KOHOOTOTIORMM

Words by Abby Fritz

Los Angeles based lo-fi pop artist Josephine Shetty, dikenal salaku kohionixorgasgas, dileupaskeun "Lemes" amid a covid-19 halaman wortel ieu. The song has been a long time in the making and is a prophetic exclamation of how burnout can impede the working class. Dripping with soft vocal tones and minimalist techno beats, the single resonates deeply amid the past months' chaos and pain.

26-year-old Shetty's strong sense of personal ethics shines through this track's production and gives a candid look into how they have been personally impacted by wage labor as a grassroots artist.

Blanc Magazine spoke to Kohinoorgasm about the communal creativity present in the underground music scene, how COVID has impacted their creative expression, and how they remain faithful to their calling through their art, community organization, and education.

Iraha anjeun ngamimitian ngadamel musik?

"Kuring ngarasa kawas kuring parantos ngadamel musik kuring sadayana. Kuring sok ngagaduhan pangirut pikeun musik, khususna pikeun nyanyi. Éta leres pisan pikeun kuring salaku budak sareng kusabab kuring murag kana kagiatan kreatif di sakola sareng garéja kuring. Tapi éta sok dipasihan hobi, hal anu anjeun tiasa laksanakeun, Tapi kuring henteu pernah ngarasa sapertos kuring ngartos tempatna di dinya salaku karir atanapi jalan hirup. Éta henteu dugi ka kuring di kuliah nalika kuring ngalih ka Berkeley, sareng bay anu ngagaduhan adia anu kuat. Éta mangrupikeun waktos anu leres di tempat anu leres pikeun kuring di Berkeley di 2012 ngalangkungan 2017. Abdi badé nunjukkeun, ngalakukeun hal anu kuring resep laksanakeun; Ngalaksanakeun sareng seni sareng jero taneuh. Sareng kuring pisan kagum kanggo ningali kumaha jalma anu penting, anu ngagaduhan setrési musik sapertos kitu. Aya jalma di jero taneuh anu dilatih klasik sareng aya ogé jalma di jero taneuh anu leres-leres diajar. Hal ieu bener-bener nyanghareupan kuring ngarasa kawas pangirut abdi kanggo musik sanés jinis pola pola impifa dimana anjeun ngarasa pangirut anjeun pikeun batur sanés. Abdi hoyong ngahargaan anu ngudag deui, Janten kuring ngamimitian ngahasilkeun. Kuring bener-bener mendakan gaya kuring nalika kuring langkung kakeunaan jinis produksi musik éléktronik di jerona. Abdi resep, 'Oké, nuhun, Ieu kumaha kuring bakal ngalakukeun éta,'Sareng leres-leres diklik."

Kumaha anjeun ngahasilkeun musik anjeun?

"Abdi reueus ngahasilkeun sadayana musik kuring, éta henteu nyarios yén mawa kolaborasi sareng produser nyaéta hal anu goréng. Kuring pasti ngarepkeun gaduh kapasitas sareng kompeténsi pikeun mawa langkung seueur jalma. Tapi kuring mimiti ku cara kusabab kuring ogé berjuang sareng kerentanan kuring sorangan dina tulisan lagu, sareng kuring bener-bener teu tiasa ngabenerkeun hal ieu pikeun musisi sanés. Kuring ogé ngagaduhan visi anu kuat ti mimiti, Abdi hoyong ngontrol musik. Saatos kuring ngahasilkeun albeum munggaran kuring anu sacara lengkep tiasa dihasilkeun sareng dirékam dina Garageand, Kuring nunjukkeun ka sababaraha babaturan, Kuring dipasang sababaraha lagu dina SoundCloud, sareng ngagaduhan seueur eupan balik anu saé. Tapi kuring bajoang sareng "Duh, ieu patut nempatkeun? Éta patut sagala usaha éta?" Tapi teras dina waktos anu sareng, Dina sumanget jero taneuh, Abdi resep sapertos kitu. Naha henteu, Anjeun terang? Éta ogé perkawis gaduh otonom pikeun ngalaman hal di luar stresment stres komersil. Kuring pindah ti garageband ka logika, teras kuring resep pisan logika, Ayeuna kuring nganggo Pro Pro. Janten éta leres-leres sapertos épolusi."

Kumaha adegan anjeun dampak anjeun salaku seniman?

