VASU’s second self-produced EP, ‘Parwaaz’, is a product of a few years of her excavating her roots; acknowledging her influences; finding, accepting, and loving her own sound; and preparing to boldly and unabashedly carry it forward. It represents liberation and freedom.
Inspired by her Nani-baari (grandmothers home) in Benaras, her deep cultural roots, love for sound synthesis, ambient electronic textures, and the wondrous and majestic existence of nature, ‘Parwaaz’ has travelled all around the world and come back home for its premiere.
The word “Parwaaz” originates from Urdu and means “flight” or “first flight of a bird”.
Rogue Waves Lyrics
आसमान की लहरें
गरज कर समंदर पर चढ़ें,
एक झपकी में डूब गए हम।
Aasmaan ki leherein
Garaj kar samandar par chaddhe,
Ek jhapki mein doob gaye hum.
The waves of the sky
thunder and roll on the ocean
(But) I've drowned in the blink of an eye.
Parwaaz Lyrics
मिलते, जब मिलते हैं
आँखों में चिराग है,
और उसपे निकाब है
निकले मेरे अरमान है।
Milte, jab milte hain
Aankhon mein chiraag hai,
Aur uspe niqaab hai
nikle mere armaan hai.
When we meet,
There's a spark in our eyes
that's hidden by a veil,
but my desires can't hide.
EP CREDITS
All of the music and lyrics are written, composed, arranged and produced by myself.
All track are Mixed and Mastered by Vipul Angrish at Audio Sol.
Parwaaz: Yuji Nakagawa (Sarangi)
Rogue Waves (8-Bit Culprit’s Dream Rework): 8-Bit Culprit
Artwork:
Commissioned Paintings by Rohan Bhatia
Design and Illustration by Bhavya Kumar
Parwaaz Artwork Process
What I’m Up To Right NOW…
NEW(S)!
As of 2022, I’ve shifted to the evergreen city of Seattle in USA, and have accepted a full-time offer at Amazon where I work as a UX sound designer for the Devices Design Group. My work is exciting, challenging, and evolving. It keeps me on my toes as I navigate living a full-time life and seeking adventures in a new city!
SALONI (MANAM)
Most recently, I had the pleasure and privilege of producing a spoken-word, ambient soundscape called ‘Saloni’ for Rohith Jayaraman & Asha Ramesh’s duo album, Manam (2021).
It holds a very special place in my heart as it talks about issues of gender and colour in our society, and includes field recordings of my home-city, Kolkata, India. It also features powerful vocal performances by members of my family and is beautifully woven, lyrically, by Asha Aunty.
‘Manam’ is now available to stream on all major platforms.
SALONI
सलोनी · Beautiful
Lyrics by Asha Ramesh
जब राम हो सके है नीला, और शिवशंकर हो सके है काला
Jab Ram ho sake hai neela, aur Shivshankar ho sake hai kaala
If Ram is blue, and Shiva is black,
शक्तिशाली कहलाता सांवला आदमी, है वो मर्यादा वाला ll
Shakti shaali kehlaata saanvla aadmi, hai woh mariyaadaa wala
Dusky men are considered powerful and respectable.
लड़की अगर हो साँवली सुन्दर प्यारी बहुत सलोनी
Ladki agar ho saanvli pyaari sundar bahut saloni
But if a beautiful, adorable, sweet young girl has a dark complexion,
उसके रंग रूप को कोस, जिस पर ना था उसका दोष ll
Uske rang roop ko kos, jis par naa thaa uskaa dosh
She is cursed for her looks, over which she has no control.
सूरज की लाली जब छायी सब पर एक समान हर दिन
Suraj ki laali jab chhaayi sab par ek samaan har din
Every day the sun’s rays fall equally on everyone.
धूप के मारे गोरा गोरी हो जाए सब साँवले ll
Dhoop ke maare gora gori ho jaaye sab saanvle
This is what gives a fair person a dusky complexion.
तब तो नहीं सवाल ये उठता सूरज के उन किरणों से
Tab to nahin savaal yeh uthhtha suraj ke un kiraNon se
No one ever asks the sun’s rays,
“क्यों तूने किया त्वचा काला उस प्यारी सी गुड़िया के?”
