When Aida Ade sings about love, she means love in every way.
Born Jamie Hudson, the singer/songwriter sees the importance in self love, platonic love and romantic love. Each of those varieties can be applied in her song “How You Love,” the first track of her latest EP “The Unbreakable Aida Ade.”
“Love makes you feel like you can get through the day,” she told St. Louis on the Air. “Just going through difficult things and having people around you who really love you helps to make that so much easier.”
Hudson’s music draws inspiration from her own life and career experiences. The song “Baby Boy” is a statement to society to allow boys and men to be comfortable being emotional.
“When I wrote this song, I was in my first full time job as a mental health therapist in a men’s addiction program. One thing that really stood out was a common theme of them feeling as though they had no outlet for their emotions and they were weaker if they had emotions,” she said. “Even working with little boys as a teacher [I hear], ‘Oh, boys don’t cry.’ Well what can boys do?”
“The Unbreakable Aida Ade” is a personal project that Hudson wants her audience to find relatable. Her song “Unbreakable” was inspired by a note she wrote to herself that while listening to music.
“Out of nowhere, I just got very emotional. I heard this beat, and the first thing that came to me was, ‘You might bend, but you won't break.’ And it was a floodgate,” she said. “I ended up writing the song within maybe 10 minutes. I had a lot to say to myself, and I haven't really been showing up for myself. This song is me showing up for myself.”
For more with Aida Ade, including how a friend made a poppy beat work on the somber “Nothin’ But a Dream,” listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
Related Event
What: Sir Eddie C and Friends, featuring Aida Ade and Blvck Spvde
When: Saturday, Dec 28, 2024
Where: Atomic (4140 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110)
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
