Hi Sonam, lovely to meet you. Let’s get started by talking about the musicians you perform with, and how you came together. Do you have a strong bond with your fellow musicians in The Sufi Gospel Project?
Yes, I do have a strong bond with them. We are all very close – like family. We’ve also been working together for five years now and travelled and spent a lot of time together, so we’re really close.
We came together quite organically. Everything about The Sufi Gospel Project has happened organically. I know there’s been a guiding force that has led me to each place, to each answer that I’ve found.
It’s also quite rare to hear of a musician being featured at a TED talk. Could you elaborate a bit on how you got chosen to do that, and what that experience brought to a wider audience?
It’s always wonderful to speak at TED and to be able to share ones ideas on a platform that has such a diverse audience and reaches out to so many people through the Internet as well. To know that you can touch someone millions of miles across the world is quite special- I receive emails and messages from people saying they’ve heard my TED talks and how they’ve been impacted and it’s always really special.
There’s obviously something quite special about your message if it’s taking you to events as diverse as the Women in The World Summit to MTV and in front of the President of India and 52 heads of African States. What do you think people from all walks of life find so enthralling about yourperformances?
I’ve done what I needed to do- gone out there and spoke my truth, told my story and sang about what my heart told me to. The fact that it touches people reassures my faith in the inherent goodness of people and the fact that most of us want the same things. Peace. Equality. Acceptance.
As far as performing at Confluence of India is concerned – have you spent much time in Australia? What would you like to achieve whilst here – both on a musical and personal level?
I’m thrilled to be a part of this incredible festival. We performed at The Sydney Opera House and received a standing ovation- It was such an amazing feeling. We collaborated with a didgeridoo player for that show who blended and fused with our sound so beautifully- it was wonderful to see that. I’ve always believed that we find similarities through our differences and this was yet another example of that. I hope each of our performances are as well received as the one at Sydney Opera House and that that the music and message we are trying to share touches people.
I wish I could spend more time here and see and explore the beautiful land of Australia but hopefully we will be back again.
