Okay, y’all, let us tell you we love it when we get the opportunity to introduce you to artists like Sandrayati. She is such an amazing talent and is truly well-rounded. She writes so, so well, her visions for her tracks are very original and creative, and her vocals are truly some of our favorites. We’d be lying if we said she wasn’t good at everything she does, which is why we love getting new music from her.
Before we got the release of her debut album, we got a hint of what to expect with the track, ‘Vast.’ Which, by the way, has become one of our favorite songs lately. The song, as described by Sandrayati, is from the POV of Earth; it also talks about the four stages of the menstrual cycle. It’s a really cool concept to do a song about, and she did it perfectly. But don’t even get us started on the album itself. It was a perfect debut album that shows off her vocals so well. And guess what? We were able to talk to the singer about not only ‘Vast,’ but the album, what we can expect from her in the future, as well as celebrating a birthday on tour. So, now introducing…Sandrayati!
Hi Sandrayati, welcome to The Honey Pop; we’d be lying if we said we aren’t really big fans, and we are really excited to have you here, especially with your debut album almost here and your first headline show on the way! How are you feeling? What are you most excited about?
Thank you! I’m feeling ready! I’ve been holding onto these songs for what feels like a really long time. I’m excited to set them free! And to help them grow in the ways that they long for… I’m hoping they will show me what that is and how I can help them
We honestly really want to talk about your performance at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. That’s such a cool thing for anyone to do. Can you walk us through what you felt when you got the news?
I come from a background of activists specifically to do with environmental issues and indigenous rights, so these kinds of events (especially the grassroots movements around them) are places I feel really called to be part of..
Okay let’s talk about your latest single ‘Vast,’ which is about the four stages of a women’s menstrual cycle. What do you think you learned about yourself when going through your menstrual cycle? What is one thing people should know about people who menstruate?
The song itself I had written from the perspective of the earth, a kind of love song to a human. I was exploring how intimate our connection can be with nature. A direct life line that symbolises this connection is the menstrual cycle as it mirrors the cycles of the moon and the seasons. What a gift to carry this in the body! So for the video we decided to tell this story in a personal way, also in a way that is not about re-production, but about being and embodying something powerful that is usually overseen or disregarded.
Im still learning about myself in relation to the cycle thats constantly alive inside.. it’s shocking to me how little I know! I consider myself someone who is studying this in depth, and still I’m going deeper the more I learn. But the main thing I have learned is how important it is to allow myself to experience what is happening in my body, to change my pace, to open to what I need in the moment… this helps my creative process.
I think something that people should know is what we are all connected to this cycle no matter our gender. It is from this cycle that we were born. There is still so much to learn here, it is part of our roots, and our future.
We think your and Ólafur Arnalds’s voices mix so well! How did that collab come about?
I was actually a fan! And I always had this feeling that our voices would weave well. Ólafur and I met in Indonesia and became friends quite fast. We have a great dynamic, and working together happened very naturally.
We like the minimalist look the music video has, but it fits so well with the track. Was this the initial idea/look for the music video?
Our director, Álfheiður Marta’s first vision was to tell the story of creation and our connection to nature by working with someone who is pregnant. It was personal to her as she was in her early stages of pregnancy when we asked her to write a treatment. I loved this idea. But when we thought about having me feature in the video I felt disconnected from that because its something I have never experienced.. so we shifted focus to something that I experience every day which is the menstrual cycle.
It’s the first music video I have ever shot in Iceland, my new home, and this was important to me as well, especially having Ólafur feature on this song.
We got to hear your album, and it’s too good; we have to say ‘Petals To The Fear’ is our favorite. Your vocals are so good, and we love how you fluctuate your singing at the end of each line. Can you tell us a little bit about what that track means to you?
I wrote this song on a new years day after a really rough night. It sucks to have a rough ´start to the year,´ so I wrote this little mantra song. It feels like a prayer to myself.
What track from the album took you the longest to put together?
Smoke was a world of a song to create. My first ever song with an orchestra in it! It was such a wild process to have never met any of the players. The orchestra was recorded in Budapest as a part of a score a friend had traveled there for. They did the song in 10 mins as an extra little part of their work day.. I find it so beautiful how I can feel the hearts of many strangers connect to the heart of my message.. very symbolic to what the song is about, actually.
You have your first headline show coming up, as well as a tour with Nick Mulvey. We are super excited to hear how your voice carries in St Pancras Old Church, we know it’s going to sound beautiful, how stoked are you for it, and what are you most looking forward to when going on tour?
Thanks for coming! I am very much looking forward to the SPOC show. It will truly be a family feeling with Hafstein Þrainsson, Karl Pesta and Ólafur joining me, all of whom are on the record and dear dear friends.
I also have a birthday while I’m on the road. I love birthdays as touch points to reflect on how much has happened in the past year, and this year it’s been so much!
What songs have you added to the setlist 👀?
Every song on the album will be played!
Finally, what can we expect from Sandrayati for the remainder of 2023?
I will be having a headline tour with my friend JFDR through the EU and the UK in the fall. So excited about this! And lots of explorations and collaborations happening soon as well.. I gotta be a mama to the songbabies that are being birthed this month! So looking forward to nurturing that as well.
Isn’t she just the coolest? We really can’t wait to see what else she does next. You can check out Safe Ground here.
What did you think of Sandrayati’s debut album Safe Ground? Have you became a new fan? Let us know in the comments down below, on Twitter @thehoneypop, and talk to us on Facebook and Instagram!
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