During a time when women are raising their voices more actively than ever, there is a distinct, collective warmth that settles over you when you’re soaking in a work of art created by women. I don’t know quite how to explain it, but it’s a feeling I think every woman has experienced at least once in her life. Be it because of a movie, an art exhibition, or an anthology, it’s just this immediate sense of familiarity and sisterhood that engulfs you from within when you witness it. That exact feeling hit me all over again while listening to a new compilation album featuring independent women artists.
Following up on a remarkable debut, Nyima Records (under Femme Music) has returned with Nyima Vol. 2, an 11-track compilation album that, to me, felt like a room full of women sitting together, each taking turns to share a personal story, a lingering worry, or a gentle reflection. That deliberate, intimate feel is no accident as the careful curation behind the record is evident in the selection process. As Femme Music co-founder and artist Sanoli Chowdhury shares, “It was quite overwhelming to receive so many applications and we sat through every single one of them. We narrowed it to 30, then 15, and finally had an album with 11 songs.”
Artist in focus: ivy sood
Now to begin with, Back and Forth by ivy sood, Wholly Mine by Nandini Jiva, and In Life by Sangeeta Mardur brought a gorgeous blend of soulfulness and smoky depth. This is where lovers of jazz, soul, and blues will find a lot to feed their appetite with. It carried that classic “red lipstick, beautiful black gown, and a tint of mystery” aura, no matter who the protagonist might be.
Then there are the songs that captured a purely organic sweetness. The Tamil song Theera Kadal by Shruthy Parthasarathy and worn hats by Disha are both pleasant melodically. The former, with its Carnatic touch, felt like the first dewdrop you notice on a leaf in the morning that instantly makes you happy, while the latter felt like a stroll through a beautiful garden — a little light on its feet, anchored by a lovely melodic backbone. On a slightly different note, the clever fluctuation between fast-paced backbeat percussion and sudden slow stops in Flushed by Mirael Lia made for a distinct melodic treat.
Next come the songs where an understated simplicity deserves special mention. While sometimes it’s the guitar work accentuating the mood, sometimes it’s the lyrical straightforwardness, and other times simply the natural, unhurried way the track progresses. For me, the songs that filled this comforting space are Room will exist by Zui, Broken Soul by Soumya Jha (feat. Chayan Adhikari & Aksh), with you by blue (feat. Kabyo), and the Hindi number Uljha Jia by Priyanka Shinde.
Artist in focus: Chaitra Kalakrishnan
A vital highlight of the compilation is Earth Story by Chaitra Kalakrishnan. For a brief moment, it actually reminded me of Michael Jackson’s Earth Song, considering the similarities in the themes involved. It is a satirical and important piece of music, pertinent to the world right now with a voice focusing on climate change. Brownie points to the artist for stepping up to highlight such a crucial topic.
Overall, what stands out about Nyima Vol. 2 is that although the songs meander gracefully one after the other, it never feels disjointed. Like I mentioned earlier, it carries that conversational vibe of different women talking to each other and to the listener. If I have one minor critique, it’s that the sonic diversity isn’t quite as broad as what we heard in Nyima Vol. 1, with a bit less experimental stretching. That might have been a conscious curatorial choice to give the record a more homogenised feel, but I would have personally expected a bit more range. Even so, the works are thoroughly good and ultimately, it’s an effortless, easy-going listen from start to finish, and it’s truly inspiring to see South Asian women actively continuing to shape and sustain their space in the music industry.
Beyond just being a collection of songs, Nyima Vol. 2 stands as a living proof of what happens when space is intentionally carved out for creative expression. It leaves you eagerly anticipating where this collective journey will head next, confident that as long as these platforms exist, women will continue to sing their truths and with two compilation albums already released under Nyima Records, one can certainly be hopeful for many more to come.
