Mumbai-born 36-year-old singer Priya Darshini’s album ‘Periphery’ was recently nominated for the 2021 Grammy Awards for Best New Age Album. She’s trained in Carnatic music and derived her interest in music from her grandmother who was a Bharatnatyam dancer and vocalist. New York-based Priya Darshini has sung for a hundred TV and radio commercials and recorded for several Indian movie soundtracks.
Comprising of nine songs, the album is a piece of soulful music out of the harmony of different styles, genres and cultures. Darshini not only explores a feminist perspective in the album but also traces her identity as a South Indian living in New York.
Priya Darshini has sung for over 100 TV and radio commercials and has also recorded award-winning soundtracks for Indian movies. Throughout her singing career, she has worked with renowned musicians like Pearl Jam, Roy “Futureman” Wooten, Jeff Coffin, Philip Lassiter, and ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro, among others. Recording mainly Carnatic music, Darshini made her debut album in American hip hop with the Grammy-nominated Periphery, manufactured by Chesky Records. The album is a fusion of traditional Carnatic music and American pop.
The songs featured in the album are “Jahaan”, “Loneliest Star”, “The Banyan Tree” and “Sanware Sanware” among others. Through the album, Darshini explores the meaning of home while exploring her multicultural identity as a Tamil girl, born in Mumbai and transplanted to New York.
Darshini is also a part of many bands like Epichorus, the Karsh Kale ensemble and Priya Darshini Trio and Woman’s Raga Massive. She is the founder and lead of Priya Darshini Trio and co-lead of Woman’s Raga Massive. She also co-produces a festival known as Out of the Wood running for three years.
