Sushma Soma interview: "There's no end to the burden and destruction we impose upon Mother Earth"

Karnatic singer Sushma Soma’s debut album Home is a powerful statement about what we are doing to our planet and our environment. “The destruction happens not because people are evil, but because they’re unaware of the harm they’re causing. It’s a problem that we can’t show compassion to nature and wildlife when they add so much to our experience of being human. It really bothers me.”

Soma was born in Chennai, India, but grew up and lives in Singapore. She started learning music aged four, as her parents were keen that she be rooted in Karnatic culture. “They felt music was the easiest way to access the culture,” she says. But living in a multicultural Singapore, where Karnatic music sounds quite alien to many, has given her an inside-outside perspective on it. Home is produced by singer Aditya Prakash and seems very much a shared vision.

Perhaps the most striking track is ‘The Elephant’s Funeral’, inspired by a real case of a pregnant elephant that died in 2020 after eating a pineapple stuffed with fire-crackers. The intention isn’t to kill elephants, they are put out to deter wild boar, “but a lot of elephants fall prey to that. This was in Kerala, but it happens in many parts of the world, this human-versus-wildlife conflict.” What makes the track particularly spectacular is the trumpeting sound of the South Indian nadaswaram (oboe); so remarkably elephant-like, it becomes an almost festive tribute to the animal.

What’s notable about several of the songs is the economy of the lyrics. ‘Ma’ (Mother), uses just four words: ma (mother), dhara (Earth), vasundhara (one who is in abundance) and nirantara (constant).

“I use these four words to imagine what Mother Earth’s voice and journey would be today,” Soma explains. “In Karnatic music often the emotion expressed is devotion or bhakti, but Prakash and I were wondering how to express rage. Each time I sing this song I cry, it’s a huge emotional burden on me to perform it, and I wonder what Mother Earth feels about what we’re doing. There’s no end to the burden and destruction we’re imposing on her.” The music is intense, emotional and exposed, comprising of just Soma’s voice singing in three different Karnatic ragas. 

The album’s two-part ‘Man’ draws on another Karnatic melody, this time by composer Muthuswami Dikshitar (1776-1835). It sounds very Western and was apparently inspired by the music of British bands.

Again, Soma sings just four words: loba, krodha, moha and mada (greed, anger, delusion and arrogance). The tune is buoyant, but laid over it are snatches of everyday conversation reflecting our lack of concern for throwaway waste: “I’ll take a coffee to go. An extra cup. Double bag that.” Then there’s the sound of chainsaws. In the end, surrounding the brisk tune, is cacophony. 

The opening track, ‘Nature’, is an evocation of Mother Earth’s pristine beauty, Soma’s voice intertwining in overlapping layers of itself. It’s a magical evocation of what man, through thoughtlessness, is destroying. Accompanying her is the sonorous ring of Manu Delago’s hang, adding a delicate textural ingredient. “He’s been an inspiration to me, because he’s so particular about the environment,” she says. “He did an eco-friendly tour in Austria cycling around doing concerts in 18 cities. One day I’d like to do that.”

Read the review of Home

This interview originally appeared in the July 2022 issue of Songlines magazine. Never miss an issue – subscribe today