Greentea Peng facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Greentea Peng
Greentea Peng in 2021
Background information
Birth name	Aria Wells
Born	December 1994 (age 30) Bermondsey, South London, England
Genres	Neo soul
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	2017–present

Aria Wells, known as Greentea Peng, is a talented singer and songwriter from South East London, England. Born in December 1994, she is known for her unique blend of neo-soul and R&B music. Some of her biggest musical inspirations include famous artists like Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Miss Dynamite, and Lily Allen.

Her stage name, Greentea Peng, comes from two things. First, she loves green tea. Second, 'peng' is a London slang word that means something is very attractive or really good. Besides her music, Greentea Peng is also known for her cool and distinctive style. She often has many tattoos, piercings, and lots of jewelry.

Early Life and Music Journey

Aria Wells was born in Bermondsey, South London. Her father was an actor, and her mother was from Africa. Aria spent most of her childhood in London. Her father helped her discover music and theatre, teaching her many songs. She also loved singing in school activities and community events, especially in her church choir.

Moving and Finding Her Voice

When Aria was 12, her parents separated. She and her mother moved to Hastings. Aria's mother wanted her to attend a different secondary school. Even though she moved, Aria often visited her father in London during summer holidays. She kept writing her own music and performing. However, she faced bullying, which made her lose confidence. By age 15, she decided to stop making music. She also finished her GSCEs early and later left school.

At 17, Aria returned to London. She worked in different places and enjoyed going to parties. She worked for a long time at a nightclub called Visions in Dalston. During this time, Aria was going through a difficult period. She later found a path to improve her well-being.

Music Career

2011–2015: Travel and Return to Music

Aria Wells saved money from her jobs to travel. She went on trips to places like California and Peru with her boyfriend at the time. Her stage name, Greentea Peng, actually came from a box of Green Tea Seng she bought in Peru. She liked the design on the box and added 'peng' because she used the word often.

Her longest trip was to Tulum, Mexico. She stayed with a friend and worked at different hotels. Later, she worked at a yoga retreat. Here, she helped organize workshops and classes. Even though she was unsure at first, she started to use the retreat's teachings in her own life. This helped her gain the confidence to pursue music again. Before she even started singing again, she met KESH, a UK designer and artist who is now her manager. They met at a beach through a mutual friend.

Aria performed the song "Smile" by Lily Allen at an open mic night. A guitarist then asked her to join their band, Los Hedonistas. With Los Hedonistas, she sang covers of songs at many gigs. She earned more money from performing than from her previous jobs.

2016–2019: Sensi, Rising and Growing Popularity

After six months in Mexico, Aria returned to London. She soon met her producer, Earbuds. Together, they started working on her first six-track EP, Sensi. An EP is like a mini-album with fewer songs. Many songs on Sensi were about her breakup with an ex-partner. She wanted Sensi to show the feelings she had been keeping inside.

Her first EP, Sensi, was released in October 2018. People in the media noticed that the music mixed many styles, including R&B, hip hop, and dub reggae. Soon after, Aria started working on her next EP, Rising, again with Earbuds. She spent a month in the studio and created many new songs.

On June 17, 2019, a live performance of her song "Downers" was uploaded to the popular YouTube channel COLORS. This performance helped her reach a much bigger audience. The video gained millions of views. After this success, her music video for "Mister Sun (miss da sun)" was released. The video was known for its "dreamlike, kaleidoscopic visuals," showing Aria moving through mirror portals into different places. Then, on November 1, 2019, her second EP, Rising, finally came out.

Besides music, she also worked on campaigns for clothing brands. In August 2019, she wore colorful knitwear for the Notting Hill Carnival. In October 2019, she was part of a campaign for the sportswear brand Adidas. This included posters and special music collaborations with new artists from around the world.

2020–Present: Man Made

In January 2020, The Observer newspaper included Aria Wells in their "20 for 2020" list. This list featured rising stars in music, media, and culture. In June 2020, she was featured on The Streets' song "I Wish You Loved You as Much As You Love Him." This song was from their mixtape None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive. In August 2020, she released her own single "Hu Man." She later performed this song on her first TV appearance on Later... with Jools Holland.

In November 2020, her song "Revolution" was released. It was her response to the big world events and social issues happening during the COVID-19 pandemic. An English musician named Tadafi had made the beat for her years ago. She decided to work with him after he played it for her again. In the song, Aria wanted to encourage people to think carefully about the causes they support. On December 1, her birthday, the music video for another single, "Spells," was uploaded to her YouTube channel.

In January 2021, she was ranked fourth in the BBC's Sound of... 2021 list. This list highlights promising new music artists. On February 24, 2021, she released her next single, "Nah, it Ain't the Same," along with a music video. With these new songs, Aria shared that she was creating her first full-length album, Man Made. She mentioned that the album would be set at a special frequency of 432 Hz. The album Man Made was released on June 4, 2021.

Her second studio album, Tell Dem It's Sunny, was released on March 21, 2025.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Man Made (4 June 2021)
• Tell Dem It's Sunny (21 March 2025)

Mixtapes

• Greenzone 108 (9 September 2022)

Extended Plays

• Sensi (12 October 2018)
• Rising (1 November 2019)

Singles

• "Moonchild" (14 April 2018)
• "Loving Kind" (13 June 2018)
• "Medicine" (13 August 2018)
• "Downers" (12 July 2019)
• "Mr. Sun (miss da sun)" (25 September 2019)
• "Clockin'" (1 December 2019)
• "Ghost Town" (3 March 2020)
• "Hu Man" (4 August 2020)
• "Revolution" (30 October 2020)
• "Spells" (30 November 2020)
• "Nah It Ain't the Same" (23 February 2021)
• "Kali V2" (13 April 2021)
• "Dingaling" (14 May 2021)
• "Free My People" (featuring Simmy and Kid Cruise) (9 September 2021)
• "Your Mind" (10 March 2022)
• "Stuck in the Middle" (10 June 2022)
• "Look to Him" (19 August 2022)
• "Top Steppa V2" (featuring Nightmares On Wax) (28 December 2022)
• "TARDIS (hardest)" (11 October 2024)
• "One Foot" (29 November 2024)