Priya Ragu
Photography by Jenny Brough. Interview by Heather Hawke.
Tamil-Swiss vocalist and songwriter Priya Ragu was born and raised in Switzerland following her parents escape from the Sri Lankan civil war in the early eighties. They initially arrived in Germany before later settling in St.Gallen, Switzerland, where Priya and her eldest brother (Japhna Gold) were raised. Her father worked for the post office and her mother was a pharmacist’s assistant. Their upbringing was scattered with weekly family gatherings when relatives would gather to eat fried spicy chicken and informally perform music on everything from “a plastic laundry basket to spoons and forks.” Even from a very young age, Priya would dance along and notice when the adults were out of tune, unconsciously registering it for later life. At the age of ten, Priya’s father persuaded her to join a band (where he played tabla and her brother was on keys) that he had formed to raise money for back home. Though she was the reluctant lead singer, and the traditional Eelam music was too high for Priya, it was then that her love for singing was sparked.
As she grew older and her musical ambitions began to take root, the Swiss and Sri Lankan cultures began to clash. Priya’s parents were strict and she was encouraged to not listen to Western music or hang out at the mall after school. She has said that it increasingly became a struggle for her to connect with her culture; some of the reasons being she couldn’t sing as high as the playback singers in the Kollywood films (similar to Bollywood, but originating from Tamil Nadu in South India) and when she looked at the Western pop charts there was no-one that looked like her. The Fugees Killing Me Softly felt like a revelation to her, so did vocals of Lauryn Hill and Brandy. As she was aware her parents would disapprove of her listening to Western music, Priya would sing along quietly in her bedroom for hours each day. Her musical tastes later extended to James Taylor, Nina Simone, India.Arie, MusiqSoulchild, DonnyHathaway, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and The Beatles. Though through it all the sound of Kollywood fascinated both Priya and Japhna, mostly it was the films of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, including Padayappa (1999), whose soundtrack was produced by A. R. Rahman. The Chennai composer and producer’s contributions to films such as 1995’s Bombay and Kadhal Desam (1996) were also highly influential on the pair.
She timidly performed Alicia Keys’ Fallin’ to her brother at the age of sixteen and he insisted she perform at a show he was doing with his rap group later that week. Her live debut, however, was cut short when her father discovered her plans after reading her diary and forbode Priya from attending. Feeling silenced, it made her ambitions even more covert and she decided unless she achieved true success, she wouldn’t tell her parents about the music she made.
After finishing school, she begun working at an airport, a place she had thought so glamorous as a kid, as well as snuck out to jam sessions and open mic nights, singing backup for local Swiss artists. It was during this time, though she was loving performing alongside people, she was fighting internally with herself, struggling to push away an increasingly desperate desire to write and sing and perform her own music. She was also wrestling with her own insecurities and the wishes of her mother and father, who were eager for Priya to get married. Eventually, something snapped, and she decided to put everything into music. She quit her job and headed to America for six months to focus on songwriting. Her friend, the rapper Oddisee offered Priya his Brooklyn studio and she left for the US in 2017. Sending song ideas back and forth via WhatsApp and Skype to her brother, Japhna, the duo created a number of tracks over the six months she was in New York, and the work continued when she returned to Zurich, where Priya now resides.
Priya makes all of her music with her brother, Japhna Gold: a musician himself long before she started, he now handles the production while she mainly controls the lyrics. The music is drenched in the sounds of their heritage, from stunning Kollywood samples and Krishna mantras to traditional tabla and the Tamil language itself. It’s an essential snapshot of Sri Lankan and South Indian sounds; from the street dances of Kuthu to religious chants typically heard at temple, to the influence of musicians such as Ilyaraja, Deva and A.R. Rahman, yet all the while it manages to be solidly in the present. She says her songs are all about confounding expectations, “I wanted to challenge the stereotypes of Sri Lankan people essentially being limited to cooks, cleaners or shop workers. People who are looked down upon. People who are rarely envied or desired. I’m proud of who I am, and my music celebrates that.”
She started writing songs about breaking out of the boundaries of expectation, and the reactions were instantaneous. After signing a deal with Warner Records during the 2020 lockdown, she released her official debut single “GoodLove 2.0” last October. It’s accompanying vibrant video was shot in Goa in early 2020 and was cast by Priya herself after combing through Instagram and finding a director in Mumbai, a stylist in Delhi and a lead role also in Delhi. Her second single, “Chicken Lemon Rice” was released this past February and “Forgot About” followed in May. Priya is also featured on “Goodbye My Love,” a song on Jungle’s forthcoming third album Loving In Stereo, out in August.
