For Radhika Das, kirtan is more than just music. It is about coming together, singing and sharing a moment with others. His first live album — The Heart Album — brings together 17 tracks recorded at gatherings across the world, from temples and small gatherings to performances with thousands of people. The album captures the energy of live chanting and the connection between the singer and the audience. We speak to Radhika about making the album, his favourite performances and why kirtan continues to bring people together.
This is your first live album. Why did now feel like the right time to release one?
Over the years, we’ve accumulated recordings from some incredibly special gatherings around the world and I realised they were telling a story together. These weren’t just recordings of songs; they captured communities, cities and moments in my journey with kirtan. The Heart Album brings together 17 tracks and almost seven hours of live chanting. At a time when music is becoming shorter, there was something beautiful about doing the opposite: releasing something expansive and unhurried, where people can really lose themselves in the experience.
Why was The Heart Album chosen as the title for the album?
Ultimately, kirtan is music of the heart. It isn’t about having the perfect voice or understanding every Sanskrit word. It’s about sincerity and allowing the heart to sing. The recordings come from London, New York, Mumbai, Vrindavan and elsewhere. The geography, venues and people change, but the heart behind the chanting remains the same.
The album was recorded at different places around the world. Which performance or memory from the album is closest to your heart and why?
That’s incredibly difficult because each recording takes me somewhere different. The Hare Krishna with Jahnavi Harrison at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire is particularly special. London is home and hearing thousands of voices chanting together was quite emotional. The recording from Shri Radha Gokulananda Temple in Vrindavan carries a completely different intimacy and sacredness. Mumbai has its own energy too. Hearing a huge Indian audience singing the Maha Mantra back to us was unforgettable. That’s the beauty of the album: one mantra can travel across the world and take on the heart of each place it enters.
You’ve performed in places like London, Vrindavan and Mumbai. Did you notice any difference in how people connected with the kirtans in different countries?
The cultural relationship can be very different, but the emotional response is remarkably similar. In India, there is often an immediate familiarity, as people may have grown up hearing these names from their parents or grandparents. Elsewhere, someone might be hearing a Sanskrit mantra for the first time, so there can initially be more curiosity. But twenty minutes later, everyone is singing together. You don’t need to speak the same language to speak from the heart.
Many people are discovering kirtan through yoga and social media. Why do you think it is connecting with so many people today?
I think we’re more connected than ever technologically, yet many people are hungry for genuine spiritual and human connection. Kirtan is almost an antidote to that isolation. You put your phone away, sing with other people towards God and become completely present. Social media has ironically become a wonderful doorway into that experience. Someone can discover a 30-second clip online and eventually find themselves in a room with a thousand people singing together. Ancient practice, modern doorway.
Live performances often have unexpected moments. Was there a special moment during these recordings that made it into the album?
There are so many and that’s precisely why I wanted the album to remain genuinely live. Sometimes the audience suddenly takes over the chant and you realise there’s no need for me to lead anymore. Thousands of people are singing so loudly that the microphone almost becomes unnecessary. Those are my favourite moments because the distinction between performer and audience disappears. Nobody owns the music anymore. The room does.
Now that the album is out, what do you hope it will mean to people and what’s next for you?
I hope The Heart Album becomes something people live with rather than simply listen to. Something they return to while travelling, cooking, reflecting, practising yoga or when life just feels a little noisy. There are more live shows, retreats and opportunities to share kirtan ahead. The recordings are wonderful, but ultimately they are an invitation to experience devotion together. The Heart Album captures where we’ve been. I’m very excited about where the chanting takes us next.
The Heart Album is streaming on all audio platforms.
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