{"id":58903,"date":"2020-01-10T13:05:03","date_gmt":"2020-01-10T13:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=58903"},"modified":"2020-01-10T13:05:03","modified_gmt":"2020-01-10T13:05:03","slug":"anoushka-shankar-shares-new-single-those-words-featuring-shilpa-rao-and-ayanna-witter-johnson-and-announces-new-ep-love-letters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2020\/01\/anoushka-shankar-shares-new-single-those-words-featuring-shilpa-rao-and-ayanna-witter-johnson-and-announces-new-ep-love-letters\/","title":{"rendered":"Anoushka Shankar Shares New Single ‘Those Words’ Featuring Shilpa Rao And Ayanna Witter-Johnson, And Announces New EP ‘Love Letters’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Six-time Grammy\u00ae Award-nominated sitarist, composer and producer Anoushka Shankar announces the release of her new single ‘Those Words’, featuring British composer, singer and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson and renowned Indian singer Shilpa Rao. The track is taken from her upcoming EP, ‘Love Letters’, out on Mercury KX on 7th<\/sup> February.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Deeply evocative in its sound, ‘Those Words’, is based on an original poem written by Anoushka and Ayanna, which then inspired respected director and writer Shirin Anandita to write lyrics to the track in Punjabi. The track was mastered by Egyptian-born\/New York based engineer Heba Kadry (Bj\u00f6rk, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Beach House).<\/p>\n

Speaking of the track, Anoushka says,<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt all started with Jamaican food. Ayanna came over with an open heart, a secret recipe and the seed of a new melody. She played me her cello idea and it felt incredibly instinctive to play my sitar melody over her progressions. Sometime later we wrote a poem together about memories, loss, and nostalgic words. Shirin then took our original poem and turned it into beautiful Punjabi lyrics of her own. Finally, Shilpa shared her beautiful voice with us as she brought those lyrics to life. I\u2019m very attached to this sweet, sensual song and I\u2019m so grateful to each of the women who helped to birth it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Hailed by the Guardian as a \u201cvirtuoso sitar player\u201d, Anoushka truly pushes the boundaries of how the instrument is heard and perceived and \u201cuses it as a vehicle for creativity\u201d (Times). Her new EP, ‘Love Letters’ marks a different direction for the internationally celebrated artist; it offers a shift in intimacy and content, and comes at a pivotal time in her career as she signs to her new record label, Mercury KX.<\/p>\n

‘Love Letters’ documents a time of profound flux for Anoushka: health issues, heartbreak, domestic upheaval \u2013<\/p>\n

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\u201cThese were heavy shocks and challenges, things which pushed me into some very vulnerable places. I\u2019ve written from a personal place before, of course, but there was something particularly tender and raw about the process this time,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A singular figure in the progressive world music scene, Anoushka\u2019s dynamic and spiritual musicality has garnered several prestigious accolades, including six\u00a0Grammy\u00ae Award\u00a0nominations, recognition as the youngest \u2013 and first female \u2013 recipient of a\u00a0British House of Commons Shield, and a Songlines\u00a0Best Artist Award.<\/p>\n

Besides performing as a solo sitarist, Anoushka\u2019s compositional work has led to cross-cultural collaborations with artists such as Sting, M.I.A, Herbie Hancock, Pepe Habichuela, Karsh Kale, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Joshua Bell, demonstrating the versatility of the sitar across all musical genres. Anoushka has also begun to compose for film, scoring the silent 1928 film Shiraz for the British Film Institute among others projects.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the collection of songs on ‘Love Letters’ are about more than heartbreak or loss; they pull from various wellsprings \u2013 nostalgia, regret, pain, hope \u2013 and mark a quiet metamorphosis for the artist.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey\u2019re really about rising through the pain, rather than shutting down.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And rise she has: 2020 will see Anoushka touring her new music, alongside special gala performances to commemorate the centenary of her late, legendary father Ravi Shankar\u2019s birth. Loves may come and go, change may be the only constant, but Anoushka\u2019s purpose as an artist, a campaigner and a survivor remain unshakeable.<\/p>\n

LOVE LETTERS TRACKLISTING<\/p>\n

Track 1 \u2013 Bright Eyes (feat. Alev Lenz)
\nTrack 2 \u2013 Those Words (feat. Shilpa Rao & Ayanna Witter-Johnson)
\nTrack 3 \u2013 Lovable (feat. Ibeyi)
\nTrack 4 \u2013 Space (feat. Alev Lenz)
\nTrack 5 \u2013 Wallet (feat. Alev Lenz)
\nTrack 6 \u2013 In This Mouth (feat. Alev Lenz)<\/p>\n

Listen to ‘Those Words’ here:<\/p>\n