Dynamic singer-songwriter Shalini Varghese joins us for delicious coffee and pastries at Amandine Partisserie in Gardena, CA to discuss her latest EP release Her Heart Speaks, the importance of showing support to others, and the rise in female empowerment in the music industry.
So to start us off, we are at one of your go-to coffeeshops, Amandine Patisserie here in Gardena. Care to share a little bit about why you love coming here and what to order?
Shalini Varghese: Yes of course! So I really like coming here because it’s not that far for me to travel to. *laughs* I have a major sweet tooth, and this place just has such a good array of pastries to choose from. Their coffee is great too! Anytime I have colleagues or friends in town, I always take them here. And the ambiance, as you can see, is just really nice and chill.Yes! Our ideal place for sure! So you recently released your new EP Her Heart Speaks. Wanted to say congratulations!
Shalini: Thank you so much!
And for those who have yet to discover its awesomeness, would you care to share a little bit about what kind of themes and instrumentation elements that you decided to incorporate into the songs?
Shalini: Sure! So in terms of the themes, they would be life, love, relationships, and humanity. A lot of it is inspired by love itself, and that’s why I called it Her Heart Speaks. It’s partly about the whole dynamic between two people when they’re in a more casual relationship, and about the push and pull between them when one person is thinking a certain way but the other person is not quite on the same page. It’s about the passion that you feel and the overall complexities of relationships in general. But then I also have a song that’s about the world and humanity, which is a little bit separate from the other songs, but it also comes from the heart. For the instrumentation, it’s mainly an R&B type of sound. I like to say it’s more of, like, a throwback R&B vibe like Aaliyahand some of the elements that she would use in her albums. I love 90s R&B, so maybe that’s why we went with those types of sounds. We also incorporated a modern neo-soul kind of twist where it’s almost like what Erykah Badu does in her work. All of the instruments and the beats were created and produced by my collaborator Savvy. He did this all on his computer, so this was all his musical genius.
Whoo! Shout outs!
Shalini: Yeah! Shout out to Savvy!
Shout outs to the people that help us and bring us up in life!
Shalini: Exactly!
And how was the recording process different than that of your past work?
Shalini: It was actually very different because it was a collaboration and was done in a very small space in a home studio. We should have documented that a little bit more, because it was literally standing in a corner of a room creating music. *laughs* But prior to that, I went into major studios and did all the cool instrumentation and the different types of technology they would use with the real instruments. This experience was totally different because it was organic, home-based, and low-cost. But it still worked out!
Yeah! And which song would you say was your favorite to write and record? And they can be two separate ones, we know the processes are a little bit different. *both laugh*
Shalini: So there actually were two songs that I wanted to bring up. The first would be “So Complicated,” which was co-written with Savvy. We wrote the melody and the lyrics together and it just happened very organically. We sat down together, and he already had the hook written so all he needed was the verses.
He needed the meat!
Shalini: Yeah! It needed the meat, exactly! I think we hashed it out in less than an hour. The song itself was based on experiences that we were both going through at the time, so I think that’s why there was a synergy about it while we were finishing it up. And the second one that I would like to mention is “What It Means To Be.” I think it’s a very universal song, in which it’s about bringing people together by being empathetic and tolerant and understanding.
I think we need a lot of that in the world. And I just love how musicians are more open to bringing up the theme of humanity in their music because it’s such a huge theme that we keep needing to revisit.
Shalini: Yeah. I mean, when I watch the news, I see that a lot of the problems that we have on a fundamental level probably could have been solved if we just had conversations with people rather than imposing our own judgements or stereotypes on them. That’s my opinion.
We all just need to talk to each other!
Shalini: Yeah!
So if you had an infinite amount of money right now at this very moment in time, which song would you choose to do a music video for and what kind of concept would you choose?
Shalini: It’s funny, because Savvy and I just talked about doing another video and I’m like, ‘Ah! I don’t think we have the budget for it!’ *laughs* But if I had to choose, I would definitely want to do something for “Dance Tonight.” We have videos for “So Complicated” and “What It Means To Be,” but “Dance Tonight” is just such an uplifting and fun song that everyone would be able to groove to.
And you can have a lot of fun with it visually too!
Shalini: Yeah! I can have all my friends in it, and it would be really cool! The concept would definitely be more of a party scene that’s illustrating the story of the song. It’s about this girl who’s finally over this guy who’s just ready to have a good time. Maybe have some cool Hollywood nightclub scenes. It would be fun!
A musical rom-com!
Shalini: Yeah! A musical rom-com! I love that! *laughs*Photo Courtesy of Shalini Varghese
Yes! *laughs* So going into the modern music industry, a lot of the listening experience has been focused more on streaming, singles-based releases, and even shorter EP style releases. Do you think that these types of releases are kind of going to be the norm? Or do you think that will eventually go back to full length releases again?
