Minolta Araya

Minolta Araya recalls her earliest memories of block parties, fireflies and grandmas' yelling to get inside before the porch lights come on. An Eritrean-American artist born in Queens, NY she developed a deep love of creative expression early on. At the age of five, Minolta won a scholarship to study at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She soon began modeling and acting, with several roles from soap operas to music videos. Minolta moved to North Carolina as a teenager, there she began playing guitar. She then traveled alone in a SUV camper up and down the East Coast of America; writing and performing. Back in New York, she continued performing vocals with indie bands, including Black Peter Group, at art collectives and warehouses across the city. Minolta then found her way to Los Angeles, CA competing on America's Next Top Model and ranking in the Top 20. After making her home in L.A, Minolta traveled to London to record multiple tracks with producer Sebastian Pringle of Crystal Fighters. In 2019 she won first place at "PoENtry - Barcelona Poetry Slam". Minolta's released her single "Runaway" in 2020 with an accompanying video by filmmaker Andrew Dyck.