Brooklyn-based singer Priya Darshini opens up on her first Grammy nomination for her album, ‘Periphery’ – Entertainment News , Firstpost

In November 2020, on the eve of her Grammy nomination, when the Recording Academy “followed” her on Twitter, Brooklyn-based singer Priya Darshini got the first inkling that she could make the cut. Promptly pushing aside said thought, she focused on other things in the day. It wasn’t until a barrage of text messages the next day that she realised she was indeed nominated for Best New Age Album. 

While the celebration of the occasion had everything to do with her superlative album Periphery that was released earlier in the year, it is in many ways a validation of so many of her choices, struggles and sacrifices. “My friends and family have been so excited about the nomination. I’ve been receiving so much love and appreciation for the album and the nomination has only multiplied that. It is also the recognition of the years of their support and encouragement I’ve received from near and dear ones, to help me follow this path, guide me through making difficult choices and to tell me to always, always be at it,” says Priya, speaking from Chicago, ahead of the Grammy Awards tomorrow (15 March).

We were to have a video call but instead tech-issues were threatening to cause lags in the interview. As a faceless Priya recounted her journey so far, the overwhelming gratitude in her voice, is unmissable. Of the many things a singer might go through on their path to creative success, the experiences with their actual voice is never really considered a valid struggle. But Priya has—quite literally and figuratively—had to find her voice. “I was 12 years old when I first had surgery on my vocal chords. At the time, I was just a child and I don’t have much memory of that. The second surgery was when I was 19, when I was more aware of what was going on. Between the two surgeries, I had diligently followed the exercises and precautions I was told to take, yet there was a need for that second surgery. That was a big turning point in my life.”

Terrified that she wouldn’t be able to sing ever again, Priya grappled with silence for months on end. Not even being permitted to whisper, Priya soon started to travel inward, becoming even more introspective than before and finally being at peace with the silence in her life. “It was very scary, but it also taught me a lot. I listened better, developed more empathy for people… went through the whole ‘why me’ phase, followed by anger and then acceptance. Eventually I started seeing the benefits of being in silence with myself,” she adds. 

With a chance in her voice quality and tonality, Priya became aware of how much goes into working the vocal chords. She got to study her own “instrument” from the inside, possibly the best lesson she’s ever learnt, she admits. And in silence. She understood why the physiology of the vocal chords is so important, or the shape of one’s mouth, the origin of one’s breath, or one’s air passageway, etc. It was around this time that she also started whistling a lot and became quite adept at doing so. She says, “You realise that the vocal chords are such a beautiful instrument; they’re unique in that they’re the only instrument that’s living within you. Your emotional status, state of mind, and stress levels play a big role in the health of your voice. I realised I needed to heal myself in many ways for my voice to heal. So, I started focusing on that instead. I then found the perfect guru, who has strengthened me so much that even today I can sing for hours without any discomfort.”

Priya’s musical education follows the distinctly Tamilian upbringing narrative. Classically trained parents and grandparents creating an indelible mark on their children’s approach to the arts is as common as filter coffee. But as has been established, Priya is anything but ordinary. Within the space of setting a rich foundation, has been Priya’s unique drive to explore and experiment with diverse musical influences. Her “Amma’s Amma” (maternal grandmother) was a Bharatnatyam dancer and a Carnatic classical vocalist. Priya counts her among the greatest inspirations while growing up, even as she credits her parents for creating an environment for myriad musical experiences. “I also studied with Bombay Lakshmi Rajagopalan for a bit, before looking towards Hindustani Classical vocals in my teens. I wanted to explore other cultures and so I started listening to other styles. I was hungry to travel the world and listen to music. In the process I discovered jazz, dove deeper into learning it before turning my eyes (or voice in this case) to Hindustani classical. Eventually when I moved to America, my world fully opened up.” 

The deeper she went in, the more her world opened up. Thus, Periphery is a culmination of these influences and experiences; it’s a musical documentation of Priya’s kaleidoscopic musical journey which—set within the architectural marvel of an abandoned church—combines the visceral nature of music with cutting edge recording technology. Drawing from her multicultural artistic and life experiences, the album holds eight songs and a rearrangement that span a spectrum of musical disciplines, genres and styles. Priya says, “All of my experiences and varied identities, and the process of finding my voice has meant that today I have found a way to seamlessly represent all these identities that lie within me without looking at it as a ‘fusion of sorts’. There’s one commonality in all of this—me!”

Featuring renowned cellist Dave Eggar, virtuoso hammered dulcimer player and Priya’s husband Max ZT, famed percussionist and environmentalist Chuck Palmer, and Living Color drummer Will Calhoun, Periphery is as much a sonic exploration as it is a sensory experience. Working with such virtuosos has been both gratifying and awe-inspiring. And every collaboration with husband Max has been a way to learn more about him through music. While musically the album is a recording genius, emotionally it is laying bear Priya’s most intimate workings. In a sense, it is Priya’s search for what the idea of “home” means, one that resonates with so many of us who struggle to identify ourselves in the world. Is home a construct? It is a place? “Is my idea of being at peace the same as being a home? Is it within me? Who am I? All these questions found expression in Periphery, an album that I recommend people listen to with their headphones on.” 

It gets its name from those who bear mixed learning lineages yet constantly feel at the periphery of everything. For Priya, this is a default state of being. Where the periphery is not an inability to give in to the epicentre; instead, it is a consistent state of finding that being at the periphery gives her the benefit of perspective due to the necessary distance. “I always felt like a weirdo,” she laughs, adding, “I never quite fit in anywhere. To start with, I’m a South Indian in Mumbai. My cultural experiences were already quite different from those of my friends. From being a South Indian in Mumbai to being an Indian in the US, I have understood that being at the periphery while may be discomforting for others, is a place where I’ve found my peace.”