Priya has said that her success with her musical career has allowed for her relationship with her parents to blossom, they’re in particular proud of her ability at merging the two worlds so brilliantly and beautifully. “My parents didn’t have the luxury of ambition. It was about surviving and providing for the kids. We owe them a lot. They’ve been through a lot,” reflects Priya. They speak more freely about their past, with her father recently admitting he had previously been a singer in Jaffna; who occasionally played to a big crowd of people. “I’m so proud of my heritage, my parents, my people,” Priya extols. “I want to create amazing music. I want to leave behind meaningful songs and a real cultural impact. I want to make South Asian people proud.”
Be on the lookout for a collection of new music from Priya later this year.
Priya’s web/socials: Website – Soundcloud – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter
So, things are pretty unsettling in the world due to the pandemic, civil rights issues, government upheaval, climate change, the list goes on… Before we begin, how are you doing with everything? How has this last year been for you and how are you feeling? How have you been coping with everything?
I am trying to stay sane during times like these and do whatever is in my power to help & support where I can. I am truly thankful for all the doors that have opened in 2020 – the fact that I was able to sign a record deal in the presence of my parents was my proudest moment.
Going back to the beginning. What was your childhood like growing up in Switzerland?
The most challenging aspect of growing up between two cultures was wanting to meet everyone’s expectations. It was definitely not an easy ride, and the only thing that kept me on the right path was the voice inside of me. Back in the day my parents used to play Tamil music at home, in between there was some Bob Marley and Stevie, but mostly it was Tamil songs by Ilayaraja and Deva. When it comes to music, my Tamil heritage has influenced me the most.
Tell me about your musical upbringing. What music did you grow up listening to?
At a young age, I was drawn to R&B and soul, with my earliest inspirations including Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill and Brandy. But I also draw from the music of my childhood: A.R. Rahman and Tamil movie soundtracks.
Let’s talk about your formative years. I read that you used to sneak out to jam sessions and open mic nights, before deciding to fully pursue them by moving to America with the help of your friend, Oddisee. Describe your path to becoming involved with music. What’s your very first earliest musical memory? When was the first time you felt super inspired by music?
I just took a break from everything and went away for 6 months. I gave myself 6 months’ time to write 10 songs. In the first few months I did everything but writing songs. I guess I needed to experience things first in order to write about it. My brother Japhna lived in Oerlikon, Switzerland at that time, and we sent over files/ideas/voice memos back and forth and this is how we made most of the songs from the upcoming record.
Although music was always a part of my life, it took me a long time to realize that I wanted to give it a try and see how far I could take it. I had a safe job, and my family and friends were doing well in life – I was living a very comfortable life for so long until I asked myself: shouldn’t there be more to life than working every day on the same excel file? Aren’t we all born to create?
How long was the writing/recording process of “Good Love 2.0,” “Chicken Lemon Rice” and “Forgot About”?
It really varies. “Good Love 2.0” took us years to get right! Obviously, there was “Good Love 1.0” before, but we almost changed the whole song now. For “Chicken Lemon Rice,” Japhna sent me the beat and I right away had a song idea. Japhna and I wrote the song together within a few days. I wrote the song “Forgot About” in one day. Played the chords and sent the beat Idea to Japhna and he took it from there.
Do you find it helpful to be intentional when it comes to writing the lyrics / music? Like “I’m going to sit down and work on a song.” Or is it more ephemeral, like you’ve been kicking something around in your head for days, weeks, months, and then suddenly it comes spilling out? Or is it a mixture of both?
I think for me it works the best when I know I have the whole day time to just create. It’s even better when I am going through something and I have to process it internally. It is all very therapeutic.
What was your favorite part about the writing / album creation process?
My favorite part is being able to create with my brother Japhna! Being able to hit the studio every day and create not only music, but also dope memories. We speak the same musical language and yet we bring our own unique style into the art we create. We know each other’s strengths & weaknesses, meaning we don’t have to prove ourselves.
How much energy do you put into the visuals (music videos, press images, artwork) that accompany your music? Do you feel like the art that accompanies one’s music is more / less important than it used to be?
Whatever I do, be it musically or visually I try to include my origin wherever I can. Whenever I mix both of my worlds, it always brings something very special to the table. It’s hella fun to be able to express my creativity in that way.
Does traveling influence you as an artist? Are you inspired by the places you go, or do you think your work would sound about the same no matter where you created it?
As long as I am giving myself this creative space & time, it doesn’t really matter where I am.
Have you had any mentors along the way?
Inspiration-wise… It’s my brother. Because he was always believing in himself and music was always first, and everything else was secondary. It was because he stayed on this path that I jumped on it as well. Otherwise, I would have stayed in my safe job.
