Almost all of them. She has a writing credit on 88 of the 105 tracks across seven studio albums, and on 87 of the 95 once the Christmas album of standards is set aside. SongVersation in 2013 credits her on all sixteen tracks.
By the Numbers
7
Studio Albums
105
Tracks Credited
84%
Self-Written
over five million
Records Sold
29
Years Active
112
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 88 / 105 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 105 tracks: how many India Arie wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
India Arie has a writing credit84%
84%
16%
Sole author0tracks0%
Co-written88tracks84%
Outside writers17tracks16%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
India Arie's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 105 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)0%
Composer (music)84%
Producer0%
Performer100%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
India Arie's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 84%
94%
100%
93%
94%
100%
10%
100%
2001Acoustic Soul
2002Voyage to India
2006Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
2009Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics
2013SongVersation
2015Christmas with Friends
2019Worthy
Early · 96% written
Mid · 76% written
Late · 100% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
95%
2000s
Acoustic Soul, Voyage to India +2 more
77%
2010s
SongVersation, Christmas with Friends +1 more
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where India Arie sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
India Arie
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Written by India.Arie, Shannon Sanders, The Hitmen, India Arie Simpson, Carlos Broady
Co-wrote
Brown Skin
Acoustic Soul
Written by India.Arie, Shannon Sanders, Mark Batson, India Arie Simpson
Co-wrote
Strength, Courage & Wisdom
Acoustic Soul
Written by India.Arie, India Arie Simpson
Co-wrote
Little Things
Voyage to India
Written by Hawk Wolinski, Rufus, India.Arie, Drew Ramsey, Shannon Sanders, Anthony Roberson, David James Wolinski, Andre Fischer, India Arie Simpson
Co-wrote
I Am Not My Hair
Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
Written by India.Arie, Drew Ramsey, Shannon Sanders, Akon, India Arie Simpson, Aliaune Thaim
Co-wrote
There's Hope
Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
Written by India.Arie, Anthony David, Branden Burch, India Arie Simpson, Tony Harrington
Co-wrote
Chocolate High
Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics
Written by India.Arie, Andrew Castro, Musiq Soulchild, India Arie Simpson
Co-wrote
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Discography 7 albums
All seven studio albums, including the 2015 Christmas record made with the pianist Joe Sample. The live albums and the compilations sit outside this catalogue.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. I India.Arie · SS Shannon Sanders · BB Branden Burch · DR Drew Ramsey · DC Dru Castro · JG Jared Gosselin
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
Shannon Sanders is the other name on almost everything. He co-writes 29 tracks and his production partner Drew Ramsey 18, most of them credited jointly as Drew and Shannon, and the pair runs from Voyage to India in 2002 through SongVersation in 2013. Nobody else gets close: Blue Miller has seven from the debut, Anthony Roberson seven and Branden Burch seven. The only album where Arie is not the author is Christmas with Friends, made with the pianist Joe Sample, where she writes one of ten and the rest are carols and standards. Everything else is hers, including all sixteen tracks of SongVersation.
Quick Facts
Her share88 of the 105 album tracks
Shannon Sanders29 co-writes, more than anyone else
Studio albumsSeven, from 2001 to 2019
GrammysFour wins from 23 nominations
Biggest albumAcoustic Soul, two million shipped in the US
The exceptionChristmas with Friends, one of ten tracks hers
Creative Fingerprint
Sole author of her own catalogue with one long production partnership beside her, broken only by an album of Christmas standards.
The Story
India Arie has a writing credit on 88 of the 105 tracks across seven albums. Take out the Christmas record of standards and it is 87 of 95.
Awards & Recognition
Four Grammy Awards from 23 nominations
Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for Voyage to India, 2003
Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for "Little Things", 2003
Frequently Asked Questions India Arie
Does India Arie write her own songs?
Almost all of them. She has a writing credit on 88 of the 105 tracks across seven studio albums, and on 87 of the 95 once the Christmas album of standards is set aside. SongVersation in 2013 credits her on all sixteen tracks.
Who does India Arie write with?
Shannon Sanders, on 29 tracks, and his production partner Drew Ramsey on 18. The two are usually credited together as Drew and Shannon, and they run from Voyage to India in 2002 through SongVersation in 2013.
Who wrote "Video"?
India Arie with Shannon Sanders and the producer Carlos Broady. It reached number 47 on the Hot 100 and was one of the seven Grammy nominations Acoustic Soul collected.
How many albums has India Arie released?
Seven studio albums, from Acoustic Soul in 2001 to Worthy in 2019, including the 2015 Christmas record made with the pianist Joe Sample.
How many Grammys has India Arie won?
Four, from 23 nominations. Voyage to India won Best R&B Album in 2003 and "Little Things" won Best Urban/Alternative Performance the same night.
What happened at the 2002 Grammys?
She and Acoustic Soul were nominated for seven Grammy awards in 2002 and won none, losing in five of the seven categories to Alicia Keys.
What is India Arie's real name?
India Arie Simpson, born October 3, 1975 in Denver, Colorado and raised in Atlanta.
How many records has India Arie sold?
She has sold over five million records in the US and 10 million worldwide.
Which album is she not the author of?
Christmas with Friends, the 2015 record made with Joe Sample. She writes one of the ten tracks and the rest are traditional carols and standards by writers including Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn.
Who is Shannon Sanders?
The Nashville producer and songwriter who co-wrote 29 of her tracks, usually working with Drew Ramsey as the duo Drew and Shannon.
India Arie