Indian American musician Sheela Bringi has been exploring the connections between her ancestral and actual homelands her entire life. She sings and plays a 36-string harp, the Indian harmonium and bansuri (Indian bamboo flute).

As a young woman Bringi was influenced by M.I.A. and Dead Can Dance, studied with Cecil Taylor and Fred Frith, while at the same time deepened her studies with Indian classical masters like Pandit G.S. Sachdev and Ustaad Aashish Khan.

This unique background has resulted in her debut album, Incantations (Black Swan Sounds), rooted in India’s classical music tradition and the beauty of its mantras, as well as a groundbreaking exploration of American jazz and blues. The album was released in February 2014 and has garnered praise from NPR, the Guardian, Public Radio International and more.

She has performed in a wide range of venues, including concert halls and universities presenting traditional material, yoga studios leading kirtans and in dance clubs over-top throbbing, bass-heavy beats (she’s toured with Karsh Kale, DJ Drez, and many others).