How has life changed ( both artistic and otherwise ) after your Grammy nomination ?
While I remain deeply grateful for this immense recognition , I ’ m still on the same artistic journey . I continue to explore , and learn . If anything , this was an affirmation to trust my process . Professionally , many new doors and pathways have opened up , though things are still tentative and constantly changing as we navigate a tenuous time . This past year has had me reassessing my priorities , the intention behind my art , and how I define success .
Have you started thinking of yourself and your music differently after the nomination ?
Why would that be the case ? I continue to navigate this path as a student . A nomination shines light in that moment . Something I ’ m deeply grateful for . But then , onward . Much beautiful music is yet to be made , and to be discovered . Much growth is yet to happen .
Your debut album grabbed a Grammy nomination . What , in your music , do you think resonates so deeply ?
The album was recorded live , on one microphone in an abandoned / vacant church in Brooklyn . No EQ or compression was added . The intention was to bring in the embodied space and document a specific moment in time , a musical emergence bursting with energy and vulnerability .
We played around in real time , with how the architecture of the place responded to each of our instruments . We had twelve days to write all the music . A writing and recording process like this one can break you and make you whole , all at once . We had to stay true and authentic to ourselves , be fearless , drop egos and function from a place of complete vulnerability and trust . Maybe that ’ s what people resonated with .
What , in your opinion , is your greatest artistic insecurity ? How do you deal with it ?
Never being good enough . I feel that dealing with it is a work of understanding ego and my relationship with it . It ’ s fascinating , and maybe a necessary part of the process .
What have been your most painful struggles till date ? What has made it hardest to get where you are ? I ’ d rather leave out the personal struggles for now , but professionally - losing my voice and having vocal cord surgeries , restarting my career and building my life up again from scratch in a new country , navigating a world that is systemically rooted in toxic patriarchy . This has been an isolating path .
That said , this past year makes me shift focus away from all of it , and towards the feeling of gratitude for this life , and the privileges I have been afforded .
What was the hardest part of making Periphery ?
Writing and recording it . We had a limited time to write ( about twelve days ) and we did most of it virtually . The recording process was very challenging , yet fascinating . Periphery was recorded using advanced HD recording technology by Chesky Records - where we recorded Live , on one mic , with no headphones , spread out far away from each other in a large space . But perhaps the internal work to bring all of myself fully in those moments was the most challenging part .
Who are your greatest teachers ?
Nature , life ’ s experiences , people , my mentors , my teachers .
You ' ve travelled from Hindustani classical training to jazz . Was this natural ? Did you find any similarities that helped you make the transition ?
When I first started singing or
SHREYA BOSE
listening to jazz in India , I was just listening to it , but not experiencing it culturally , which is an integral part of the music .
Now living here has helped me immerse myself a little more in this music , and helps me have a deeper understanding of it . There are so many similarities , one of them being they both require improvisation within structures .
Tell us a bit about making Periphery - from concept to release . Where did you begin ?
David Chesky ( Founder of Chesky Records ) saw me , Dave and Max perform at a fundraising event and reached out saying he would like to record with us in this iteration , adding a percussionist .
Due to the nature of this crazy recording setup , the recording date was already set , and it was to happen in two weeks . By the time we got to writing , we had twelve days left . I was in a challenging place at the time - trying to navigate my existence in two different worlds that I called home . Given that the antiimmigrant rhetoric had been given new wings , the rising fear and hatred for anything that was different from us , compounded with the disconnect I was feeling from my friends and life back home in India - I felt on the periphery , and that ’ s where so much of this album comes from . That feeling of isolation and the need to connect with people who were feeling like me .
The recording took a whole day and we recorded in this gorgeous church in Brooklyn . We played two or three takes of each song and moved on to the next . Towards the end of the session , David Chesky requested we play Savare - Ravi Shankarji ’ s composition which most of the band was playing for the first time . The recording itself was a full twelve hour recording session .
For the rollout of the album , I worked with dear friends and people who I admire deeply . Lauren
The Score Magazine highonscore . com
39