“Ariyel’s vocal delivery is soft, elegant, and deeply emotional, evoking comparisons to Taylor Swift’s Folklore era with shades of Phoebe Bridgers’ melancholic grace.”
— Music Is To Blame
“This song is less a scream than a long exhale — and in that breath, so many survivors will find themselves seen.”
— SongWeb
“The rawness and vulnerability of it all is captivating, and Ariyel’s voice has a quality about it that makes her music stand out.”
— York Calling
Colorado-based alt-pop artist Ariyel crafts emotionally raw, ambient-infused music about trauma, love, and self-reclamation, with her debut concept album—shaped by her experience with complex PTSD—led by the first single, how to be loved, out now.
ariyel makes alt-pop about trauma, love and other light topics. Based in Colorado, her music blends ambient textures, intimate vocals, and raw lyricism to deliver the kind of emotionally devastating punch she’s been obsessed with since age 12.
Her debut concept album traces the descent into codependency and the long, messy climb back to selfhood—shaped by her lived experience with complex PTSD. The first single, how to be loved, is out now.
After time in LA and studying songwriting in Boston, Ariyel now creates and releases her work independently and remotely.
Title: how to be loved
Release Date: May 23, 2025
a dreamy, emotionally raw track that opens my upcoming concept album exploring the slow climb out of codependency and emotional abuse.
Blending haunting guitar, intimate vocals, and cinematic textures, it channels the emotional honesty of Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski.
The song captures what it feels like to fall for someone who's bad for you—like a frog slowly boiling in water.
Perfect for fans of vulnerable storytelling, dreamy indie pop, and trauma-informed narratives.
“It’s a love letter to the people we were, and the decisions we made when we already knew we were doomed. You leave when you’re ready. And you are just as much of a person when you’re trapped in that cycle as you are when you’re healing outside of it — and finally beginning to understand why you stayed.” – Ariyel
