Deva Premal’s composition, the Seven Chakra Gayatri Mantra, debuts on DEVA, nearly 20 years since her original, ground-breaking version of the ancient Gayatri Mantra began appearing on playlists and topping alternative music charts world-wide.
DEVA is a calling – beyond the chattering mind, the heaviness of the heart and the numerous distractions of life, into a place of refuge and conscious relaxation.
Alternately soothing, uplifting, and inviting, Deva’s voice ushers us into deeper states of meditation, serving as a portal to inner-peace. The album is book-ended by versions of the “Seven Chakra Gayatri Mantra”, creating an experience of a mystical journey well-travelled and coming full circle.
Tracks range from alluring chants with life-partner Miten, to soaring bansuri lines by Nepalese maestro Manose, embedded inside a musical landscape created by producer Joby Baker‘s sensual groove based instrumentation – including the prayerful “Prabhujee”, written by Pundit Ravi Shankar and featuring his daughter, Anoushka Shankar, on sitar.
Always nurturing, this musical journey inspires everything from deep meditation to healing sleep to gentle dance movements, ma- king the album tracks suitable for diverse playlists.
From the time she was in her mother’s womb, Deva’s father chanted the Gayatri mantra to Deva each night, as a lullaby, and the mantra has since played a metaphysical role in Deva’s life. After hearing this mantra in the mid-1990s, for the first time since her childhood, Deva spontaneously overcame shyness about her voice and stepped out from the shadows, transitioning from a backup singer for Miten’s devotional songs, to the lead singer for Deva Premal & Miten.
With this new album, the Gayatri mantra once again ushers Deva into the light, this time as composer as well as a solo artist.
Not only is the Gayatri mantra on this album an original melody that Deva has written, but the entire album is all about Deva – an eclectic collection reflecting the many dimensions of Deva Premal’s soul and musical expression, from the beginning of her spiritual journey through today.
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