There nestles a quite connect across all elements within the realm of the arts that which dwells in the ultimate trove of human emotions. Deriving thereupon as it does from the soul in which the human self finds itself immersed as the very essence of existence is this expression of all things that are free flowing and unrestricted and pure and true like only the arts can be. Dabbling then across this range of the liberative riches would be pretty much everyone who flaunts in their repertoire such delves into the deepest confines of the soul that leads them to assume such identity in eclectic artisticness. More so when the primary explorations rest upon such all encompassing range of what makes music the universal language that it is and the impressions afforded in expressions of artistry are such that permeate all through the larger expanse of the universe.
No any less versed therefore in the composite language of all things that speak of the innermost emotions in which the human resides as part of an inextricable essence would also be singer- songwriter Priyanka Nath. Hailing from Guwahati, Assam and ‘dabbling’ as well in a cultural compendium of what curates in uniqueness the existence that she lived through in Kolkata and New Delhi and Bangalore, the presently Hyderabad based Nath possesses a musical character that reveals itself as snippets drawn from her own experience in existence. Her assuming of such identity as someone expressing in terms of the “will of nature” though would not occur in such clarity had she not started out by exploring instead the idea in natural exploration.
Dancing her way through life and making her mark as a model and treading the stage of the theatre even when athleting in accomplishment as well, the profile of Priyanka Nath has always been one residing in the resplendence of recognition. It was passion though of an utter fulfilment that she experienced in striking chords and humming tunes and making melodies that led her to find her groove indeed somewhere on the musical horizon. And since then she herself has been making such music worth grooving to, even when lacquered with an unmissable tinge of emotions of her own strongly felt sensibilities. In this balance that she has managed to achieve thus in quite some fineness indeed, Nath has created for herself an image that relays the finesse of what she furthers and flaunts as part of her person.
Why just finesse though, it also is fluency of a different kind that plays through the musical musings of what has shaped up such identity of the young singer. Consistent in delighting the fans of her music with frequent releases as something she very consciously pursues in inching closer to her ultimate dream is Priyanka Nath who released her debut single as recently as the global lockdown of 2020. In the just a couple of years since then of making the big announcement, the spirited artiste has already managed to dish out a dozen of melodious numbers.
The fact in this factor of the frequent might not sound like quite a promising proposition in context of its consideration within the realm of where it finds expression. For the very nature of occurring of the arts being such that is truer in representations of quality over quantity, with such conscious decisions in curating a greater ‘count’ of creativity striving even strongly to undermine the degree of that assertion.
Quite surprisingly though, such narrative does not seem to be scripting the premise upon which Nath seeks to expand the reach of her rich sounds. The sonority of her music might not be an attribute in determining the quality of the sound of her singing but the impact that she manages to create with such plentiful profusion of artistic pleasure is sonorous still. Why such excepting in eking against the norm of universal establishment that Priyanka Nath has managed to avail is a draw upon the profoundness of her own very personal emotions that makes up exclusively her playlist of own singing.
Starting out with a rap single called Quarantine Day, vibing indeed in the then ‘trending’ buzz and affording more dominant a expression of musical identity with the single Unexpected that which has masqueraded indeed as her debut song, Priyanka Nath ventured out in curating the claims of her own sound. Musically expressed lines of strongly felt emotions is a feature of her songs, something that is more than perceptible in pretty much every rendition of her musical character.
Her first EP followed as well in the same turbulent year of 2020 through which flowed melodies like the groovier Temptations and the dreamier Let’s Sail Away Tonight. 2021 would see the artiste practising music as an agent in catharsis belt out Stay With You- a number through which serenity flows throughout despite its curation out of something as unpoetic and messy as an argument. That stands testament to the fact that Nath’s music has always managed to find takers even when she comes up with overwhelming almost a number of releases. The four singles that she musically played around with as part of her 2022 repertory delivers in each of their individual tunes, with emotions writ large on every aspect of what sums up the musical explorations of Nath herself.
This free expression of the feelings that stem in her heart as part of personal encounters and experiences in existence is what has led Priyanka to view music as cathartic a liberty she takes in its doing. It is relief indeed in scouting that has led Nath to experience for herself this identity of what it means to be a singer in the more ‘essential’ sense of it. That is to say, while music had always been a way of life for Nath, singing for as long as she could remember given her mother’s own residing in the artistic arena as an artiste of All India Radio, she had not really given it a shot realistic enough for it to occur as part of her recognised identity. It would be the pandemic that she has to thank for in finding herself singing along to the tunes of life as something even greatly necessitated by the ills plaguing the world at that time.
It is the ultimate freedom of relief then that Nath experiences in pursuing songwriting as an emotive expression that has led it to be the persisting strand in curating her personal existence. It makes sense then that the absolute single dream she harbours in respect of her musicality is one that has her yearning for the day she would belt out own compositions in a stadium full of people. Of course the leaps she has been making in this manner of advancing is one of as impressive reputation. Beginning by performing gigs sometime in 2018-2019 and currently commanding all attention when she takes to the stage in full power of her music making waves and creating ambiences and stirring souls, Priyanka Nath has come a long way even in this mere handful of years.
Today she asserts as a phenomenal presence on every arena of public performing that she regularly jazzes up in her resident city of Hyderabad, while reaching out as well to a greater audience through her YouTube channel that she started in that defining year of 2020. Defining as well has been the journey that Priyanka Nath has lived through in this period of syncing with the realities of the world while holding on to the realness of what she feels, creating such passionate pieces of music that has led her to be featured already multiple times in Rolling Stone India as an artiste of own aura.
For a musician so exceptional in her endeavoring for even the most simplistic of essences to pan out efficiently as part of an enjoyable swaying to melody, it is quite expected that Priyanka would not seek from her own creative faculties a catering to the more exemplary aspirations of the world. Thus even when she knows full well the power that resides in the universal language in which music speaks directly to hearts and souls, she does not exactly allude to an intention as profound as breaking down cultural barriers altogether. Her expression pertains instead in more pleasing a notion in uniting cultures with music- something that strikes as more profound when one comes to think of it in such specifics of envisioning.
Nath is heavily inspired by the music of Taylor Swift and draws immensely upon her favorites to produce sounds of her own accord. Resonant in the depth of their dwelling in raw emotions but still striking as notes of pleasant tuning has been characteristic of much of Priyanka Nath’s music. Of late though, she has been weaving in, in as much consciousness warps and wefts of different counts within the usual symphonic identity of her singing.
She however does not want to ditch altogether her signature sounding in some softness- something she clings on to perhaps as music being the succour for her soul. The darker tone of musical deliberation would be an addon perhaps to the jargon of her expressing and one that is so poignantly evoking of that exact emotion in an Oh Darling! release of her first full fledged pop-rock venture. Aiming to cut across also the ‘genre’ of amping up the Hyderabadi space and let her songs take over as pan-Indian a phenomenon instead also features as prominently upon the to-do-list of this musician possessing a charm as strong as her delicate dealing with emotions allows her to harbour. It is the strong assertion in freedom of emotional expression that Priyanka Nath brings into the indie scene that is what largely makes her a standout presence in such magical musings of the musical.