Navya Sharma is a Bombay-based musician who’s all set to take the indie music scene by storm. His indie-folk style and his percussive guitar work give him a distinctive and unmistakeably fresh sound that has kept us hooked. Not to mention his lyrical prowess, a skill he’s honed over years of listening, writing and performing.
See for yourself, with his track “New Routine”, in which Navya’s penchant for rhythm is clear. His excellent lyrical work (“I was just guessing when you left me with this doubt / Holding the stars for you in case you let me out”) has a sort of wistful beauty to it that only adds to the replay value that this track has.
We caught up with Navya earlier this week for a quick conversation about his musical style, influences and upcoming plans!
Top Five Records: We’d love to get to know your story! To begin with, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Navya Sharma: I’m 25, I write songs and I’m currently based out of Bombay.
TFR: Let’s start with a picture of what makes you into the artist you are today: What got you into music, and when did you first start getting into it?
NS: This is a question I love answering. I have this very specific memory of being around ten years old and holding in my hands the vinyl record, Walk Don’t Run by The Ventures from 1964. My dad had this big collection of vinyls and I remember him putting The Ventures on one night when he got home from work. That was the first time I’d heard the tone of a beefy heavy-duty American Fender through some powerful tube amplifiers. Vinyls were these very physical objects too, almost as if you could touch the music. I remember picking up a toy cricket bat and riffing crazy pretend-guitar to the song as my mum looked on laughing. My dad had successfully introduced me to rock ‘n roll.
TFR: We at TFR hear a touch of retro and a bit of Bob Dylan in your tunes! What would you say are your biggest musical influences? Not just other musicians; what’s influenced you as a musician?
NS: That’s a very accurate guess, maybe I ought to work on making it a little less obvious.
I’ve always been keen on the expression aspect of a song; the story it tells. Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Damien Rice would probably be the Holy Trinity for me. John Prine, Mark Knopfler, Tom Waits, Mick Flannery would be some others. I learnt to believe that my contribution to music would strictly be songwriting as a medium for honest expression. How my songs resonate with people is none of my business.
I learnt to believe that my contribution to music would strictly be songwriting as a medium for honest expression.
TFR: We can’t stop listening to your debut single, “Freedom Town”! The upbeat tune and the slightly darker subject matter create an interesting juxtaposition that has us intrigued. Can you tell us more about this track? What’s the story behind it, and what was the songwriting process like for you?
NS: I’m still half-trying to figure out where that song came out of, which is probably why I’m so proud of my work on Freedom Town, haha! I think it’s mostly about feeling a certain disconnect. The three verses talk about three different characters: a young person fighting vanity and feeling like a fake, another guy fantasizing about shooting up a movie theater and Juliet, the cut away lover. All of these characters concur on that mutual feeling of disconnect: how mainstream music on the radio doesn’t make sense to them and how they fail to relate with their friends’ conversations. At the end of the day, they just find themselves restless thinking love can save them. Or something like that, heck if I know.
Oh and shout out to Rounak Chawla for playing the best solo I could have asked for on the track too.
TFR: What’s on the horizon for you? Any new music coming out? Perhaps a debut album soon? Or something else entirely?
NS: An EP soon! I’ve been writing so much we just have to pick the songs that sound minimally shitty and put the record out. We were just testing the waters with this release and now I can’t hardly wait to be honest.
Thanks, Navya! And now, let’s get a few quick answers out of you with our Rapid-Fire Round. Ready?
TFR: What are your Top Five Desert Island Records? (i.e., five albums that you would be fine listening to, without access to any other music, for the rest of your life?)
NS: Golden Heart by Mark Knopfler; Use Your Illusion I & II, Blonde on Blonde by Bob Dylan; O by Damien Rice
TFR: What about recent times? What albums or songs have been on repeat for you lately?
NS: Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent by Lewis Capaldi! Such refreshing honesty in Pop music
TFR: What’s been your favourite gig so far (and why)?
NS: Been a few. I’ve lately enjoyed solo intimate sets a little more than getting the boys and bringing a whole band behind me. (Which is awesome fun too, don’t get me wrong.) Getting a bunch of strangers to enjoy mostly fresh stuff on the first listen is a neat challenge and I love it.
TFR: Your dream collab? (Indian or International)
NS: Can we bring back Janis Joplin from the dead if we’re dreaming anyway?
TFR: Haha, nice one. And an Indian artist you’re really digging right now?
NS: Karshni Nair and Meera Desai.
You can find Navya’s music on Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube and pretty much wherever else you get your music.
Top Five Records 
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