Women In Arts festival: 'Being a musician is all about performing live'

SOME of the best musical talents are on the live circuit, and a perfect example is a double bill at The Nutshell in Winchester next Friday (18), as part of the Women In Arts festival organised by Jay Visvadeva of Sama Arts Network.

Sparsh Bajpai will deliver a jazz and classical soprano-led performance, while singer-songwriter Saachi Sen will perform indie material rooted in contemporary music.

Eastern Eye spoke to the rising music stars to find out more about them ahead of their joint concert.

SPARSH BAJPAI

What first connected you to music?

My primal connection to music makes me feel and not feel at the same time. If I’m going through something where I want to shut my brain to intrusive thoughts, it helps with it too.

I’m glad my mother introduced music to me as she played all her old cassettes around the house. She also enrolled me for lessons early on. I started with Hindustani classical music before shifting to European classical music. My teacher, Situ Singh Beuhler, guided me so much in my early years and because of her, I really started valuing music, and how much it meant to me.

What drew you to jazz and classical music?

I love the freedom of jazz and discipline of classical music. I love what both bring me, and that’s drama. I love drama so much – characters and emotions bleeding into music on stage.

I love the atmosphere jazz creates when I perform with other musicians – there is something so timeless about it.

With classical music, I love diving into characterisations of different pieces and arias. It makes me feel liberated and I love the instant reaction from an audience when I suddenly turn from a jilted lover to a destructive force. It’s so exhilarating.

Sparsh Bajpai (Photo credit: Simon Richardson)

Which do you enjoy singing most?

Anything that allows me to engage in emotions that are a little too much for our real lives. Singing is like escapism, enabling me to let it out – fear, laughter, love, anger and hurt. That is why I don’t like to box myself up too much. Sometimes I want the drama that comes with classical music, sometimes I want to sit down and sing to a guitar. Other times I want to create a jazz bar atmosphere or pay homage to musicals that shaped Broadway. Though perhaps a part of me loves classical music the most.

What does performing live mean to you?

For me, live performances are incomplete without an audience, which has been quite a melancholic sentiment for the past two years. Performing to an empty hall always felt like a rehearsal. I love that a live performance isn’t simply like a lecture where a group of students maybe are there out of obligation. An audience has come to be entertained. Even if they don’t know of you, it really doesn’t matter when you do your job well. And good entertainers make for an immersive experience. Performances are for the artist and audience. Both have got to feed off each other.

How does being part of Women In The Arts festival feel?

Incredible. I love being introduced to amazing artists. The festival is just a combination of phenomenal artists coming together to spread the love for their art. I’m really grateful for the opportunity. I hope to work with the festival and artists again in the future. There’s so much to learn from each other.

What inspires you?

Real-life incidents and stories of others inspire me. I am fascinated by the complexities of human emotions, and like to delve into the raw nature of it all, like experiencing a certain type of loss or something else; and for that, I need to take inspiration from other people’s stories.

In terms of what inspires me to continue working in the arts, there are good days and bad. Sometimes I want to stop immediately and get a desk job. But most days, I want to continue in it for the rest of my life.

Finally, why do you love music?

Because it’s beautiful. It’s so vast and should be kept alive. I am doing my part while having a fulfilling experience of growth and enrichment. I’ve barely met anyone who actively dislikes music.

Music is also like a memory journal and can transport you back to those simpler times. That is why nostalgia is such a selling point in popular media. And music is at its core.

SAACHI SEN

Saachi Sen (Photo credit: Simon Richardson)

How do you feel being part of Women In The Arts festival?

I’m very proud to be a part of this beautiful festival, alongside such accomplished, incredible female acts of every discipline. It’s an honour to be presenting my own songwriting and my experiences as a woman in the arts.

What can we expect from your performance?

I love sharing my music with audiences like it’s a conversation. My songwriting is often situational and pulls people in for a story, which lends itself to vocals with a lot of dynamic contrast, which I support with acoustic guitar or piano, and as of recently, my own produced tracks.

How do you feel being on stage?

It’s wonderful being able to connect with listeners live. People often ask if I get nervous, but I find that any nerves you might feel before a performance always turn into pure exhilaration once you’re on and in the zone. For me, being on stage and performing is what being a musician is all about.

What music do you most enjoy performing and do you have a favourite song?

I draw influences from a lot of different artists and genres, including pop, alternative/indie and jazz. I’ve had comparisons with Sara Bareilles, Taylor Swift and Laura Nyro, which were all hugely flattering. I could never choose just one favourite song, but a frontrunner would be Under Pressure by Queen. I’ve listened to it so much that I could start singing it on exactly the right note (and I don’t have perfect pitch, to my eternal sorrow).

Who do you hope to connect with through your music?

I would want to reach out to anyone who’s had the experiences I’ve had and tell them that they aren’t alone – often it is women and girls, and people of colour like me. If my songs can open the eyes of those who haven’t experienced that themselves, that’s even better.

Who would you love to collaborate with?

I’m a long-time fan of Maisie Peters, her recording and writing style. Collaborating with an artist like her would be the dream.

What kind of music dominates your playlist?

They say variety is the spice of life, so that’s the approach I take with listening to music. I make a point to check out artists in the awards scene, which is how I found Alt J (Mercury Prize), Stormzy (Brits), Sigrid (BBC Sound of the Year) and more. I also regularly go back to my 1980s playlist and relisten to artists including Dire Straits, Bruce Springsteen, and Fleetwood Mac, who also feature in my record collection.

Finally, why should we come to the performance?

I’m looking forward to bringing some brand-new work and new skills to this performance. For example, I’ve started focusing on production, and this will be my first chance to showcase it. I love performing, and that joy shares itself around the room with everyone who comes to watch, so I hope you’ll come to experience me sharing my songs in the most immersive, powerful way I can.

Visit www.thenutshellwinchester.com and www.sama.co.uk