It’s an odd mix of feelings that overwhelm you, when on the phone with Anoushka Shankar. How do you talk to one of the best musicians in the world? How does one address the greatest musical legacy in India, a person who grew up around iconic artists from around the world?
A self-described ‘citizen of the world’, Anoushka juggles multiple roles — musician, philanthropist, feminist, activist, mother, and more; all of which come together beautifully in her latest album Land of Gold. The album conveys one message: hope, and the artist’s answer to men, women and children forced to flee their homes due to conflict and poverty, taking asylum in other countries as refugees. She has collaborated with artists Mathangi Arulpragasam, better known as M.I.A, who is a prominent refugee advocate, as well as singer Alev Lenz, and actress/political activist Vanessa Redgrave, along with her core team of Hang drum player Manu Delago and Sanjeev Shankar on the shehnai.
In a way, the birth of her second child last year had a lot to do with Land of Gold. “As the summer unfolded, I was at home with my beautiful baby and watching the news. It was a drastic contrast — a report about hundreds of children losing their homes — and me being able to provide for my baby. As a mother, you cannot escape from the empathy,” Anoushka says.“My music is the extension of how I am, which is being human… a part of this world. If I think about what kind of person I want to be; as someone who made a positive difference on the environment and the people I met,” she adds.
Her wide range of experiments with music is evident in the album, which encompasses a multi-cultural and multi-genre sound. “It’s the closest to what you call a concept album; there’s nothing exotic or cheesy about it. With my team of collaborators, we deliberately designed a core sound centered on my instrument, with electronics and pop,” the Grammy award-winning artist explains. Being someone who is extremely comfortable with stage performances, there was a conscious effort to keep a sense of live energy in the music and get what is mostly seen live, on record.
Does she hope that her album would reach the people she is playing for, and perhaps have a role in solving the issue? “I’ve always been a feminist and believed in the power of a woman’s voice and brining it to the people. I cannot presume to solve it, because all of these stories are a lot bigger than we see it to be. I just hope that my music reaches out to people spiritually. Between people like you or me, it becomes a talking point, and this album is a part of getting others to talk about it,” Anoushka smiles.
The music definitely strikes deep, and while ruing the fact that we can only hear it after buying the album or downloading it, the sitarist drops a hint at an all-India tour for Land…! It could happen soon, and we can’t wait to see her live!
