A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to gain exposure to a variety of world music through an artist I was working with, particularly Indian melodies that were, at once, derived from Sanskrit texts but which also had a significant pop element.
This amalgam made the genre accessible to those who had maybe never delved into the uber-popular but somewhat unknown body of work from Indian artists and definitely gave me deeper appreciation for those infectious sounds.
In that same vein comes Dhanya, a Venezuela-born and raised artist who channels her Indian roots in varying degrees into her music. Today, I’m really stoked to share “Lesson” with you. It’s a track that calls back to Dhanya’s roots in subtle, but incredible, ways in slight variations in arrangement that tilts a bit Eastern.
The result is an over-seven-minute song that takes the listener on a colorful, powerful ride across the world and replants him or her back on comfortable soil. This is an ideal place for world-music beginners to start — Dhanya is an excellent tour guide.
“Lesson’s” lyrics are also deeply introspective, reflecting subtle spirituality that’s gorgeous and ultimately meaningful. “This was originally a poem I wrote,” says Dhanya, “reflecting on how life lessons can often seem like a horror movie — being swallowed up by the earth and being pulled underground to be re-worked and healed in the dark. Instead of resist, you accept and learn the lesson or it will chase you relentlessly.”
Check out Dhanya’s “Lesson” in its Popdose Premiere below, and watch for her self-titled debut out February 1!
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