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© Kate McMahon
From feeling out of place to embracing culture—Nikhita shares how art, music, and self-expression shape her evolving British-Asian identity.
I’m Nikhita, a South Indian Artist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Being a second-generation British Asian, my identity feels ever-evolving as I understand my culture in more and more depth, incorporating and adapting traditional practices into my everyday life and creativity on my own terms.
In my younger years, I definitely felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb, running from the car to our house after a function, so the neighbours wouldn’t see me in my langa (a traditional Indian dress), and now I just want to give that little me a hug. As I grew up, I definitely learnt to appreciate the sheer beauty of cultural expression whilst distancing myself from the oppressive narratives that can come with tradition.
My art is an outlet for me to express my dual identity in many ways, such as the words that I write, the way I express myself through fashion, and the sounds in my music. Recently I have been learning about sound healing and have incorporated these tones into my music which you will hear in my upcoming debut EP Solace.
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© Craig R McIntosh
I feel as though creativity roots from deep within me. It has always been an outlet for me to process life’s beauty and challenges since the moment I could write and use my voice and is a part of my soul that I cherish most. I just think there is something so special about being able to turn your perception of the world into art. Art that can heal, prompt introspection, provide consolation, community, and inspiration - art's transformative effects are endless and we have great power as artists.
As the cards life deals me change, so do the messages conveyed in my creativity. My upcoming EP was written when I was in a place where I wasn’t putting myself first, and you can feel that. However, the message I want to convey with this project isn’t a negative one - rather it’s that we grow through experience, and through lessons learnt. I want this project to be a wake-up call to people who aren’t putting their self-worth at the forefront of the decisions they make and the people they surround themselves with.
I used to use writing as my therapy (and still do sometimes), but since entering a love-abundant relationship, I have been able to write from a lighter perspective, which has been very refreshing. As we grow and change, so does our creative perspective.
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© Craig R McIntosh
My latest single Lake Karachay is named after the world’s most toxic lake in Russia. When I wrote the track I was in a period of reflection. I had been surrounding myself with toxic people, and giving them so much of my energy which was never reciprocated. Creating emotional attachments and carrying the burdens of people who won’t hold yours in return is incredibly exhausting and I felt weighed down.
One day, I went down a Google hole and read about the story of Lake Karachay, instantly relating to the situation. The burdens I chose to bear, of the people who didn’t care for me, were the toxic waste dumped into the lake. Of course, a nuclear lake sounds very intriguing, but is absolutely not something you want to get close to, which is how I felt when certain people in my past didn’t want to deepen their connection with me.
Since then I have learned that those connections are the ones I should have cut earlier, before getting to the point where I related strongly to a nuclear lake, but we live and learn!
Art is subjective, and that is something I always try to remind myself. The music industry is swimming with toxic opinions which can attempt to degrade the value of art when the truth is, those people just don’t resonate and that is okay! Instead, I make sure to appreciate those spaces of community and love that music creates, and when negative opinions play on my mind, I take a step back and remind myself that I create for no one but me.
Outside of the music industry, I have also become a very good judge over who deserves my time and energy, through lots of learned experiences, noted through the tracks on Solace.
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© Kate McMahon
I find inspiration in so many avenues such as people, experiences, nature and stories both factual and fictional. Keeping that open mind, and not putting pressure on the outcome of my work, is what helps me create sustainably.
My aspirations for my creative journey are to keep developing my sound and writing as I grow and build a community of listeners who deeply and truly resonate with my message.
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