"Abdi komitmen ka jero taneuh sareng kuring sering heran kumaha ngucapkeunana kusabab éta mangrupikeun hal anu penting penting pikeun prakték kuring. Éta pilihan étika, pilihan komunal, pilihan kreatif, sareng ogé perwakilan jujur ​​kuring sareng saha kuring dina prakték seni kuring. Kuring ngarasa kawas aya bedana ieu, khususna ayeuna kuring rékayasa, Kuring resep sapertos kuring ngawangun sasak pikeun kuring diantara bumi jero taneuh sareng langkung utami. Kuring mikir pisan ngeunaan sabaraha seniman anu kapaksa kana binér ieu anjeun boh komersil anu suksés, dibayar, Artis atanapi anu anjeun diurus jero taneuh, Seniman diy. Jero taneuh mangrupikeun modél naon anu kuring bakal resep dunya musik pikeun katingali, sabab ngalibatkeun babaturan sareng anggota komunitas silih, nyieun rohangan anu mugia aman sakumaha aman, anu dihartikeun istilah urang. Kabagjaan aya dina istilah urang, kasalametan mangrupikeun istilah urang, Artiker mangrupikeun istilah urang, sareng kuli di istilah urang. Jero taneuh pikeun kuring mangrupikeun cita-cita ka modél koléktif, enak, Bipup, utoompia. Tapi dina waktos anu sareng, Di jero taneuh janten janten barang anu henteu utopia, kawas abusers, rasis, klialis, sareng jalma anu posing sapertos aranjeunna diaktipkeun. Tapi kuring terang terang di jero taneuh. Éta mangrupikeun rumput budaya musik sareng toprooth biasana dimana yayasan parobahan anu diwangun."

"Éta bagian gedé naha kuring kuring ngahemat union a musisi sareng pagawé alas, ku kituna urang tiasa ngabentuk tempat anu terang. Urang tiasa ngarobih industri sareng alamat masalah ieu anu henteu ngan ukur mangaruhan Musisi sareng pagawéan musik tapi mangaruhan sadaya pagawé di sakuliah dunya. Penting pikeun kuring yén urang sadayana gaduh kakuatan pikeun ngartikeun kreativitas urang sorangan sareng kabagjaan sareng kaayaan kuli. Kuring pikir yén jero taneuh mangrupikeun rohangan dimana urang angkat sareng anu."

Naha anjeun milih Kohulloorgasmn salaku nami panggung anjeun?

"KOHOOQOTIORTYM leres-leres. Kombinasi kecap Kohoanoror sareng orgasme. Kuring ngagaduhan waktos keras milih nami panggung nalika kuring mimitina dileupaskeun musik kuring. Dina waktos éta, Abdi henteu nyangka éta mangrupikeun hal anu bakal lengket sareng kuring salami, Tapi éta kabuktian janten nami anu saé sabab janten anu dipilampah sareng éta unik. Éta ogé jenis senang anu kuring ngadamel kecap khusus kuring sorangan. Abdi hoyong hal anu ditanggung sajarah India Decolonial, Tapi anu ogé hartosna leres-leres ngabudigle sareng quer sababaraha tropes budaya."

Naon anu anjeun milarian pikeun pamiarsa anjeun ngalangkungan musik?

"Nalika kuring di SMA, Abdi badé ngaunes sareng kuring super kana musik éléktronik sareng kuring masih. Abdi gaduh hormat pisan pikeun genres na, khususna ayeuna kuring diajar aranjeunna anu palatih ku musisi hideung. Kitu, when I was making music for the first time, I knew I wanted to make something that was really honest to who I am, peaceful and reflective but can also be fun and danceable. One thing I wasn't seeing in a lot of dance music was lyrics that had potent political messages. The dance floor, the club, and the disco have been really political spaces throughout history. I wanted to honor that by bringing my own kind of organizing, political background, and personal background into dance music that also synchronizes with my anti-capitalist and anarchist messages."

How has your music served you throughout your journey as a musician?

"It's really cathartic to make music, it reminds me of how people talk about art therapy. I feel like when I sit down, so much of my music practice is not just putting out music for Kohinoorgasm. A lot of the time I'm just trying to relax and get some thoughts out. Sometimes I'll sing in a diary style about my day, or about how I'm feeling. I'll even hum melodies that are reflective of the emotions or the moods that I'm going through. And it's a really cathartic practice."

