Let The Music Speak- A Chat with Singer, Songwriter & Composer, Nicki Wells

Meet musician Nicki Wells (aka TURYA). The internationally acclaimed vocalist holds a first class degree in music from Guilford’s ACM, is capable of astonishing fluency across Western classical, pop, and Indian Classical styles of music and has performed everywhere from major international music festivals to prestigious venues such as London’s Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House. Her haunting and poignant voice has also led to collaborations with global artists like Anoushka Shankar, Joss Stone and Nitin Sawhney. We heard her magnificent rendition of Symphony collaborating with the band ‘Kefaya’ and we were hooked.

 In a conversation with Terrene, Nicki tells us about her journey and her love for music.

Tell me about where you grew up and how you spent your early years.

I was born in London but spent the early years of my childhood in Italy and then in India where I lived in Dharamshala, a city in Himachal Pradesh, for a few years. 

 Describe your path to what you’re doing now.

 My career is rather multifaceted, I write my own songs under the name TURYA, (inspired by the Sanskrit word ’Tooriya’ - the fourth state after waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep but it also means ’the silence one experiences after sound’). Then as Nicki Wells, I compose music for contemporary dance, film and theatre and sing for artists like Nitin Sawhney and Anoushka Shankar. I guess the path to what I’m doing now was always creating. I also have a pottery business called TURYA pots where I create handmade pottery: www.turyapots.com

When did the idea of becoming a singer feel like something you could achieve? Was there an “Aha!” moment

I remember when I was twelve years old, my Dad asked my sisters and I around the dinner table that big question, “What would you like to be when you’re older?" I remember having the distinct feeling that I wanted to be a singer, no matter what. My mind was made up by then. I had already started writing songs by the time I was 11. It was all I wanted to do.

And how did you end up getting signed as a musician?  What was your first official singing assignment?

I am signed to Reservoir Media Publishing, an incredible publishing company. They are very supportive of me. Nitin Sawhney, who managed my career for some time, helped in the process of getting me that deal. My first major show in a prestigious venue was probably the show Confluence with Nitin Sawhney & contemporary dancer Akram Khan at Sadler’s Wells Theater when I was around 21. 

How was your first experience singing for a formal audience? 

Although it wasn’t my first formal audience, I think the first time I played at the Royal Albert Hall was quite an incredible experience. It is such an iconic venue and it was an incredible feeling to be singing centre stage in that hall. 

 I want to ask if you have a routine or do you make time to practice your craft everyday? What I’m getting at is that creative work does take discipline and hard work. How do you approach improving your art constantly?

The thing with music is that it is an infinite mountain. The learning never ends and so the practice routine naturally changes according to what one needs to learn at the time. Everyday I try to do some vocal warm-ups, some writing, some composition on the piano or guitar and programming on Logic (music production). I normally have around 5 different ideas of music a day and I record them as voice memos on my phone. I am currently in the process of going over years of ideas and deciding which ones have potential to develop and which ones don’t. It's quite overwhelming to catch up with creativity; with how much there is to do and improve on. It leaves me in awe of music everyday.

Has there been a point when you’ve decided to take a big risk to move forward?

In my career, it was probably when I changed management and adopted a new team. And, when I left my comfort zone of stability to pursue my own solo career. 

Are you there any singers or other artists that have inspired you?

Many artists have inspired me. A lot of musicians I have worked with too, like Nitin Sawhney’s work ethic - the man doesn’t sleep! LOL. Then there is choral composer Eric Whitacre, who made an arrangement of my song Ocean, his approach to music has inspired me. And quite recently I had the privilege of meeting Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, who is such a mountain of knowledge and dignity. I stayed for some time in his school in Kolkata, Shrutinandan, which is a fantastic institution and very inspiring. The whole Chakraborty family, particularly his daughter the incredible singer, Kaushiki, are so dignified and heart opening as people. They are very inspiring people to me.

What music are you listening to right now?

I have phases of listening to a specific genre at a time. For a long time it was Indian Classical music, Qawwali and Ghazal. After that it was troubadour songwriters like Joni Mitchel, Nick Drake, John Martyn and Jeff Buckley. I also love listening to a lot of instrumental music and film soundtracks. Again music is an infinite mountain, you can never be bored. 

You’re still in the infancy of your career. What are your ambitions for the future?

I’d love to just to keep creating, doing more and more of what I already do. I don’t have superfluous ambitions of glamour or fame but just hope that my creations resonate with people out there somehow and that they touch their hearts. I also hope to meet like-minded people on the way who thrive on the creative process.

If you could go back in time is there anything you would do differently?

No, I have no regrets. Everything I have done is a stepping-stone to where I am now. 

 There is a struggle for many who wish to pursue creative work. They don’t know how to start or don’t believe it’s realistic. What advice would you give to a creative just starting out? How do you think they can create a life for themselves pursuing their passion?

I would say just dive in and do it. Take the plunge! Of course to make a living out of creativity is a hard thing until one is truly established. There are platforms like ‘Patreon’ that aim to support creatives by having fans make monthly donations to help the creator do what they do. I am actually about to launch my own page on that platform because it welcomes a community of people who really appreciate what you do as an artist.

Words by Srishti Jindal