Nicki Wells – aka TURYA – made her first entry on NEW LEASE MUSIC with debut single, Rain, which was named Song of the Month by the blog in June. The accompanied video was named Music Video of the Week for two consecutive weeks (check out the chart show on Instagram). With growing interest surrounding the South Londoner, it’s only fair to invite her to the interview hot seat.
NLM: Hey how you doing? Thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC.
T: Thanks for having me.
NLM: First of all, can you tell us the meaning of your stage name Turya?
T: It’s interesting because I was searching for names for ages. I had a list of about 150 names and words and I wanted to have a name that meant something profound to me. I found Turya spontaneously. It is originally a Sanskrit word: ‘Tooriya’. There are several meanings of it, the most commonly known being the Fourth state of consciousness after dreaming, dreamless and waking. But what resonated with me, is that it also means the Silence one experiences after Sound.
I loved the idea of that and wanted the word to manifest my artistic persona in the sense that, after hearing a Turya song, one could be left in a moment of silence…
NLM: Your latest single Rain was the most popular track on NEW LEASE MUSIC in June. What’s the public’s perception of the single beyond the blog?
T: Wow that’s cool, I didn’t know that. Thank you. Well, we’ve had a great response considering it’s the first single I’ve ever released as a solo artist, (as Turya), even though I have done many things as Nicki Wells. So it’s daunting but exciting at the same time. ‘Rain’ has also already been used in a Ridley Scott produced film ‘India in a Day’ which is cool.
NLM: How would you describe your sound?
T: It’s definitely a singer/songwriter approach with folk, soul, cinematic and Indian classical influences.
NLM: Where do you get your inspiration from to create such unique sounds?
T: It’s all a culmination of what I listen to and absorb subconsciously.
NLM: If you were to collaborate with ONE mainstream artist, who would it be and why?
T : Um mainstream, ok… Maybe Ed Sheeran, why not? He writes catchy songs and seems like a down-to-earth kinda guy.
NLM: If you had three wishes to change the music industry today, what would they be?
T : That’s a hard question because it DOES in fact change so quickly. I would probably say I wish it wasn’t so utterly full and saturated. In a way it’s a good thing because there is so much music available for our consumption but now it’s almost become too much because every Tom, Dick or Harry can write, record and upload an album in his bedroom so it can be overwhelming because everyone and their dog wants to do it and be a Taylor Swift or an Ed Sheeran. Lol!
Number 2, to have more support and exposure for upcoming unsigned songwriters and artists and number 3, to have more government funding for young musicians and youth projects to create music.
NLM: So what plans do you have for 2017? Any upcoming gigs or album in the pipeline?
T: I’ve got (drumrolls please) my first gig as Turya on the 25th July at the Union Chapel with Common and Kind, which a fantastic cause about how music creates a sense of unity and integration in these trying times: (Grenfell tower, London Bridge and Manchester incidents). So it’s essentially about artists and musicians coming together to spread good energy and a sense of hope. So I’m happy to be a featured artist in that. And I will eventually do some of my own gigs around London.
NLM: How can potential fans get in touch with you?
T: Facebook: Twitter, Instagram, Spotify
NLM: Finally, if music didn’t exist, what would you do?
T: I would try to make it exist by banging two rocks together to form a sound and then do a repetitive rhythm and then gather my fellow villagers and say: “Guys! Check this out! Now you do it with two rocks and let’s try to do it together!”
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