As May 2020 stretched on, vocalist Sushma Soma sat in her Singapore home, no concerts in sight and with the pandemic looming large. She was living a life like most artistes at the time: practising, introspecting, exploring, creating. It was at this point that she came across the horrific news of the death of a pregnant elephant after it consumed a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers in Kerala’s Malappuram district.
ADVERTISEMENT
There was huge outrage across the country. For Sushma, the anger led to the making of ‘Home’, her new album (releasing today on all major streaming platforms). “I reached out to vocalist Aditya Prakash and percussionist Praveen Sparsh, with whom I share a close bond. And we decided to express our feelings through music.”
While she was ideating for the album, Sushma happened to watch the documentary, The Octopus Teacher, which celebrates the beauty of nature. “It made me wonder why can’t we be more appreciative of nature and protect flora and fauna.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Sushma Soma’s HOME. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Though formally trained in Carnatic music, Sushma chooses to dabble in diverse musical forms when working on her independent ventures. But for ‘Home’, on the advice of her Bharatanatyam dancer-friend Mythili Prakash, she decided to delve deeper into Carnatic music to put across her thoughts and emotions. Along with Aditya, she came up with tracks such as ‘Ma’ that explores the nuances of Shankarabharanam, Bhairavi, and Varali ragas. She also collaborated with Praveen on tracks for which they also roped in parai and nagaswaram artistes.
“Through it all, we marvelled at the fact that while we classify ourselves based on differences, both across cultures and species, in reality we are not so different after all,” says Sushma.
While her first album ‘Sa’ was more an anthology of her favourite musical pieces, recreated by collaborating with some of her closest friends and fellow musicians, the seven tracks of ‘Home’ are “pure emotion”. Pushed by Aditya to take her voice beyond its usual comfort level, she hopes the album is more than just a listen. “It is a tribute to the ecosystem that we share with other beings and a desperate plea to save our incredible home. Hence the title,” says Sushma.
The freelance journalist writes on art and culture.