Her Tempo

Manasi is a writer, filmmaker, and musician who is keen on exploring issues of education, technology and community mental health. She has also been active in the beatboxing and slam poetry communities of India. Off-the-clock, she can be found cycling, daydreaming, or daydreaming about cycling.

Hailed second by Vogue in the top 12 Indian indie acts of 2020, Pragnya Wakhlu is an award-winning musician, composer and activist based out of New Delhi, India. She been an active part of the independent music industry for the last 12 years with three released studio albums and five singles to her credit. Pragnya is one of the first Indian Independent musicians and very few Indians to be elected to be a prestiguous member of the Grammy Recording Academy this year .

Her travelling audio-visual show with her band 'The Kahwa Speaks Ensemble' has been successful in highlighting the positives of Kashmiri culture and changing the negative media narrative cross India, U.SA and Hong Kong.

In this episode, Pragnya talks about her unique approach to social advocacy and leveraging the power of music to promote positive change.

Check out "Lessons in Love" by Pragnya Wakhlu, now out on all streaming platforms: https://linktr.ee/pragnyawakhlu

Embodying the iconic track "Why I Sing the Blues" sung by Etta James, Pratika talks about finding the drive to become a better artist and exploring musical styles beyond her comfort zone. She stresses on the need to be genuine while releasing original music and overcoming the desire for instant gratification to truly grow as a musician.

Check out the latest track by Easy Wanderlings, "Makin' My Move" here: https://linktr.ee/EasyWanderlings

Check out Pratika's collaborative track with Michael Starita, "Changing" here: https://open.spotify.com/album/1vuqSOwJnBlOjtR5zmfVBJ 

A fearless vocalist, metalhead and rapper, Pratika is a force to be reckoned with - embodying the track "Wrath of My Madness" by the iconic Queen Latifah. She puts up no pretenses and is currently in the process of building a powerful community of female rappers (read: Wontribe, WildWildWomen). 

We had a delightful conversation about social media perceptions and the evolution of the indie music industry.  

Check out  WildWildWomen's latest banger, "I do it for Hip Hop" here: https://lnk.to/IDoItForHipHop

Check out Pratika's latest single produced by her brother, PrabhuNeigh here: https://lnk.to/Survival-Single

If you’ve not yet had a review of your music or performance, you will. And while a good one can make your day, a bad one can ruin it or even put you off music altogether. This shouldn’t happen though if you’re mentally and practically prepared for it. Manasi talks about dealing with feedback as an independent musician and how you can manifest it to bring out the best in your own musicality. Check out the complete episode on Her Tempo.

Vasundhara talks about female identifying professionals, performers and fans breaking barriers despite the industry's various prejudices. Resilience is key to reducing the devaluation of female involvement in music scenes, and the good news is it's getting better every day. Check out the complete episode on Her Tempo.

Every now and then, there comes a revolution in the music scene of the decade. In India, however, things operate a little differently. Our country’s music scene has majorly been monopolized by Bollywood but at the same time, we can’t deny that it once housed a rich indie culture with several promising Indian independent artists and bands. Kalyaani stresses on giving these artists their due recognition and escaping the rat race to focus on the things you really care about. Check out the complete episode on Her Tempo.

The role of women in the music industry has become an increasingly present topic as women from all walks of life and within all sectors continue to flourish in this male-saturated business, although there’s still a way to go.

Vrnda talks about her experience with the Revisit Project and why it's so important for female musicians to receive support from their own bands and fellow artists.

In 2015, the music blog "Crack" tweeted a doctored image of the poster for the Reading and Leeds festival, erasing all acts that didn’t include a female performer. Only 10 groups remained. This started a conversation about gender inequality at music festivals – an issue that, despite the outcry, persists in 2021. Amrapali talks about how it’s high time we proactively start to nurture female talent. We need to see a rise in all-female lineups at music festivals; this is a necessary phase to help redress the balance. 

The world loves to stereotype. but when it comes to artists exploring their musicality, their is no other option but to be authentic. What comes to mind when someone says "Rap is really shallow" and "Pop is just for teen girls"? While most people would not say these phrases or even consciously believe in these stereotypes, they often unconsciously perpetuate them when they remain close-minded about their own and others’ music preferences. Aarya talks about how the existence of these stereotypes stifles the diversity within music and limits its unique ability to convey messages to the public. Check out the complete episode on Her Tempo.