'People are receptive to my music'

Metrolife speaks to young New Yorker, Terra Naomi about her career and other interests

The young New Yorker, who rose to fame through a performance of her song Say It's Possible on the video sharing site YouTube is on a tour of India. She stopped briefly at the Levi’s Square in the City on her way to Delhi where she will perform before heading off to Srinagar for the last leg of her tour. “After playing at different venues in the country, I am amazed at how warm, friendly and receptive people are to my music,” she says enthusiastically. Giving shoppers and browsers a very pleasant surprise, she played and sang some of her songs including the hit that made her famous Say It’s Possible.  A singer/songwriter, who plays the piano and guitar and has a background in opera and classical music, Terra says that handling a relationship and a demanding music career together is too hard, “Something will suffer! I am now single and living in Los Angeles with a lovely pomeranian dog named Elliot.”

Her music is inspired by everything she sees around her on a daily basis. One of her favourite bands is Radiohead and old time musicians like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, and Lou Reed. “It's hard for me to relate to current music though I think The Second Band, a Swedish group is pretty cool,” she says. Her raw lyrics and her rich husky voice sound different from the Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus of this generation yet she has inspired millions of fans around the world through her online music, won the YouTube award, appeared on famous talk shows and performed live in front of 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium.

What does she do when she is not  immersed in her music? “I have this incredible group of friends I value deeply and love to hang out with. It's really cool to have friends. I like to cook, play with my dog and go for long walks on the beach. I love travelling and experiencing different places. I’m big into Indian food right now. I don't really party much. In fact, I sleep early, wake up at six and walk on the beach. I like to read a lot,” she says and signs off promising to come back to India soon for another tour.