It's Nizam here again from the Desitunes4u team, and I recently got the chance to talk to an immensely talented singer called Priya in Toronto, Canada.
Nizam: For those of us who aren't familiar with Priya, tell us who you are, and what you bring to the world of music?
Priya: I'm just a modest musician who wants to share her inspirations with the world. My sound is a blend of modern R&B, old school soul and Indian classical vocal stylings.
Nizam: You've grown up in an environment that has brought together a fusion of eastern and western sounds, tell us what type of classical training you have learned and how that has helped you better with your voice, and various works?
Priya: Since my youth, I've listened to Indian Classical music such as Parween Sultana, Ustad Amir Khan Ravi Shankar. Everyone needs a foundation to fall back on and for me it has always been Indian Classical music. It definitely plays a major role in my artistry. Whether it is the discipline to do daily rihaz (practice), the meaning of swar (notes) or my avid respect for music, it has provided me with infinite guidance. When people listen to my tracks, they often mention hearing a jazz influence in my melodies, but it's actually the Indian influence.
Nizam: You're inspirations range from Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, and some Indian influences such as your guru ji Ramneek Singh and Abida Parveen, how has that helped shape your musical vibe, and your style?
Priya: Although these artists have made a huge impact on my musical progression, I must say that my sound is inspired by other elements as well. For instance everyone working on my album, from my producer Vikas Kohli of Fatlabs to the very talented musicians, they have all added their creative instincts in some way or another. When I think of how it all began, with just lyrics and vocal melodies that I wrote and now what the tracks are today, I'm amazed how everything came together.
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Nizam: As Priya and I continue the interview, we pop in her CD, (and she graciously sings along with the tracks, and I'm immediately impressed with her vocal range) - Priya I must say, your voice is amazing, I find that you have a very soulful flavour, sort of like a Jill Scott or Erykah Badu. Your voice live is as good as it is on record, have you always been more of a live singer first and foremost?
Priya: Thanks! I'm humbled by the comparison. As for singing live, I've been performing all my life and that was the first step in my musical career. To me it's extremely important an artist knows how |
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to deliver a good show and connect with the audience. |
Nizam: Also, your production is also very live and acoustic in its sound, how important are live and original sounds to your music?
Priya: Live instrumentation and organic sounds are very important to me since I have been surrounded by it all my life. From childhood days where I would be singing with harmonium, tabla, dholak, dhantaal to my adulthood where I'm rocking the set with guitars, bass, drums, and a horn section… I have the utmost respect for the creativity that musicians bring to the table. On my album the core instruments are bass, guitar, drums, and keys. Of course, there are more, but I don't want to give it all away just yet. Each of these musicians come from different walks of life, different knowledge of music, different styles and then when you fuse it all together, the results are crazy cool.
Nizam: A producer's role is not only to compose a beat but also to guide the artist and the direction of the track, how important is your producer in that respect?
Priya: Vikas plays a major role in every part of my tracks. He's got a brilliant sense of what belongs and what doesn't. When we first met it was through another project, which I was recording vocals for. We spoke about music and learned that we shared the same views. So we started planning out some musical projects together. I've always thought highly of Vikas, but it wasn't until we had the musicians come over to record the first half of the album that I realized that I'm working with a top gun. I mean, here are these musicians who are some of the biggest musicians in Toronto and work with major label signed artists on a daily basis and the relationship they have with Vikas in terms of taking direction and trusting his musical instincts are just mind blowing. Since working with Vikas I have developed into a sophisticated artist and I am still growing. He is so open-minded about music and works with all genres, which is great because a lot of producers out there only have expertise in one genre. So I love the fact that we can bring so many different elements into my music.
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Nizam: Although your music is live based, many Asian artists especially in the bhangra industry have resorted to blatant sampling, what's your take on this? And is there a fine line between creative sampling, and the sampling that is blatantly used?
Priya: First and foremost, I will always commend artists when they come out with original material because it is so scarce today. However, if you're using someone else's work, then give them proper credit for it. At the end of the day, it's all about being creative and good music can be made with samples or without samples. The biggest problem with sampling is that some people don't respect the original creators of the music. For instance, I've had shady characters come my way that have blatantly stolen my lyrics and melodies without my permission and put it on their album. Not cool. Not only did they "steal" my intellectual property, but also they added nothing that was their own. They made a complete disaster of the track. Any good musician |
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will add to the music not take away from it. Despite this experience, I'm still working with other respected DJ's who have offered to create remixes of my songs - the difference is that professionals bring their creativity to the table and they do it in an honest way. |
Nizam: You recently performed at Masala Mehndhi Masti, which is one of Canada's largest events, and you were mentioned very highly among the other performances there, tell us about that experience, and you felt to have received such amazing reviews?
