Hyderabad-based songwriter, musician and artist, Sravya Kothalanka, who now goes by her stage name Lady SKAvya, has presented a never seen before avatar. The songstress is known for her strong vocals as music-loving Hyderabadis have seen per perform on stage several times for her band Adavi. This time though, her music has undergone a transition which one can clearly witness in two of her latest numbers - Last Night and New Revolution.
“I have been writing music for as long as I can remember and performing for five years now. However, when I went to Goa this November, I discovered my love for reggae,” says Sravya who returned to Hyderabad just before the lockdown started in March after a short stint in Goa. She’s been working on her music with single-minded focus since then. She tells us along with finding a new sense of music, she also chanced upon her name from the mother genre SKA, which is a precursor to rock and reggae and often combines Caribbean mento and calypso with jazz. That’s where her new stage name Lady SKAvya comes from.
Early this year, she also performed in one of India’s largest reggae festival, Goa Sunsplash. After that, she was discovered by the Spain-based record label, Universal Echo. They got in touch via direct messages on Instagram which led to the track, New Revolution. The lyrics of this song reflects the Rastafarian culture and the ideas of conscious living which is her area of interest. “I don’t really resonate with the new normal. I never felt that the hustle-bustle of the urban places is where I belong, I rather run back to the beaches and mountains,” she says.
On the other hand, Last Night, is all about a personal story of growth. “This song is about how I have managed to calm down after rebellious adolescence,” says the singer who worked with New York City-based artiste Abhi Sajjala for this track. Sravya adds that an EP is in the works, and she is working on it. But for the moment, she plans to release more singles in the coming months.
Last Night and New Revolution is now streaming on Spotify.