"Ari Ari (Indian Street Metal)" is a single by Indian heavy metal band Bloodywood. The track is their first song to feature rapper Raoul Kerr, who would later become a permanent member of the band.
Initially released to their YouTube channel at the beginning of May 2018, the song gained traction after being promoted by actress Ileana D'Cruz.[1][3]Ari Ari has since become one of the band's best-known songs, with over six million views as of September 2022.[citation needed]
Bloodywood guitarist and flautist, Karan Katiyar, has stated that the song was chosen due to it being unheard of outside of the country: "No one knew about "Ari Ari" outside India and that's where it worked."[1][5]
The majority of the group's prior material is composed of humorous covers of well-known songs. Ari Ari is considered by the band to be their first "serious" attempt at original material.[5] They decided to not include it on their 2022 debut album, Rakshak, as they preferred to only include original material on the record.[6]
Composition
Instrumentation
The song heavily features a tin whistle melody, which is a largely atypical instrument across heavy metal.[3] The instrument also features in the Bombay Rockers cover version of the song.[3] The dhol, a traditional Indian drum, acts as the song's main percussion instrument.[3]
Lyrics
The lyrics to the chorus of Ari Ari speak of unity and equality.[7] Translated from Punjabi, they read, "Besides all differences, we are one".[3]
Reception
The song was widely praised after its rise to popularity, having accumulated over ten million views on Facebook in 2018 alone.[4]
YouTube music reviewer Alex Hefner spoke highly of the song, describing it as "absolutely unique, unlike anything that [he'd] ever heard before".[8]
Music video
Described as "joyful",[3]Ari Ari's music video is largely filmed on the streets of India. Many scenes involve Katiyar playing guitar atop a camel,[4] the band gate-crashing a wedding setup, and vocalist Jayant Bhadula riding a horse.[3]
