Lead vocalist of psychedelic outfit The Bombay Royale, Parvyn Singh commenced the pursuit of a solo project in the latter part of the previous decade.
Following on from the maiden release entitled Sa – a whirling combination of classical Indian music, rhythmic vocals, psychedelia, and electronica, Parvyn has been thrilled with the response she has received both in Australia and globally.
“This is the first time I’ve had full creative control over my own project,” says Parvyn. “With the Bombay Royale, which was the big band I was in, we did three records, and it was kind of a collaborative process with all 11 members of the band that were getting together and doing the songwriting, so this was very much different in that it was personal to me.”
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Despite the personal nature of Sa and the process involved in constructing a solo album, Parvyn acknowledges the significance that her foundational involvement in The Bombay Royale had on navigating the nuances of the industry.
“The experience recording those three albums with the Bombay Royale gave me the insight into how to release music which has been good because I’m a totally self-released and independent artist that is managing myself and releasing my own music.”
Although the unpredictability and uncertainty arising from living in Melbourne through the height of the pandemic meant that a whole cluster of challenges demanded a forced adaptability and a multitude of patience from Parvyn, the album was completed.
“It’s been good having the experience of the Bombay stuff to help me release it,” says Parvyn, “but in the same way having covid thrown into the mix it’s been a new world with new challenges including being able to record the album.”
“During lockdowns in 2020-21 I would meet my producer on zoom, every Monday and we did a lot of the beginning process of the recording online, and we just had to push through and then once lockdowns got released that’s when we would meet up together and we would get musicians to guest on the record.”
Delays aplenty, Parvyn was determined to prosper on, and the result is an album that delves into the unique sound Parvyn brings to her distinct form of storytelling.
“Otherwise, there was delays with photoshoots for the record cover and also the film clip, so it was pretty challenging. It also gave me something to focus on during covid. All the gigs got stripped away and I just had to put everything I had into this record.”
The energy that was injected into Sa is recognisable throughout the full album. Starting in the entrancing nature of the opening track ‘Jara’ all the way to the conclusive song ‘The Sun’ that features the joyous laugh of her eight-month-old son, Ravi.
The unique sound that Parvyn has captured within the 12-track album can be likened to artists in droves, yet there are a plethora of moments throughout the entirety of the LP that spotlight the authenticity of Parvyn’s music.
Parvyn identifies this as the fusion of her potent and extensive Punjabi lineage inclusive of the art that has come before her and the experiences she had being a part of the only Indian family that attended her primary school.
“When I sing, I am trying more and more to make sure it comes from an authentic space, of my experience, because my experience is unique. Being born in Australia but with a very strong Indian cultural background, a Sikh Punjabi is the specific cultural background where I come from.”
“It’s a very specific place that I’ve come from but being in Australia 30-years-ago in a society where my family was the only Indian family that went to my primary school; that perspective is my own.”
Driven by the desire to share these internalised experiences and the sounds that they manifest into, Parvyn pins down the appetency to fill a void she perceives within the medium of music.
“I am making this art because one of the things that drives me is the music I hear in my head that I can’t find anywhere else. That is what compels me to make it. It doesn’t exist and I need to hear it, I want to do this. So, I feel like what I’m doing is really fresh, it hasn’t been done like this before which is an exciting thing to be a part of.”
Parvyn also outlines that her urge to share her music stems from wanting to establish sonic narratives that others can relate to and resonate with. Her music remains considerate of those who have often felt isolated and alone in their own experiences.
“I’m hoping that whatever comes out of me is representative of that and others that haven’t been represented or haven’t heard that story but relate to it and will relate to this music,” says Parvyn.
For Parvyn the music that she creates, and the stories interwoven into it isn’t a compartmentalised practice, rather she embodies a life spent artistically.
“Practicing that artform to me is a lifestyle as well,” says Parvyn, “it’s encompassing of all of that wisdom and knowledge that has come before me. Recognising, respecting, and appreciating that is where I come from and really having a strong base in that is what gives me the foundation to then be able to create, but paying acknowledgment to all of the artists and the art that I study, and I learn that comes from India before me.”
“Mostly I’m living an artist’s life. I think it’s a worthy way of spending time in my life – practising my art”.
In this approach to life, art, and the innate symbiosis of the two Parvyn is striving to engage with South Asian and Indian art and the practitioners working within this style. Steadily meshing with the community, opportunities like playing the awards night at the Melbourne Indian Film Festival have been fruitful.
“I’ve been getting into the Indian and South Asian artistic community,” says Parvyn, “recently there was the Melbourne Indian film festival and we performed at the Palais Theatre for the awards night. There was a bunch of Bollywood stars there.”
“Crossing those borders between Indian and Australian art is something I’m really passionate about. Representing South Asian art in this country is something I’m passionate about, and it’s happening, and there is a lot more South Asian art being represented in this space.”
Ultimately, Parvyn and the artistic life she leads is a means of inspiring others towards a more fulfilling existence.
“Being an example of what I want to see in the world, more of what I want to see in the world, I want to see people have a more sustainable life, get out of the rat race, and enjoy what we’re doing on a day-to-day basis. So often I see people and they’re not happy and they’re on the hustle and charge constantly. Have we forgotten what life is about? Have we forgotten that we’re meant to enjoy it along the way as well?”
You can catch her and her live band playing The Count’s at Monash University on Saturday September 24. Tickets here.
This article was made in partnership with The Count’s.
