SHREYA BOSE
The passing of a quiet goddess .
Jayashree Singh ( From always till forever )
On a winter evening ( I do not remember the date ) I was sitting at a restaurant somewhere in South Kolkata when in walked Amyt Datta and Jivraj Singh . They were accompanied by a woman with an elegant coif of silvery hair to whose presence I was unaware . I had just discovered Singh and Datta through their album “ Ambience de Danse ”, reviewed it and chalked myself up to a superfan of the duo .
The friend I was sitting with and giggling to about the two men at the table beside us rolled his eyes at me . He was personally offended that my schoolgirl-ardour did not extend to their dinner companion . “ That ’ s Jayashree Singh . From PINKNOISE . Skinny Alley ?” I had no clue what these words meant .
“ Who let you write about music , man ?” He asked , the very image of exasperation .
I came back home , found PINKNOISE on Bandcamp and realised why he was annoyed with me . Jayashree Singh ’ s voice was a protean thing , a changeling that shifted skin and character like that . She went from seductive to fearsome to sardonic to challenging to zen in seconds . The music itself was so unashamedly experimental , something I had not yet started to expect from Kolkata .
I ’ ve been listening to both PINKNOISE and Skinny Alley ’ s existing repertoire endlessly ever since . Even though there isn ’ t too much material , you couldn ’ t get bored . These pleasantly mad scientists of sound kept things ceaselessly fun , and were flagshipped by Jayashreedi . In an era of cover bands , her voice was one of those that gave identity to original rock music in this country .
She had been trained in Carnatic music , but found her avatar when she found her mentor , the original diva of Calcutta - Pam Crain . Her voice conveyed a sense of
secret identities and unspoken history . At her time , she was a woman fronting two rock bands with inimitable sounds . She was the very definition of a woman who was writing her own story .
Her sentimentality was without any flamboyance , but you could never mistake her for someone who held anything back . I watched her live at Sienna Cafe : her way of being was just that of great conviction . She sat back and sang her piece with unconcerned enigma on her face . Watching her , I had the feeling that she knew exactly how incredible she was to the rest of us , and didn ’ t really care .
In particular , it was Skinny Alley ’ s debut album “ Escape The Roar ” that gave us the image of the quintessential female rocker . Outside of Usha Uthup , I hadn ’ t heard any Indian female vocalists in India doing a rock n roll croon and then shooting straight up into bass-heavy confrontation . She kept pace with those unpredictable guitars and drums , and eventually ended up giving them direction .
What always charmed me was that despite her musicmanship , what defined her was her kindness . Jayashree Singh was known for being a beacon and mentor to musicians in Kolkata . So many of the artists I have spoken have told me how generous she was with advice , affection and encouragement . Everyone gravitated to her easy kindness and her expansive artistry , both personally and musically .
Her passing is an irrevocable loss . No one can pretend otherwise . We ’ ve lost much of what created that Calcutta post-colonial phonetic magic . We ’ ve lost a voice that made nights come to life and filled them with one heady rush after another . But make no mistake , the stars are rushing for front-row seats to her great gigs in the sky .
The Score Magazine
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