Revisiting the Birth of ’World Music’ and Unpacking its Relevance in 2023 w/ Sheila Chandra
Iconic British-Asian Singer/Author/Coach Sheila Chandra speaks to T.L. Mazumdar
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Amazon Music ''Real World Records are delighted to announce the re-issue of a British Asian World Music pioneer Sheila Chandra’s landmark trilogy of solo voice albums on 16th June. These austerely beautiful records forged a new global vocal vision out of a re-imagining of myriad vocal traditions - and sound just as radical and passionate now, as they did when they were first released, 30 years ago''. - Press Release, Real World Records.
In Sheila Chandra's first reappearance on on Tapasya Loading, we explore the arc behind a piece of musical history timeless in its sound, artistry, and socio-cultural relevance, decades later.
The 2-hour conversation revisits this journey with the older, mature Sheila Chandra, who works today as an artist-coach and author, having left a performing career as "one of the most innovative, provocative singers in any genre" (Billboard Music) due to health constraints.
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Editorial update (July 2026): Since this conversation was recorded, Sheila Chandra has announced a new live album, 'Echo' — likely her final release, out 25 September 2026, with pre-release singles from 29 July.
Pre-order and hear more here.
The interview itself remains unchanged.
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This episode is brought to you by:
www.holisticmusicianacademy.com
Recorded on a Zoom Podtrak P4 kindly sponsored by:
Connect with Sheila:
- Website: https://www.sheilachandra.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sheila_chandra
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesheilachandra
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheila.chandra.1
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sheilachandra0000
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilachandraartistcoach/
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sheila-Chandra/e/B0034Q533Q
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_Chandra
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1291550/bio/
Connect with T.L.
Music and Audio Production: www.everynowheremusic.com
Episode Notes / Text : www.tlwrites.com
Musician/Author/Artist Coach
Sheila Chandra’s original Real World trilogy set a new standard in the treatment of voice
in the studio in the 90s. Band Aid sound engineer (and now long-time producer) Stuart
Bruce, with whom Chandra first worked while putting down the vocals for the Monsoon
album at Sarm East in 1982, and who mix-engineered her Real World trilogy at Real
World studios in the 90s, has masterfully cleaned up and enhanced these recordings for
release under Chandra’s direction, with fitting technical and poetic continuity.
Though a studio perfectionist, Chandra was keen to preserve the integrity of the live recordings.
“My performances were co-created, by my audience and myself,” says Chandra. “It’s a
performer’s presence and heart that an audience come to hear, not technical perfection.
Concerts are one of the few places where another person gives us their undivided,
undistracted and ‘in the moment’ presence, and we, as audience, ‘borrow’ their stilled
mind. It’s one of the vanishingly few spaces in our society where that still happens.
The performances embodied on this album, reflect that truth. They are not perfect. And
sustaining 100% focused concentration when you’re carrying an entire show alone is
impossible. In some cases, I had access to performances of the same song with greater
technical perfection, but less ‘soul’. In every case, I have chosen feeling over precision –
even, in some cases, chosen ‘soul’ over the best available recording quality.
That said, listening to an album is not the same as being at a… Read More
Musician/Educator, Founder: Holistic Musician Academy
Indian-German Producer/Singer-Songwriter T.L. Mazumdar grew up on 3 continents and 4 countries.
Mentored by a series of iconic musicians like Kenny Werner, Kai Eckhardt, Dr John Matthias, and the late Gary Barone, his artistic journey has aptly been described by Rolling Stone magazine as one that ‘...personifies multiculturalism’.
Time Out Mumbai has referred to him as ‘’...amongst a handful of Indian (origin) musicians who don't have to play sitars or tablas''
He has been nominated for German Music awards
Bremer Jazzpreis and Future Sounds Jazz Award, and been called ''...a major talent'' by Jack Douglas (Producer: John Lennon, Miles Davis, etc.). .