"But there's so many things that making music has brought me. I've gotten to tour and meet a lot of great people. I feel grateful and privileged to have been able to tour the underground whenever I've toured outside of the West Coast. It's such a cool thing to see how the underground is operating in other cities and see the parallels to see some of the structural and aesthetic differences between cities."

You have chosen to incorporate Hindi into many of your songs. What prompted this decision?

"I grew up listening to a lot of Hindi pop music and I couldn't really relate to the lyrical content. I love the lyrical aesthetic of a lot of Hindi pop music, it's super poetic and romantic. But when I thought about translating my musical taste into my own practice, I wanted to create something that was really personal to me. I felt like welding all of my interests ended up turning into me reclaiming some Hindi pop aesthetics by creating a lush, Hindi, pensive, ambient. femme style."

Is performing a big part of your relationship to music? If so, how has COVID-19 changed your ability to perform?

"I think a lot of performers have a complicated relationship to performing. I do love performing, leuwih tiheula, but I also feel like it is exhausting. There was one year that I spent almost the whole year on the road. It was the most traveling I've ever done in my life, but it's exhausting and it's hard to maintain stability. I ended up having to give up my housing to go on tour. It's destabilizing to go on tour as a grassroots artist and low-income artist. But I do love performing and I miss it a lot for sure."

"But I'm also really enjoying this moment, it's been nice to have a break from performing a little bit to just focus more on writing, because ultimately, I want to perform new songs and that means I need to sit down and write. It's interesting to perform on zoom and to perform virtually. Kuring henteu bentang ka sadayana sareng kuring ngarepkeun cara anu kuring resep ngahubungkeun sedeng. Kuring parantos ningali sababaraha urang ngalakukeun hal-hal anu cangpaat sareng éta ngan ukur pikaresepeun pikeun ningali kumaha cara master tiasa kéngingkeun kreatif nalika kaayaan anyar dialungkeun di aranjeunna."

"Lemes" dileupaskeun di telat meureun, Salila waktos tidur. Ieu bagian tina naon anu dibébaskeun kreasi lagu? Upami henteu, naon?

"Kuring saleresna nyerat lagu sababaraha taun ka pengker sareng parantos calik dina waktos anu lami. Waktu pelepasan ieu kabeneran. Éta ngan ukur anu kuring parantos ngaronjatkeun pisan. Éta tanggepan kana kumaha sirik, exploitasi, sareng depresi hujan. Kuring mikir yén lagu éta dileupaskeun dina waktos kararét. Naon hartosna yén sadaya ngadadak urang damel ti bumi? Kuring terang seueur aktivis cacad cacad anu bakal diperjuangkan taun-taun sareng ayeuna kusabab jalma anu tiasa angkat sareng damel, Éta gampang sareng damel jauh. Seueur pikiran anu parantos sumping di sabudeureun damel, Buruh upah, Sareng pamaréntah henteu ngadukung kelas damel."

Kumaha prosés kreatif anjeun parantos dampak ku quarmine sareng amarah koléktif sapanjang nagara?

"Éta parantos diurvigorasikeun"

"Pamaréntah urang hoyong urang pikeun ngarengsekeun usaha sapertos biasa, Sanaos aya hubungan anu leres, kalah kolektif anu leres, sareng ogé sapuan anu berhormat. Ieu mangaruhan kuring salaku pagawé musik kusabab kumaha kuring ngan ukur bakal nyerat musik, nyieun musik, Bade ka sakola pikeun musik, sareng ngajarkeun musik nalika sagala ieu kajantenan? Tapi kuring nyarios yén mana anu aya union. Éta penting pisan upami anjeun badé ngalakukeun nanaon, Anjeun ogé kedah ngayakeun dina alam sanés."

Naon sababaraha harepan anjeun gaduh pikeun masa depan musik anjeun?

"Kuring bakal salawasna ngadamel musik. Abdi ngarepkeun kuring ngan ukur tetep ngalakukeun éta, bahkan upami henteu dileupaskeun. Kuring miharep yén urang sadayana tiasa hirup di dunya dimana urang mekar sareng henteu kedah hariwang ngeunaan kasalametan salami sakumaha anu urang laksanakeun. Éta kaayaan anu pamaréntah kami nempatkeun kami, Tapi kuring mikir yén nalika langkung seueur jalma nyiptakeun seni, Éta mangrupikeun tanda jalma anu langkung saé."