Singing Her Mind

On the night before one of her rehearsal days, this is part of what Shefali tweeted: magical sounds, a freedom day of music & love, (I) welcome independence into the mind, body and soul.

Shefali came visiting Hyderabad, with her band Distil Soul, to perform at the Hard Rock Café as part of their Pinktober Fest. Cluburb caught up with her and here's what she has to say.

Cluburb: Hi Shefali!
Shefali: Hi!

C: So you have been coming to Hyderabad often?
S: I used to play at The Bar at Novotel earlier. I’ve come before for performances at Rock Heights and a couple of other places. But this is my first gig at HRC Hyderabad.

C: You began singing since you were a kid, but when did you get the calling from rock?
S: Well, rock isn’t the only thing I enjoy. I love to sing Jazz and Funk as well. But, you can say it mostly happened around the time when I was forming my own band.

C: And when did your band happen?
S: It happened about 7 years ago, when I was 21. That was the time when I was breaking away from my Dad’s band to make my own music. To experiment, to make the most of time.

C: Was it also the time you started making your own music?
S: Atually, yes. I would assist or co-work on melodies earlier - with pianists and other musicians. I had learnt piano for 6 years, so this was like a hands-on experience. And it always came naturally to me. But, yes, when I made my own band, I started making my solo melodies.

C: And your poetry?
S: Again, I have always written lyrics. But I got more regular with it when I started singing on my own.

C: What are your melodies and lyrics made of?
S: Well they’re made of things from my life. I write them and compose them based on the way I feel. The melodies are sounds that I hear on a day, the sounds my mind imagines. My lyrics are the outpours of whatever’s there in my headspace, my actual feelings.

C: If you’d share with Cluburb some of your lines…
S: Like one of my latest tracks ‘Ancient Life’ has these lines for the chorus: Space, time, science, life; Can I trust the world tonight? I was thinking and learning more about the Mayans and the Egyptians and the like when I wrote these lines in retrospect. I believe we all keep walking this earth till our karmas are clear, and this feeling shows in many of my thoughts.

C: As an artist, a statement is voiced out often. In your case, when we see you perform it feels as if you’re just being you.
S: That’s true. I’m blessed to be making music for my profession. Life’s so much easier because of that (laughs). I have only been doing what I know best, expressing through my music what I feel. More like exposing my insides, my heart to my audience.

C: What have been some of your remarkable performances, Shefali?
S: It was a few years ago at the Esplanade Theatre Singapore, with my Dad, Joe Alvares. Also a few at the Indian Chambers of Commerce, for the King and Queen of Nepal, for President Clinton’s visit about 6 years back, and many more. Most of them with my Dad.

C: When’s your next performance?
S: I’m performing in Kolkata for The Jazz Project this Saturday. There’s one next Saturday in Bombay at The Blue Frog. This one is towards an initiative called B Aware to spread awareness about breast cancer. The lyrics have been penned by Javed Akhtar and Sonu Nigam is one of my co-singers. But I’m most excited about my performance at the upcoming Cuban Jazz Fest in Havana, again with my Dad.

C: We wish you all the luck for your future performances, Shefali. It was nice talking to you.
S: Thanks, it was nice talking to you too.