Prakash M Swamy

LOS ANGELES (TIP): Los Angeles based Indian-American singer Sowparnika Raghuram is all set for the release of her solo debut EP titled “Faces” being released worldwide on April 6 this year. She is the daughter of popular Tamil hero Karan also known as Master Raghu in South Indian movie circles.

“Faces” is an eclectic display of everything that influences me musically. It was written to show and express every side of me through a wide array of music while bringing out my deepest thoughts and emotions into words, “she says.” A lot of these songs are about relationships, but in different situations, timelines and aspects of these relationships. The part that stands out is how these songs can apply to just about anyone in our lives – a friend, significant other, or even a family member.”

Born in Chennai, Sowparnika began writing songs at the age of 15 as an artistic escape from the regularities of teenage life. Soon, her growing interest in songwriting and live performance pushed her to pursue her musical passion and follow her dreams to L.A.  Her songwriting comes from a very vulnerable place as she aims to speak from the heart and write songs that everyone can relate to.

In 2013, she was accepted into the Los Angeles College of Music (LACM) to study under some of the industry’s finest including Dorian Holley, Kasia ‘KC’ Livingston, Tierney Sutton, and many more. Upon receiving an Associate of Arts Degree in 2015, she began performing around L.A. at popular venues such as The Viper Room, House of Blues, etc. and began playing around at street fairs, corporate events, and other musical ventures.

Drawing from her experience of touring locally in India with worship leader Don Moen, she toured as a lead singer with the L.A. rock band ‘The World Over’ in 2017 around America. This helped her improve as a performer and find her love for it. In 2016, to broaden her musical knowledge, she decided to go back to LACM for a bachelor’s degree.

Her voice is often branded as being unique due to her Indian timbre mixed with an American quality. Influenced by a wide array of musical styles and artists, she combines elements to find a sound of her own. She enjoys experimenting with different types of gear to add vocal effects to her sound both live and in the studio. The song order: I’ll Find Me, Seasons Change, Erased, Someday, No Memories and Without You

The song I’LL FIND ME starts off as her doubting her abilities in songwriting but foreshadows a deeper quest as it progresses. The process of discovering her own challenges through the words she writes, through the words she uses to empower herself. It is about the struggles a lot of us face in how harshly we judge ourselves, how we question ourselves unnecessarily and fail to meet our full potential because of it. The journey is reflected in the structure of the song itself as it progresses from a simple folk song into a powerful anthem about finding oneself.

The SEASONS CHANGE is sharing a life with someone we love can be one of the most beautiful experiences in living our lives. But when the relationship ends unexpectedly, finding closure is one of the hardest things as you begin to wonder where it went wrong. This song expresses the pain of losing someone as you try to understand the transition from them being your everything to some random face in a crowd.

ERASED: Being the shortest track on the record, ‘Erased’ stands out for its progressive story line about figuring out that exact moment your relationship fell apart. It’s that instant when you try to wrap your head around the good moments; the moment that you never saw coming, when they tell you it’s over; the moment they leave you for someone else; just that moment you wish you could just numb your heart and erase all the pain.

SOMEDAY is a song that I’m sure most of us can relate to. We often part ways with people in the heat of the moment over things that don’t really matter. When we look back at these moments we often wonder if it was worth losing a friend over it. ‘Someday’ talks about that hope that you can both take it all back, get over it and understand what happened because you care for each other. With an upbeat intro and a loungy vibe, the song brings forth this concept in a light-hearted fashion.

No Memories goes through the process of letting go of the emotions you felt for someone after it’s been a few years. Losing someone is one of the hardest things we go through, whether it be a friend, lover or a family member. With a moody electronic vibe, every beat wishes to leave behind the little things that still sting and remind you of the moments you shared together.

With a very simple concept, ‘Without you’ is a fun, upbeat take on all the toxic relationships we manage to get out of!! It rejoices how much freedom you really get when you cut out the people who just aren’t right for you.