Shalini: It’s so hard to say because I’m not an expert, but it does seem to be that the singles and the EPs are the norm right now. I would love for it to go back to the full record because it’s part of the reason why I formed such a deep love for music and started working toward that dream of becoming a recording artist. It’s just a better way to get through the whole story of what someone is trying to tell you in their music. So much effort and production go into it, but unfortunately, society right now is in a state where they just want something quick that gratifies them instantly. I feel like this is where we are right now, and we just have to cater to it.
Hopefully we’ll be able to make our way back to those full-lengths again. I prefer a little bit more than a few songs, but I mean, if you have an idea and it’s five songs long and it works really well, then who’s to stop you, right?
Shalini: Exactly! And even with my EP, I still feel like it was a complete project. It was cohesive, complete, and it told the story that we wanted to tell.
Yeah! Successfully accomplished! But why do you think there is such a small listener attention span window now? Do you think that it puts a pressure on artists to play into trying to break into that window?
Shalini: I think so. It’s something that I haven’t even come to terms with our have adapted to. I think the reason why it is the way that it is is because the music market is highly saturated. Anyone can ‘put out music’ whether it’s high quality or not, and so it creates a lot of competition and almost an overstimulation where people don’t know which direction to go in. We have our main mainstream artists who are on the radio and they own that space, so it’s very hard to crack into when you have the rest of the people in the world putting out stuff with the hope that they will get airplay. From a listener’s perspective, if they’re trying to search for something outside of the mainstream, it’s just hard to find a direction because there’s just so much out there. I’ve learned recently that it’s the most competitive business in the world because it’s the most saturated, and that’s why I think it plays into that.
And even with playlists nowadays, I feel like while they’re based on a genre, and genres are starting to kind of mush together. It’s awesome, and I love having all these different elements to music, but it’s also getting hard to pinpoint and put artists into specific categories.
Shalini: Exactly. People are finding it hard to have a direction, but there’s also a lot going on in social media as well. It’s just so much coming at people that is really is hard for them to choose. I mean, you open Facebook and you just immediately get lost through scrolling into the abyss of stuff. I feel like it’s just the same thing for music, so I don’t really blame the audience for being a little A.D.D. because I am too. *both laugh*
I feel like we all have a little bit of A.D.D. tendencies nowadays.
Shalini: Right?!
As a female singer-songwriter, do you feel that women in the music industry need to portray themselves in certain ways in order to be successful, whether it’s through their music, their appearance, or even through social media?
Shalini: You know, that’s such a great question. I have my own feelings about this, and other people have very different feelings about this same thing, but I think there’s a strong movement in the music industry for female empowerment. What I take that term to mean is, ‘to be authentic to who you are and how you want to present yourself.’ I think many years ago, women felt that they needed to conform to this kind of ‘standard,’ whether it was a look or a sound, but I do strongly believe that women are starting to take control over how they want their audience to view them. But you look at people like Nina Simone, like, she was such an exception to the rule back when she first started because she was totally unapologetic and completely herself.
Oh absolutely! I mean, the same thing happened when Adele stepped onto the scene. She doesn’t look or sound like your typical pop star, but she’s one of the most successful female pop acts in the modern era.
Shalini: Yeah! And she’s such a great example because as young as she is, she still has that ‘old soul’ kind of feel to her music and to her identity. She just does what she wants to do, not in an aggressive manner, she’s very nice from what I’ve seen of her, but she’s very strong in who she in and how she wants to portray herself. I admire that so much, and I’m so happy that women are going more towards that direction.
Yes! I feel like even the younger pop stars are starting to do that more too. Yeah, some of them are still opt for the scantily clad outfits. Ariana Grande for example, like, she loves those cute little outfits!
Shalini: And that’s totally her choice! That’s the thing too, like, no one is telling you that you can’t be sexy. If you want to dress all sexy and show off and that’s your choice, so be it, but don’t give into the pressure to do all that kind of stuff. That’s where the transition is happening and women are starting to realize that they don’t have to dress like that, but if they want to then they will.
We’re all supporting each other!
Shalini: Yes! Exactly!
We’ll take over eventually! *both laugh* So we met through working a few Planet LA Records events.
Shalini: Yeah girl!
Whoo! Shout out! *both laugh* How important do you think it is to support local events and venues, other artists, and companies?
Shalini: Oh totally important! I like to do them as much as I can. I do have a day job that takes up a lot of my life, and of course there’s other responsibilities, but the rest of my time is with music and with supporting other artists. If I could go to every one of my friends’ shows I would!
We just need to figure out how to clone ourselves! *laughs*
Shalini: Yes!
We’ll send our clone to go out and do the real work so we can have fun!
Shalini: That would be so amazing! Have you heard of NARIP?
I have! I’ve been to a few of their brunches since I’ve been out here.
Shalini: I just recently hosted an event at my home, and I’m hoping to be able to do more because they’re so fun. Even though we only have 24 hours in a day, I still think it’s important to show support to the local scene because it really is such a tough industry to be in. It’s very competitive, and I think in order to be successful, you do need the support. Even if it’s just someone sharing your song or liking something that you posted or even just coming to the events, we all really appreciate it and I try my best to pass it on.
Yes! Without support where would we be?
Shalini: Exactly!
