald eat his words.”
Aria felt like she’d entered a conversation somewhere in the middle. “Huh?”
“After weeks of me trying to be diplomatic about letting you do your thing, promising him the fans would follow you in a new direction, explaining how the new direction was more an evolution and not a rebrand, reminding him of all the money you’ve already made them, the victory was sweet.”
“Was it the video?” The one of her performance at the brewery went more viral than any previous Aria-Griffin post.
Aria could’ve sketched the smirk on Monroe’s lips, she heard it so clearly in her words. “Probably. But I’m still taking full credit.”
Aria said no more than a handful of words during the whole conversation as Monroe took the lead laying out Gerald’s backtracking in great detail.
“We didn’t realize that it was more a tweak than a pivot.”
“Aria is such a stellar musician, of course the fans are connecting with it.”
“Everyone wants a real recording of ‘Until You Came Along.’ How soon can we make it?”
“We trust her, but we need the music ASAP.”
Aria had left the call with a new freshness, like a mustiness following her around had been aired out by a good spring cleaning.
Like finally the weight that Gerald was insistent on tying to her ankle had been released.
That afternoon she worked four straight hours and wrote three songs.
It was as if the music had been inside her all along, and all she needed was the breathing room to let it out—like she’d been able to with Griffin.
Beyond the practicalities of making the new album, Aria felt like herself again.
Like the green but hopeful young woman she once was when she first embarked on this journey had finally meshed with her experiences—good and bad—her new perspective, and a new softness.
And the music that sprang forth was precisely what Aria had in mind.
In the weeks since, the rest of the album came together remarkably quickly. Aria even invited the band over to help her get the musical arrangement right. After working with them for so long, she trusted their instincts and feedback. They, too, wanted to play music they enjoyed every show.
Worldwide Records had no issue moving earth and sky to get the songs professionally recorded and produced in record speed, considering that the internet was on the verge of revolt with their demands for a real version of “Until You Came Along.”
Today is Aria’s new album drop, and Aria sits at her kitchen island, reading the emails her publicist has sent over with critics’ reviews and early impressions from the fans:
“Deeply vulnerable, rich, and expansive.”
“No one thought Aria needed a glow-up, but girl, did she ever! Dang. I mean, where do her superpowers end? At this rate I wouldn’t be surprised if she pivoted to rap in a few years!”
“Aria Wilder’s magic knows no bounds. All the stars.”
“Don’t mind me. I’ll be calling in sick for the next three days so I can listen on repeat.”
“The songs no one asked for but everyone wanted.”
“‘Until You Came Along’ was just the beginning! Worth the wait.”
Bailey walks into the room, begins filling a coffee mug from the pot, and says, “Everyone’s obsessed.”
Aria looks up, her face creasing into a smile. “I am too. It’s my favorite album yet, and I couldn’t be happier that the fans are loving it.”
“And just think—you knew it all along.” Bailey nestles the mug between both hands and sips.
Aria agrees, but Bailey doesn’t address the whole picture.
There’s a difference between thinking something might be true and knowing it.
Aria isn’t psychic. What she needed in order to truly believe it was someone who helped show her that being vulnerable isn’t giving away your superpower; it can become your superpower.
And for Aria, that was Griffin. He didn’t write the songs, but without him they never would have existed. Aria wouldn’t have found the courage to break out of the Aria Wilder public persona box and try something new.
“I think there’s always a lot more hiding inside us—all of us—than we can see from the surface.”
Aria sits back and allows herself to soak in this moment.
Not only did she produce a record at breakneck speed, a task that was only possible because of how honest the music is, but she did it in a way that feels more like her than anything she has produced in the past three years.
She’s still proud of that work, and she will never abandon or criticize past versions of herself.
But she wouldn’t ever go back. She has evolved and grown, and her music has now caught up.
All without having to suffer a messy split with Worldwide Records, the very folks who took a chance on her back at the beginning.
In some ways it’s like making her debut as a mature woman onto the music scene, leaving the one-size-fits-all love stories behind and embracing all of her.
What the doubters—Gerald, specifically—worried would be an end has become a promising beginning.
This is Aria’s first album embracing all of her, and she can’t wait to make the next one.
“You’re the best, and I’m so happy for you. Sister walk this morning?”
Aria frowns. “My glutes are still on fire from the gym yesterday. How about we go out for pancakes instead?”
“Sounds just my speed. Carb-o-loading for tonight.” Bailey laughs.
This evening, Worldwide Records is throwing an intimate record launch party—the small guest list was Aria’s request—and Aria is looking forward to having Griffin at her side.
The world may have warmly embraced them as a glitzy celebrity couple, but few understand his role in this album coming to fruition.
Aria counts every lucky star that Griffin Hayes walked into her life. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say he “sang” his way into her life.
She likes that version even more.