The blaring Mumbai sun streams in as I sit in a quiet corner with my laptop. Armed with an adrak (ginger) chai in one hand and Gulabi Mantra playing in the background, I wait for BombayMami, the moniker of genre-blending artist Shanti, to log in.
Sharp at 11 am GMT, she’s on and apologises for keeping her camera off. Sniffing, she says she’s ill and laughs, “I’m worried I look like crap.”
Despite meeting her through a crackling laptop over Zoom, video off, her presence is palpable – warm, even through the screen.
Shanti speaks with the quiet, reflective clarity shaped by her upbringing. Having grown up between Switzerland and India, she recalls cows everywhere in the small Swiss village she calls home, whereas in India, she was surrounded by artists, writers, and musicians. Life as she knew it was a result of the blending of these worlds, and it shaped the artist she would eventually become. “As a child, you just grow up in it," she says. "That’s normal for you.”
Questions of belonging, however, came later. While she felt like she belonged, she was always aware she was different, a sentiment common among many who live at the intersection of cultures, juggling multiple identities at once.
Growing up in the West, her early days were shaped by the R&B and hip-hop scene, and artists like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Missy Elliott, Foxy Brown and Lil’ Kim became inspirations: “I knew I wasn’t Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera. I was more like Jennifer Lopez or Ashanti.” It wasn’t until she moved to London – where she first encountered a South Asian diaspora that reflected parts of her identity back to her – that she realised she didn’t have to choose between cultures.
That gift for amalgamation eventually led to the birth of BombayMami, where her sound combines traditional Indian ragas and talas with global resonance. She says her transition from Ta’Shan to BombayMami has been in the works for some time. She always had the vision but was reluctant to do it simply because people told her to – the project had to feel authentic to her. Her journey began to take shape when she began studying Indian classical music.
As she prepares to release her third album, Ambiguous Desire, the Mercury-winning singer-songwriter is feeling “happier than ever”.
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Her famous picture in a red lehenga skiing down the Swiss Alps perfectly describes her music, which sits at the intersection of rooted sounds and global appeal. But embracing one’s heritage and representing South Asian women on a global stage can also make you a target for criticism – something many women already know all too well. Contemplative, she admits, “I’m learning as I go,” candid about where she is in her journey.
A lot of it is about being real and being seen. Trusting that instinct – the gut feeling she mentions repeatedly – has become one of the philosophies guiding her work. It’s also a survival skill, more so in the music business, where fame is followed by scrutiny and judgment.
She speaks of how it’s imperative to be strong, especially when your art is so personal. Striking that balance between being open and strong is also how she takes care of her mental health. She centres herself by returning to movement when criticism and the unpredictability of the music business become too much – a grounding that helps her steer the highs and lows of creative life with equanimity and ease.
“I feel better the more I push myself. When I stop moving forward, that’s when I get uncomfortable.”
That forward-thinking helped her finish her next album, Peaceful Attitude, conceived and recorded during a challenging time in her life when she walked out of a toxic relationship. This paved the way for a reformed personal life and the music that followed.
“Choosing myself meant learning to say no. Not playing small to make other people feel better.”
The song Fire in Delhi, driven by electrifying beats and a sultry groove, encapsulates it best. It’s more about the aftermath than the heartbreak, about picking yourself up and putting yourself back together. A feeling that resonates with many women reclaiming themselves.
Writing the album was therapeutic for her. “When something happens to you personally, you suddenly see how many women are going through the same thing. And so many can’t let go.” Her voice tightens when she discusses the systemic issues domestic abuse survivors face.
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In India, where the burden still falls on survivors – and institutional support remains limited – even speaking about it can feel revolutionary.
Shanti has raised funds for an organisation supporting domestic abuse survivors in India. “I want to do more. But everyone has to pull their weight where they can.” Using her platform this way feels like an organic extension of her beliefs into her work. And this is just the beginning, she affirms with unmistakable ardour.
Success isn’t always about streaming numbers; it’s about connection. She reflects on her early collaborators and the queer clubs and nightlife spaces that shaped her as an artist, sharing how the community pushed her when she wasn’t sure she could continue, providing both artistic liberty and acceptance.
She recalls that at a recent shoot, many brown women came up to her just to be part of the moment. “That feeling,” she says after a pause, “is everything” – nudging the importance of representation and the hushed but commanding effect it can have.
Her album, she hopes, will leave listeners empowered with a fresh way of perceiving things. “Life isn’t a straight line. There will always be ups and downs.” And, as the name suggests, it’s about learning to let go and approaching life with a shant (peaceful) attitude.
Before we ring off, I ask what message she wants young women to take from her story, and the answer comes immediately: “You don’t have to change who you are to meet anyone’s expectations.”
We log out of Zoom as Mumbai’s chaos continues its restless hum outside my window, and I hit resume on her track Gulabi Mantra – an homage to the legendary Gulabi Gang, the pink (gulabi)-sari-clad sisterhood that rose up against gender-based violence in India. Turning the song into a battle cry that lingers long after the music fades.
BombayMami will release her debut album Peaceful Attitude on 17th April.
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