Singer Shilpa Ananth on her musical journey

Shilpa Ananth cannot imagine doing anything else. She has tried. But the musician has a voice inside that constantly tells her what she needs to be doing with her life; empower other voices and live out her life's purpose through her art and personal expression.

Originally from India, Shilpa is a UAE-based vocalist, songwriter, and a performing artist, who flits between Abu Dhabi and the US. In fact, that is where she discovered her musical identity after graduating with honors from Berklee College of Music.

Her buttery, soulful infusion of sounds from the East and West result in dreamy Indian melodies mixed with R’nB, jazz, and pop flavours.

Following her graduation, Shilpa released her debut EP Indian Soul, and has since recorded and performed with Grammy award-winning composers A.R. Rahman, Bobby McFerrin, Bill Whalen, Chandrika Tandon, and Javier Limon's Original Quartet.

She has also toured extensively with Serbian female vocal group ROSA, The Berklee Indian Ensemble, Women of the World, and the 'Bollywood Boulevard’ musical production, performing at several prestigious venues around the States and in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Her latest performance was at the Theatre of Digital Arts (ToDA), Dubai, where the artist, along with her troupe, treated visitors to an immersive vocal and digital experience.

There, she also teased her latest song The Search and its music video, which is out now on YouTube and other platforms.

The inception of the new song dates back to the early days of the pandemic in 2020. Shilpa was visiting her parents in Dubai when the world went into a state of lockdown, indefinitely postponing her return to New York, where she was based at the time. She had lost her home in Brooklyn, her gigs, and her livelihood as she struggled to settle in Dubai after more than 10 years of being away. But Shilpa figured that the only way she could maintain her sanity was to work on writing new music and channelling her questions and uncertainty into art.

As a result, we're given The Search. "It is the fastest I've ever written to be honest," she confesses in a chat with City Times. "It’s like the music was waiting to be released and I didn’t edit or second guess anything."

Shilpa and her track collaborator, Mumbai-based artist and producer Riatsu, went on to shoot the music video in Jaipur with her friend Suruchi Sharma's production house Studio Ainak (director of Shilpa's Fear music video).

We caught up with Shilpa to know more about her latest single and what makes it special.

Excerpts from the interview.

The Search has some powerful lyrics. What sparked the idea for it?

At the time, I was deeply questioning my self worth, my life purpose, and going through an extreme period of existential crisis. Those initial moments had me suffocating alone in a dark red room wondering if I’ll ever be able to open a window and breathe alright again. Every question I had at the time, I translated into feeling powerless and what I would do to summon them back, and that’s why I ask throughout the song ‘What will I do in search of power, who will I turn into when it’s over?’ And also end the song asking, ‘Am I worthy, am I worthy of my journey.’ These lines mean everything to me, and brought me true meaning of my path as a person and an artist as I wrote them.

What is it about the single that makes it special?

The fact that all my vocal layers and harmonies in the song were recorded solely on my iPhone voice memos. Since I wrote this song while we were in the initial lockdown of 2020, I had no access to recording studios, and all my professional mics and home studio set up were back in the US. So I decided to risk it and experimented with the intention of capturing something raw and reflective of that time and feeling of desperation and helplessness.

What was the most challenging part about shooting The Search?

The music video was shot over three full days in Jaipur, India, around January 2021 when it was freezing at night, and burning hot during the day. There’s this one scene where I have this insanely heavy metal headpiece that was specifically created for the shoot by a local artist, and I still remember wondering if I was going to break my neck as the entire time we were shooting that scene, the headpiece was crushing me (and my will to live) and I could barely lift my head to look at or keep my character intact for the camera. There were many such crazy moments because every look was incredibly challenging and had its own issues to resolve while we tried to execute as though it was effortless, but this one I will hold close forever because I cannot forget that specific type of pain and wondering how far I would be able to push before I broke.

Watch the music video below:

What is your creative process like?

It really depends from song to song, sometimes the lyrics travel to me first because it might be certain words I am writing in my daily journal to express emotions or my reactions to a situation I am going through at the time. That’s also when the decision to write a song in more than one language happens. Sometimes I seem to be most inspired while in the shower, the melody travels to me first, and then I record it as a voice memo when I am out, and sit and think about where it came from, what the vibe is and what lyrics I’d like to marry to it. These are the very first seeds of what eventually, months later, turn into a full song.

Did you have a particular artist that inspired you to take the path of a music career?

A.R. Rahman sparked my creativity and imagination from a very young age, and he always dared to be different from all the mainstream, commercial sounds. So, though the actual list of those that inspired me is pretty long, he is and will definitely be at the top of it always.

What’s the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?

My dear friend and fellow artist Aleksandra Denda recently told me that I need to find a better balance while enjoying the bitterness and sweetness of this (mad) musical journey. That I shouldn’t torture myself when I do not see results as quickly as I wish because of my high pressure-inducing ‘all or nothing’ hustle mentality. I honestly didn’t even realize I was doing that until she said something, and now I keep thinking 'it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, I’m still on my way’ every time something goes in an unexpected direction and that’s been helping me keep peace within.

What other profession would you have chosen if it wasn't for music?

Psychologist, no doubt about it. I love the way our minds work, and understanding what leads us to act the way we do.

How would you say you have evolved as a vocalist since the beginning of your career?

Finding a voice that’s specific to my genre defying style, writing from a place of not knowing where I belong, where I consider to be home, or processing the loss of love, and developing my sense of identity through each of my songs. From the very first one I wrote over 10 years ago, until the one I am writing right now, all have been a deeply fulfilling journey of self-love, discovery, understanding, and setting down roots to become the artist I am today and continue to keep growing into.

How do you want to shape your career?

By the legacy of music I leave behind that has helped people, and empowered them to think openly, creatively, and make different choices for themselves, outside of societal, cultural, and familial expectations and pressures. When I turn 85, I still want to actively be doing yoga, eating healthy vegan food, travelling the world, and living a sustainable life through and with my music.

Is it hard to let go of the music when it is done?

Absolutely. Sometimes I sit on some songs for years before I feel it’s time to let them go into the universe, cause it’s not just about creating any more, it’s also about releasing it at the right time and making sure it gets as high and far as it can reach. I always feel a sense of elation and grief on release day, because I am so happy my baby is out but also it’s like I’ve given up another secret, another layer, and exposed myself to potential judgement and ridicule. But I do my best to take it all in a positive way and grow more, so I can make better or different mistakes for my next venture.

• UAE