The Record Music Magazine

Introducing:

Sometimes it’s nice to be in a minority. Just ask New York-based musician Suphala. As one of a rare breed of female tabla players Suphala has been turning heads and making a name for herself in music circles across the US.

Suphala herself couldn’t be less concerned about the fact that she is a woman in what is essentially a man’s domain. And while her model good looks will catch your eye, what you really should be doing is listening to her music, a distillation of years spent studying both Western and Indian classical music and a journey that began when she took up the piano at age four and that led her to train with the ultimate tabla masters - Ustad Allarakha and Zakir Hussain.

Of her time spent as their student she says, “It was amazing just to be close to them, to be able to see them playing, being really great humans and of course amazing maestros. They accepted me as a student and it was just very inspiring. Life revolved around playing tabla.”

Highlights:

- Her debut album, The Now, features collaborations with singer Norah Jones, producer Vikter Duplaix, guitarist Vernon Reid and even actor Antonio Banderas.

- Suphala’s tabla sound has been sought after by several prominent artists like Perry Ferrell (Jane’s Addiction), DJ Logic, Michael Bland (Prince), Vikter Duplaix, Timbaland, and Sean Lennon.

The Record Q&A:

Your music has been described as ‘sensual, high-brow, cinematic, high-tech, and mood-altering’ – is that accurate?
I think there is a cinematic sound to it and it is hi-tech because we are using the latest technology to make the music. I also think it’s very organic because there are humans playing on it. [Laughs] So it is a mixture of these things.

Has being a woman tabla player ever been an issue?
To me music is so much larger than that. Once you sit down to play it’s not about gender or anything like that, it just becomes about music. I don’t sit down and say ‘Oh I’m a girl’. [Laughs] I am there because I love to play…

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