photo by Sequoia Emannuelle
Read the highlights below, and click here for the full interview.
Let ́s talk about your new album Dreamwalker – What ́s the story behind the title?
‘Dreamwalker’ describes a person who is an active dreamer. Someone who remembers their dreams from the night, and is able to become lucid within them to engage with the dreamworld in an active way. A dreamwalker is someone who is able to derive power from dreams, someone who goes to other worlds, and comes back with wisdom and information to share with ordinary reality.
Can you talk to us more about the recording and writing process?
I write and record demos of the songs in my home studio, and then take them to Sharmaji Studios where Dave Sharma and Dhruva Ganesan collaborate with me to turn them into full studio works of art. I share in depth descriptions and inspirations behind each song with them before we begin — even going so far as sharing imagery, poetry, dreams and experiences that the songs come from. I am blessed to be collaborating with producers who are so dedicated to creating the true vision of the music with me from start to finish.
Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics in this album?
As the title of the album suggests, most of the songs come from dreams. Some came from spontaneous night dreams, and others from more lucid ‘active’ dreams during meditative/transcendent mind states. I usually hear a small melody or first line of a song quite unexpectedly, and then set to work drawing the rest of it into the waking world. Sometimes I feel like an archeologist uncovering a lost artifact–slowly finding bits and pieces until I have a fully finished song.
What was it like to work with Sub Swara and how that relationship developed?
As I mentioned above, I feel very blessed by my collaboration with Sub Swara. We have a very similar communication style and taste in sound that makes the recording process smooth and inspiring. I feel that they have helped me to create the music I have been hearing in my heart and mind for years, and am so excited to share it with the world. The best part is that we met through mutual friends who are very dear to all of us, so the connection was strong from the beginning. Meeting collaborators through this kind of resonance gives projects a head start that is supported by the strong foundation of our community.