A recent graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz, 22-year-old Ariel S. Lee majored in Studio Art and Pre-Medicine. She spent her college years working at a local pharmacy, keeping fish as pets, and dyeing her hair every shade of the rainbow—all while maintaining a double life as an insightful and delightfully daring singer/songwriter.

Prior to college (already having independently released three albums of original music), Ariel received an offer from a major music producer who would take her singing and songwriting to the next level—and obtain ownership of her songs. Since she treats her songs as though they were her children (or perhaps, her close friends, each with distinct stories and personalities), she declined the offer in favor of obtaining a college education and retaining her creative freedom.

Over the last few years, Ariel has proven that she certainly did not need to “sell out” or relinquish her values in order to achieve growth and success with her music. While in college, she has released two independent albums, April Rising (2005) and Honey (2006), and last autumn, she let loose with a fully-produced, radio-ready studio album, The Vigilante, which compiles some of her favorite songs from previous albums, remixed and polished the way she wanted, but still driven by her unique and raw vocals and her piano, which she taught herself to play.

The Vigilante features the dark and the bright of Ariel, but primarily presents her as someone determined to make a difference through music—and blunt honesty. Her song “Brave New World” focuses on the unfortunately impressionable individuals who fall into the shallowest aspects of pop culture. “Hey, do you even sleep at night?” she asks rhetorically. “Or lie awake and wonder if you look all right?”

However, these words are not just a style statement for Ariel; indeed, it is her vulnerable side that makes her edgier songs more believable. Take, for instance, the Musiqwards Indie Song of the Year nominee, “Scissors,” which approaches a bitter breakup with haunting hints of violence without sounding emo. (Look for the “Scissors” music video coming soon on her official MySpace page.) Or, listen to “Carrot Cake,” in which Ariel muses about the frustrations of living up to the expectations attached to an over-achiever, in ways only a college student can. Still, she injects a wry sense of humor into many of her songs, and even satirizes her own insecurity-induced jealous streak in the incredibly catchy “Jealous Girlfriend.”

Trust me; anyone who can use the word “hella” in a song, and have it not sound ridiculous, definitely deserves recognition in “You Gotta Know.”

-Written by Ashley Wool