Priya: That was a great experience. There is nothing like rocking a live show. I live for performing and was overwhelmed with the great response I got from the audience and people in the music industry. It's totally awesome to know that both the audience and fellow artists are sending you their love. Abhishek, the festival director, was kind enough to already offer me main stage next year - I look forward to rocking it hard for all ya'll again!
Nizam: Being a Canadian artist living in Toronto, with the enormous talent we have, with little infrastructure, how hard is it to break out and expose your music to the world in a market that's heavily neglected?
Priya: Music is a hard game no matter where you are. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was at an industry event and Divine Brown and Kardinal Offishall (two of Canada's top talents) were talking about all the obstacles they faced and still face today. Anything worthwhile takes a lot of hard work and I've realized the value of having good people supporting me. My team believes in making good music and in order to have a career an artist needs to be ahead of the curve, not following a trend.
Nizam: I must say with regards to your music, you have a very distinct sound, what has allowed you to stay the course of keeping with your diverse sound in an industry that has become quite reliant on candy coated, manufactured elements simply to sell records?
Priya: When we write music we never tell ourselves "this one is dance, this one is RnB." We concentrate on making a good song and there is a process our music goes through in order to achieve that. When the track is ready it will reveal itself to us and sometimes can be completely different then what we first envisioned. That is why I am so passionate about the creative elements a good producer and good musicians can bring to the table. I don't care about the candy-coated shit. I could have easily copied a Jennifer Lopez or Sierra track, but who am I in all that? The reasons why we have original artists like Diana Ross, Gwen Stefani, Jill Scott are because they broke out of the mold and did their own thing.
Nizam: What advice would you give any upcoming musician, or vocalist?
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Priya: ROCK HARD! HAHAHA…. no seriously, nothing good ever comes easy. There is always struggle in anything you attempt especially if you want to be the best you can be. Of course there are going to be punches thrown your way and some knocks are harder than others. Get up, wipe that blood off your face, and punch back harder and harder until you've made your own dent. Most importantly, practice your craft everyday and find yourself through it. Have a good support system with people who believe in you and what you have to offer. |
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Nizam: I'm looking really forward to the drop of your album, can you give us a few details about the album, and when we can expect a release from you?
Priya: Man I thought you were never going to get to that. My album is set to drop 2006. As for the sound, it's a wonderful blend of what all of us bring to the table. The vocals are very much a contemporary and soulful R&B sound. My songs are a reflection of who I am and what I've been through, so I can get emotional, especially when its about love and relationships. I'm known to carry a box of Kleenex when I hit the studio or while I'm writing new tracks. LOL! And my track BROKEN HEART was recorded with boxing gloves. I tend to put myself into character when I sing so that I can really bring emotion into my tracks. It can be a situation that has happened years ago but the memory is still really fresh and sincere. Like everyone, I've had my share of pains, gains, frustrations and temptations in love and those are the stories you hear in the songs. Music is what helps me deal with all the crazy days. I'm sure a lot of people can relate to my tracks because they are based on real life experiences.
Getting back to the music aspect, Vikas and I are huge Motown fans, and he really brought out the strong grooves from that era by working closely with the band and recording them live off the floor just like producers used to do back in the day. That man's crazy, he's the only Desi I know who sports an Afro and sings Guns'n'Roses songs at karaoke bars! We're having a blast making the album and I think it really comes through when you hear the songs.
Nizam: Is there anything you would like to tell the desitunes4u reading massive out there?
Priya: Thanks to everyone for your love and support. We are planning a tour to the UK and I look forward to meeting the UK Desitunes4u massive when I do. I am going to be working on some collaborations with some great producers down in the UK. I am so hype about that. To find out more about me and my future projects you can check out www.priyasvibe.com. Love and respect to desitunes4u crew and everyone who reads this. Special thanks to Irfan and of course Nizaaam… watch out for my boy, he's mad on the M-I-C. Always ready to tear it up. Niz, tell em like it is…
That concludes the interview, a big thanks to Priya for taking some time out to talk to us. Be sure to check out her website at www.priyasvibe.com.
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