“Kyun tu ne kiya thvachaa kaala us pyaari si gudiyaa ke?”
“Why did you make this girl so dark?”
गोरी काली गेहुँआ रंग… बस नाम है सुन्दरता का
Gori kaali gehuaan rang… bas naam hai sundarta kaa
Fair, dark, wheatish complexion… these are all just different names for beauty.
मन को रखो निर्मल शुद्ध - त्वचा क्या है? बस एक रंग
Man ko rakkho nirmal shuddh. Thvachaa kya hai? Bas ek rang.
Keep your heart pure and clean. What is complexion? Just a color.
Earlier in 2021. I had the opportunity to compose music and sound design for a film produced by Navsoft, a Software Solutions company. This project was extremely exciting to work on as I was given a chance to define the entire audio aesthetic for this animated video. There being no voice-over meant the audience would heavily depend on the music and sounds to guide them through the visual data.
Check out my latest music release ‘PCH (ft. Roopa Mahadevan) !
This song makes me feel like I'm sitting in a convertible and driving on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) with the fresh & free, breezy, ocean on one side, and the misty hills and cliffs of California on the other.
WATCH the Official Music Video below:
In 2020, I had the opportunity to compose and develop samples, along with the Outlier Studio team, for Output’s new line at ARCADE, ‘Overture’, an Output X Spitfire collaboration.
Previously, I had the opportunity to record some vocal samples for the first ever Sound of the Colour of the Year, with the wonderful folks at Audio UX, NYC.
The samples made their way through custom music, an Official Sample Pack via LANDR, and an AUX-designed Alexa Skill: Sound of the Color of the Year.
Read more about my experience here.
In April 2019, I moved to the chaotic, colourful city of New York, where I’ve been having an exciting time freelancing with studios around the US, working on all things sonic… from sound design to composing, sample development to sonic branding,
Here are a few of the studios I’ve been collaborating with:
One Thousand Birds Studio
Audio Post Engineer, Sound Designer
Outlier Studios
Sound Designer, Sample Developer
iZotope
Contractor
Dogbotic Studio
Sound Designer, Composer
Audio UX
Sound Designer, Composer, Research & Analysis
COMMERCIAL LAND: A few companies whose commercials and branded content I’ve worked on.
(with One Thousand Birds)
Gallery
Projects, Performances, & Press
RAG DOLL (2019) Feature Film
Additional Sound Designer
BERKLEE INDIAN ENSEMBLE (2016) Live Concert at Bengaluru Ganesh Utsava, India
Lead and Choir Vocalist
MONSTERS OF MAN (2020) Feature Film
Dialogue Editor
STRATEGYMAN (2018) Digital Comic Book
Dialogue Editor
BERKLEE INDIAN ENSEMBLE (2016) Live Concert at A.R. Rahman Meets Berklee, Boston Symphony Hall, USA
Lead and Choir Vocalist
HERMAN (2018) Short Film
Sound Designer, Sound Editor, Music Supervisor, Re-Recording Mixer, Dialogue Editor
EBB AND FLOW (2016) Live Concert
Vocalist, Composer, Arranger, Producer
ARTIST BIO
Born and raised in historic Kolkata, India, Vasudhara Gupta aka VASU is a producer, composer, vocalist, and UX sound designer. VASU grew up in a house of eclectic musical taste — French music, rock and roll, jazz, orchestral, classical, and, of course, Indian music.
Her life-long journey with music took her to Boston, where she studied music production, songwriting, composition, and performance at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. As a student, she shared the stage with musical icons like A. R. Rahman and Shreya Ghoshal, self-published an ambient electronic album, and collaborated with musicians from around the world.
A traveller, VASU has spent time in Valencia (Spain), Mumbai, Los Angeles, and New York working as a composer, producer, sample developer, and UX sound designer for projects as diverse as film and TV, audio books, art installations, advertising, and smart devices. After releasing her second album, an introspective Indian-electronic experience called Parwaaz, in 2022 VASU accepted a position at Amazon in Seattle as a UX Sound Designer, joining a core team of 5 producers who create sounds for all Amazon products.
Photo by Anirudh Agarwal
Contact
I love collaborations. Let’s work together!
Please send me a message below!
current crib
Seattle, USA
But don’t worry… I work remotely!