After achieving critical acclaim in India with her unique blend of Hindi folk and jazz, she’s shedding previous conceptions of her art and embracing moody pop ballads and glittering electronics. For the five songs that comprise “Define Me”, Subhi enlisted a talented cast of producers to build out her heartfelt compositions, infusing them with a late night dance floor energy and widescreen synth flourishes that are sure to have you in your feelings.
Check out the titular song below:
“With this EP release, I feel liberated,” Subhi said. “Being an Indian-American, I have always had this inner conflict of where I belong. For years, I resisted releasing my English songs. This past year I realized that I need to be true to who I am and let the world see me. This EP tells the story of my evolution as an artist and an individual – I finally woke up, got out of my own way, endured rejections and in this process defined who I am.”
After immigrating to the US from India at the age of 16, Subhi found herself working on Wall Street. Unfulfilled and adrift, an internship with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mira Nair helped her to realize her true passion was to make music, a desire that had been slowly burning since growing up in New Delhi and listening to her grandfather recite his favorite poems every evening. Early on she discovered that her delivery and cadence lent itself to the rhythms of jazz, and teamed up with local musicians in Chicago to make her debut album, “Shaitaan Dil (Naughty Heart),” which was co-presented by The Jazz Institute of Chicago.
Though her blend of storytelling and intricate jazz compositions brought her plenty of accolades, and a growing fan base back in India, her latest foray sees her diving headfirst into the sounds of contemporary American pop. Across her new EP, she investigates her identity as an Indian American, flexing her years of songwriting to make her most moving work yet.
Be sure to check out more of Subhi on Facebook, Instagram and her website.
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