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Ariel Bui (‪@arielbui‬) is a Nashville-based artist, activist, and educator that has experienced first-hand how being immersed in nature and music can heal the mind, body, and spirit. She shares her story about why she's building a sustainable Earthship-inspired studio retreat and how her experiences of having a mom with schizoaffective disorder has given her a unique insight into the world around us.

“Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Bui…”

The Frist recently opened a companion exhibition, “Guitar Town: Picturing Performance Today,” on view through Aug. 20, featuring works by 10 local photographers who celebrate Nashville’s music scene, with images of guitar players performing in venues across the city.

Through images of musicians including Ariel Bui, Sierra Ferrell, Brittany Howard, Peter One and Jess Sah Bi, Marty Stuart, William Tyler, Adia Victoria, David Rawlings, and Jack White, the exhibition demonstrates how the performers’ self-presentations—clothing, hair, stance, and facial expressions—provide visual links to the music they are making, bringing viewers into the room with the audience to share a visceral experience. While viewing the exhibition, guests will be able to listen to a playlist of the performers’ music on their own devices with headphones via a QR code in the gallery. 

We heard Real & Fantasy from Ariel Bui off of the full-length record Real & Fantasy. I’ve said it on previous episodes, but compelling rock music is not easy to make these days, and I’ve got to hand it to Ariel for making an album that is immersive, honest, and catchy. There’s a lot of tracks on this record, so if you like that, there’s plenty more to hear. There’s also videos that go along with it. Recommended all around. - Michael Eades

(Featured at 38:55 & 47:08)

Ariel’s powerful voice and engrossing melodies keep you entertained throughout.

Today it’s not uncommon to be self-taught because the internet is right there to provide one with all of the tools needed, but back when CD players were still all the rage, one had to obsessively listen, practice, and learn to the same record on repeat to grasp the beauty of creating one’s own music. Thanks to a determination on that level, Ariel Bui is here gracing the world with her presence and working towards not only educating the next generation of musicians but also creating a sustainable world for them to do so. With that, we talked about her October 2022 release, ‘Real & Fantasy,’ educational goals, building her dream space, and more with Ariel Bui.

Bui released her album Real & Fantasy two weeks ago. In our conversation, she dives into how Real & Fantasy explores sexual identity and coming into one’s own.

Nashville Artist Opens Up About Using Music As a Tool for Empowerment and Representation