A featuring artist on our powerful Winter solstice 2023 release, Nils Olav's remix of Kailash Kokopelli's 'Tatawari Fire Chant', Sudha is a much-loved member of the global medicine music world.
As a musician and dedicated sannyasin of the Indian mystic Osho, Sudha has spent over twenty years travelling the world, performing in many places and deep diving into the exploration of creativity, humanity and spirituality. Her musical journey has been profoundly shaped through her work with prayer, meditation and plant medicine and now finally back home in Denmark has taken inspiration from her Northern ancestral roots.
We spoke with Sudha to find out a little more from her, in her own words.
What has been the most magical moment in your musical career so far?
A really hard question, as there have been so many magical moments from concerts deep inside mountain caves in Spain to big crowds of meditating people in Japan or really small and intimate gatherings in people’s living rooms. The red thread through it all though, is what I find the most magical - the connection we feel as humans to each other and to a higher consciousness that connects us all when we sing together. That is where the magic is for me. When someone comes to me after a concert or a workshop and tells me how connected to their own heart the singing made them feel. It is a privilege and an honour to be a small part of that process for someone. To me, music really is the most important medicine and every single human is able to feel that magic.
Which musical artists inspired you to become a musician in the earlier years?
There have been a few moments that really stand out to me as a listening experience. As a very young child (and to this day) I was a big fan of Stevie Wonder :-) Then, as a teen, the music of Sting really hit that special spot for me. And my biggest moment of wow when listening to a new album was when I heard Miten’s album Shadow of Light for the first time. There was an extra ingredient of magic in that music which I couldn’t put my finger on for a while. I later realised that it was the devotional quality within the music that penetrated my heart immediately.
How did you first discover and meet Kailash Kokopelli?
I am not exactly sure when - I feel kind of ancient saying it was probably something like 25 years ago. It is likely to have been at either the New Years Festival or the No Mind Festival at Ängsbacka in Sweden. But could also have been at one of our Waves of Love Festivals in Copenhagen. I basically can’t really remember a time of not knowing Kailash, and we have met in many different places in the world and in many different constellations over the last couple of decades. It is always a pleasure to collaborate with him either live at festivals or in the studio.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Gosh, that is a difficult one! Just one song? I know so many amazing musicians and singers, and especially female songwriters and producers, that I love listening to and feel incredibly honoured to know. I would pick one from either Pratibha, Tina Malia, Nalini Blossom, Jai Jagdeesh, Sunniva Brynnel, Tarisha, Deva Premal, Lucinda Drayton or Brenda McMorrow…. But that is as close as I can get to picking a favourite.
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Sudha’s new album, ‘her Nature’, arrives this year which reflects her multitude of experiences on the road, with lyrics in English and Danish, some tribal elements and some Tibetan mantra.
Kailash Kokopelli 'Tatawari Fire Chant' ft Sudha & Pao Pamaki is out now on Nixi Music.