Anoushka Shankar on Indian Classical music: At its heart, it has a spiritual connection

AnoushkaShankarhas recently unveiled the first chapter of her mini album titled 'Forever, For Now.' Additionally, she is set to embark on a tour in India, complemented by her upcoming engagement at Lollapalooza.

Shankarboasts of many accomplishments. All the while being a sitarist,Shankarhas been the youngest and first female recipient of a British House of Commons Shield; the first Indian musician to perform live and to serve as a presenter at the Grammy Awards, and now has nine nominations under her belt.

A lot of this discipline comes from her family. TheShankarhouse was seldom a silent place. Musicians were a permanent presence. In this talk with WION, whereShankarjoined us from England via a Zoom call, the sitarist talked about how her father, Late Pandit RaviShankarinfluenced her.

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Let's talk about your album. 'Forever. For Now'. The inspiration behind it.

I mean I make albums, that's what I do. I was excited to try a new format and create a series of mini albums this time and release over the year.

'Chapter 1: Forever Now', will always be the first of the series. It was very much inspired by trying to capture a feeling of fleeting moments of beauty and peace, even in times of difficulty and pain. I wanted to make music that helped people feel joy and peace.

Your father was a Grammy-winning Indian composer. Nearly all your relatives are dominating the field of music and art. Can you share what was the experience of growing up in theShankarfamily like?

I mean it was my only experience of growing up. For me, it was normal, even if in some ways it was unusual and extraordinary. It was very creative, there were a lot of artists always moving through, there was always music being played, and sometimes there would be dance rehearses. So I had a lot of exposure to art and culture that was formative in my life to make artistic work as well.

What's the kind of discipline is required to excel in Indian classical music?

What I do at this point is not exactly Indian Classical Music, but obviously, I spent decades learning it, they are the roots of everything that I do. It requires what any kind of classical form of music requires, which is a huge amount of dedication, practice and focus. To master your instrument, the vocal range, takes a lifetime of practice, focus and dedication. For a young person that can be quite difficult and will require a lot of commitment.

Can you talk about the power of Indian classical music and how it has influenced the world?

Indian classical music has incredible range, dynamism, excitement, and virtuosity. Most importantly, at its heart, it has that spiritual connection. There is a connection between the vibration and healing. The nuisance ragas can have a positive influence on a person. There's a reason why people across the globe, for generations keep coming back to Indian classical music, because there's something in it that's unique.

What kind of sounds, and vibrations attract you?

I mean I have always had a wide listening range. I love dark music, dance music, trans-trippy music, deep soulful music, and peaceful, slow music. I'm interested in honest soulful music that seems like it's coming from an artist's heart. I'm also interested in music that showcases virtuosity. I also think there is a place for fun, light-hearted music. I need the whole range as a human to reflect, the whole life and listening experience.

Have you ever suffered from writer's block or a creative block?

There have been times when I have felt that 'I should be writing, I should be writing', and nothing's coming. But my experience has been, that as soon as I put myself in the situation to write, whether that's putting myself in a room full of artists and musicians, or setting myself a deadline and making a commitment, then things tend to happen. It usually happens. As soon as I turn to that creative source, it is always there for me. It's just when I have disconnected I feel like I have writer's block.

I used to listen to the track 'Pather Panchali' on repeat mode. Those tracks brought out unspeakable emotions. How was your experience learning from Pandit RaviShankar?

It's one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. No question.

As you said, his style of playing was so unique, and revolutionary, that you can tell that it was distinctly his composition. Learning from him was very much a unique experience. My musical style has been shaped and moulded by his imprint. I got to learn so much from his ideas systematic approach, and raga knowledge. It was hugely influential. Like many of his other disciples, I had the real benefit of learning from him, performing with him, and expanding that learning on stage. That's an incredible part of classical music learning tradition, you get to learn to perform on stage. It's unique and beautiful.

You have experienced the time when music was heard from cassettes and CDs. From there to now this streaming era. Can you talk about your experience?

As you said, I started making music in the 90s. My first album was made on CDs and cassettes. Slowly they evolved into streaming platforms. I think that's been creatively freeing. I wouldn't have had an idea about these mini albums. We can release music, and singles however we want. When CDs were invented, people never thought of music in the 60-minute cycle before that was created. So that shaped the idea of what we think of as an album. Now that's changing too. I think it's exciting when technology keeps evolving on how art can be made.