What is your name?
Ans: I go by the artist name Prianca RA. The RA is an extension of my first name, deriving from the Sanskrit word Priyankara, to reflect my dual British-Indian identity.
What is your genre of music?
Ans: I’m all over the place! I love pushing boundaries and experimenting. However my main genre is R&B.
Give us a little bio about you.
Ans: I’m a 25-year old singer/songwriter based in the Midlands, UK. I started writing my own songs after experiencing a mental health crisis at university. I went through a period of chronic depression, anxiety and PTSD. Writing down about my struggles helped me come to terms with what I was feeling at the time and I began to unravel what I was feeling in my head. PTSD felt like being on a spacecraft transported to outer space and I wrote SPACECRAFT BURNOUT in one evening… the lyrics just flew onto the page and I felt like I understood what post traumatic stress disorder really felt like to me.
What made you go into music?
Ans: I decided on focusing on my own music with the hope that someone else could resonate with the PTSD metaphor and other topics I discuss in my songs surrounding mental health. It’s so important to normalise mental health struggles and know that they can be hidden behind a smile. A smile is not a bandage – it hides but it doesn’t heal. If I open discussions on topics that aren’t necessarily talked about enough, it would really help.
Who are your influences?
Ans: In terms of musical influences, I really like a range of artists including Lana Del Rey, XXXTENACION, Juice WRLD, Halsey, Bombay Bicycle Club, Tame Impala and Radiohead.
Are you signed?
Ans: Nope, I’m fully independent! 🙂
You released your new single ‘Buried Myself Alive’, tell us more about the single and the meaning behind the song.
Ans: I wrote ‘Buried Myself Alive’ in 2021. I was at my lowest point in 2019, and the song is about how I felt when I felt helpless and vulnerable. I felt broken inside and I couldn’t seem to process what I was going through. I thought about ending it all as I just couldn’t see a way out. After harbouring past trauma for so long I let it out and knew I needed help otherwise I wasn’t going to make it through. Talking to my family, listening to music and getting professional help saved my life. This song is about my lowest point, I talk about not wanting to fight all the trauma in my mind. I want to highlight that having suicidal thoughts doesn’t make you weak. It is important to raise awareness, it’s something people can go through at any point. I want to emphasise that there’s always help out there, someone who wants to listen, support and help you.
Describe the track in two words.
Ans: Emotional catharsis
What was the writing and recording process like?
Ans: very hard because I was unintentionally put back in that lowest point in my life when I sang about it. However when I put my all into bringing the emotions to the surface, my soul and voice became one and the sound of my voice in the song really is like a cry for help – this is ultimately what I wanted to put across.
Who did you work with on the single?
Ans: I found a talented music producer on YouTube who produced the dark piano music you hear in the song. I recorded the song in my bedroom and my engineer, NebelStudios, mixed and mastered it.
Will we see a music video for ‘Buried Myself Alive’ and if so what can we expect from the creative process?
Ans: I really hope to visualise the song so yes a music video is on the cards. The creative process will follow some sort of chronology so viewers can see at the start sometimes people struggle to get out of bed in the morning, and do repetitive tasks like taking medication, making coffee in the morning. Then it can spiral into being so emotionally exhausted it’s just a marathon to be able to get out of bed, and you think like what’s the point of this? I want to show this in the video because it’s a visualiser for how I was – and how many people feel – before finding the courage to attend therapy and/ or counselling.
Will we see an EP or Album and if so, what can we expect from it?
Ans: not right now, I’m still focusing on singles but I have a vision for an album in mind when I’m more established. It will be a catalogue of songs from my time in FIRELAND, the place I was in when I spiralled out of control and the destruction caused felt like fire where one little flame (or reminder from my past) could lead to a conflagration.
What else can we expect early 2023?
Ans: in the first quarter of 2023 I plan to release 1 single and feature on a song.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Ans: I always try and take each day as it comes and plan month by month. 5 years seems like a long way away! It’s got me thinking though – I’d love to release an album, perform live, maybe support artists on tour and gain more experience performing my songs. I’d also like to collaborate with mental health charities/ support groups and maybe do fundraising events/ fundraising concerts. I think if I’m talked about, if I inspire others to also create music about their own experience with mental health, if I help listeners come to terms with what they’re going, I would be very fulfilled in 5 years. Right now I’m aware that I’m just starting out and there’s a long journey ahead of me and I want to take it at my own pace.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Ans: work hard quietly and let your success be the noise.
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Ans: I love hearing new artists live and I always remember the way I feel when I hear new music. The first initial thoughts are really random but personal to me like ‘oh this song reminds me about the time when I was 7 years old swimming with dolphins in Mexico…’ I can’t forget the artist’s face – like I look at their expressions and how that influences their stage presence. I can’t forget the energy about the audience around me, I love seeing people vibe and sing along. I can’t forget how the artist interacts with the audience; as much as I love set pieces I love it when artists ask for song requests and do spontaneous stuff. Lastly, as a vocalist I tend to listen to the quality of the vocals. I recently attended a Motown tribute band on New Years Eve and the performer had a belter for a voice which echoed through the hall, it was magical and I think now, post-pandemic, people are going to remember the magic of concerts a lot more!
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Absolutely. Anyone is welcome to follow and message me and I’d be sure to respond back!
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
