Q&A: Priya
Priya is a Scottish South Asian R&B singer and songwriter based in Glasgow who started off writing/featuring for others and is now ready to break new ground in the UK R&B scene thanks to her distinctive fusion of cultural influences and devotion to her profession.
Her latest release ‘411’ seamlessly mixes elements of vintage R&B with current sounds, and the lyrics explore her toxic habit of believing everyone who hurts her will eventually come crawling back. Find out more below about the single, 2024 plans, and her favourite albums.
Your latest release '411' is based on real-life experiences of your own, can you tell us how the track came together?
‘411’ came so effortless to me, it almost came out like a freestyle. I always start with lyrics and I think it was so easy to write because I had held in emotions that were literally pouring out as soon as I got inspired to write, it’s all my own experiences which is so important to me when creating music.
Later on we made the instrumental and everything just sort of came together at once.
Which Scottish acts are you enjoying listening to at the moment?
So many talented artists coming out of Glasgow just now, my favourites, to name a few… Becky Sikasa, Kyi Synclair and Theo Bleak. So excited for what these artists do next, all so different and killing it within their genres.
And who do you think could become the next big thing in Scotland/the UK/internationally?
I would honestly say just do you. I feel like In this industry so many people are telling you who you are and what you should or shouldn’t be doing. Sounds so cliché but the minute I started following my own instincts and sticking to my gut I naturally became the artist I’ve always wanted to be.
Do you have any advice for upcoming artists in Scotland, what would you tell your younger self to help her?
I’d tell my younger self that sometimes you actually do know what’s best for you.
Tell us your three desert island albums.
My three desert albums are:
DAMN - Kendrick Lamar
No Rain No Flowers - Sabrina Claudio
Undiscovered - James Morrison
If you could collaborate with anyone on future music, who would it be?
My dream collaboration is definitely Destin Conrad, I feel like we’d make an absolute r&b masterpiece, something about his vocals is soooo addictive.
And finally, what can we expect to see from Priya throughout the rest of 2024?
I just wanna focus on releasing music I love. As long as I’m staying true to myself I’m happy. Oh, and playing a few shows might be on the cards too.
Follow Priya here.
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