Sijya signs to One Little Independent and details forthcoming EP, Leather & Brass

Unlike the rest of the EP, which underwent rigorous refinement, first single "Tabla" emerged effortlessly, with minimal revision. Not initially viewed by Sijya as a centrepiece of these sessions, in the end, it claimed its place as one of the defining songs of Leather & Brass. The track is accompanied by a personal video from Sijya by Urvi Vora and Shiv Ahuja.

Much like her music, even the title is a commentary on 21^st century trends. “The title is a bit of a personal joke,” she lets in. “The song has one tabla sample, so ‘Tabla’ was the working title. There’s so much pressure on us as South Asians to commodify our identity and culture, and it’s so prevalent right now. So, this is me having a laugh over it.”

"Finishing this was a long process. Painful. Not just in the way that it is painful to make anything, because it is. Ideas are exciting, but you get over them very fast. Then you trudge along until there’s another spark. Before this EP, I feel like I was messing about. I didn’t think a career in music was possible. I had been circling around music for a long time and making album art as a graphic designer, but ‘Young Hate’ was my first attempt of ‘doing’ any music at all. Now, with this second EP, I feel like I have become a musician. I am now doing this with intention. This EP feels like beginning of me trying to find a sound," Sijya says of the forthcoming release.

"L&B was difficult because there was a major learning curve involved," she continues. "A lot of experimentation and failure, a lot of self-loathing, and lot of time away. But I have finally reached a place where I’m proud of this work. This would of course not have been possible without my engineers Jay, Seth & Heba. Sitting on music and waiting has also been a big part of this EP. Now, I don’t want to sit on things anymore."

Tracklist:

1. I only want to crash
2. Rust
3. Do I Know
4. Safe
5. Why do you fight me
6. Tabla