Norma is inspired by Indian mantras

American singer-songwriter Norma never misses an invitation to perform in India, particularly Bengaluru. The city, she says, has a certain vibrancy and life like none other.

Norma moved to Bali from the US when she was barely 25. Her latest album called ‘Bali and back again’ captures the many facets of that place.

It’s not just music, writing poetry, doodling and holding workshops keeps this young lass on her feet. In the city recently to perform with world fusion ensemble featuring Jagadeesh MR, Joshua Lance and Rohit PS at the Phoenix MarketCity, Norma talks to Metrolife about her journey so far.

Is this your first performance in Bengaluru?

No, I’ve been here before. I love this place because there’s so much greenery and there’s also a history of preserving nature. While people here are friendly, warm and open, those in the other parts of the country are more focussed on one tradition. There’s a community feeling here.

Could you tell us about your latest album?

My latest work is called, ‘Bali and back again’. It’s a bunch of songs that I wrote when I visited Bali and moved back. It’s a personal narration, in terms of finding yourself and it’s a journey that people go through in their 20s (sometimes older). It’s about falling in love with yourself.

What do you like writing about?

I write a lot about love. Expat life is another favourite. Feeling at home in a place that you are not from is a unique experience. And I think that also translates to Bengaluru because you have so many expats living here, either for work or just visiting. In that sense, Bengaluru is a global city.

You write poetry too…

Poetry is about expressing yourself with words. I sing jazz, draw cartoons and run workshops. In terms of the written word, it’s about communicating and more than just the logic of the words, it’s the feeling that they bring and how that resonates within us.

Is it a challenge to make original music all the time?

It’s not a challenge for me because the trick is to keep yourself inspired. I do that through yoga, meditation and my mantra practise. I also draw inspiration from the different modalities of art. I don’t not limit myself to one avenue but keep experiencing what there around me. This keeps my palette fresh.

Where did you learn Indian mantras from?

A friend of mine is a yoga teacher and I picked it up from her. Different mantras have different intensions behind them but the actual words of the mantra create a vibration within you. When you sing, you are changing the vibration of your body because you are actually making a sound. This changes the vibration of our consciousness.

Nina C George