Can you tell us about your musical influences?
Being a synaesthe, my music is influenced by the sensory world around me. Colours, smells, taste and touch are the backdrop to my work and the way they mix together in my brain make the resultant music. I am rooted in my identity, spirituality and heritage as a South Indian vocalist but enjoy collaborating with musicians from different parts of the world. I am also deeply influenced by nature and my musical compositions incorporate them seamlessly. The sound of wings fluttering could be a subtle rhythm and the sound of a river the flow of syllables. My overarching musical influence is my curiosity and my music is my way of exploring the universe.
What are you working on at the moment?
Hibernating in winter has helped me shape and polish my next album “A posse of fireflies” where I have set my vocals in the backdrop of low flutes, bass clarinet, nature sounds and the harp. As with my past works I like to create tranquillity through my music and this is in the same vein. I am also working on a special composition commission from the Hepworth gallery responding to the beautiful work of Barbara Hepworth. I am also continuing to mentor six women composers of colour as I am passionate about sharing knowledge and providing support to the sector.
What are you looking forward to most about Music Patron?
I am really looking forward to connecting to composers and patrons who are passionate about supporting new, innovative and interesting music. I am really excited about the kind of new work that will emerge from that support. It would also be wonderful to have a community of critical friends who I could call upon to test ideas, act as a sounding board and above all enjoy the music that I make!
Watch Supriya’s short video on Music Patron: