Sunny Side Down Tour’24: Prelude to Anoushka Maskey’s highly anticipated album

From the very first chord, Anoushka Maskey’s tunes and heartfelt verses tap into an abundance of feeling that ricochets all that has shaped her lifetime. It’s also not solely about the music as it is about the journey. The Sikkim-born artiste’s songs serve as guideposts on the path of study, each note a stepping stone towards greater understanding.

As you listen, you can’t help but be drawn into her world where you are free to feel vulnerable. The Sunny Side Down Tour’24 marks a substantial milestone in Anoushka’s orbit, building upon the success of her pan-India tour last winter. This time, the musician will take the stage with her first full live band setup, adding a new dimension to her performances.

The band comprises Sudan (stage name) on bass, Shivang Kapadia on drums, Saransh Shukla on guitar, and Nathan Thampy on keyboards. Anoushka has been refining her existing discography and preparing songs from her upcoming album with fresh arrangements that span assorted sonic topography, including genres like jazz-pop, bossa nova, indie rock, and dream pop. A show in Hyderabad as part of the tour will feature an opening act personally curated by the artiste from her roster of favourite artistes across the country.

“My fondest recollections of embracing music trace back to my brother. He frequently filled our home with booming tunes from the speakers or the strumming of his guitar, accompanied by his singing — like the nostalgic 90s and early 2000s home videos capturing kids enthusiastically performing for their families — except, in my case, there was no coercion involved.

Unfortunately, my brother spent much of his time away at boarding school, leaving us with only brief, sporadic opportunities, maybe once or twice a year, to jam together,” she tells us about how it all began. Anoushka’s musical sensibility is deeply ingrained in her creative process, guiding her to explore and express herself through sound.

“I maintain a strong sense of trust in my musical intuition. I’ve made meaningful and resonant music, both for others and myself, by allowing myself to be guided by the emotions and impulses that arise within me. I believe that by striking a balance between trusting my instincts and remaining receptive to the input of collaborators, I can continue to grow and become a musician.”

Her early influences, Bob Dylan and Tom Waits, undoubtedly left an imprint on her pathway, yet it’s intriguing how their folk balladry didn’t initially inspire her to venture into that style. The genesis of her new album, Most of the Days, written in a mere 10 minutes, reflects a climactic juncture when the weight of financial and emotional burdens became overwhelming, threatening to overshadow her.

“It’s fascinating how, almost involuntarily, I found myself pulled to a folk ballad, perhaps as a natural response to the depth of my experiences. The songwriting hints at a potential shift in my creative direction — one that welcomes the raw honesty and uninhibited storytelling characteristic of folk music. It is a curious path to ponder whether I will continue to gravitate towards this style of writing and composition in the coming year,” she adds.

Tickets at `500. May 19, 8 pm onwards. At EXT by The Moonshine Project, Film Nagar.

chokita@newindianexpress.com @PaulChokita