To avoid facing the consequence of rewriting, Sriyam Joshi needed to have a well-written story before her father returned from work. Joshi’s father, a firm believer in preserving writing and its creativity, taught her English through exercises after their family emigrated from Nepal. These practices led Joshi to begin songwriting, and she shared an original song on her social media in 2020 — a fun and easy option for her music to be seen.
“I was not even thinking about it,” Joshi said. “Then, I checked my phone as I was out, and I’m seeing (the song is) just absolutely blowing up. That ended up being ‘HUMBLING!’”
Joshi’s video reached over 300,000 views and 58,000 likes, gaining major attention from record labels such as Encore. The LA-based agency flew Joshi out to record “HUMBLING!” as a demo, reaching 90,000 all-time streams across major platforms since the song’s release in September.
The French studies junior originally considered songwriting an outlet, but the demo completely changed the trajectory of Joshi’s music. Now, Joshi wants to produce a new version of “HUMBLING!”, one independent of a label — a song strictly composed by UT students.
“I don’t need some random L.A. people to do that when I have people here just as willing,” Joshi said. “(They’re) not doing it for anything other than the fact that they love it.”
Instead of taking an agency’s offer to compose her music, Joshi said she wants to work with UT artists who are pursuing their craft for the “love of the game.” To create a rendition of “HUMBLING!”, Joshi and student-run band Study Break are working to adapt the song to fit live performances. She said collaborating with a band for the first time feels like magic.
“We’re taking a song that I wrote, and we’re just bringing it to life,” Joshi said. “I want it to almost sound like you’re in my head with me.”
AB Brown, music education sophomore and member of Study Break, said it’s rewarding to help Joshi and see the light in her eyes as the music comes together. Brown’s knowledge of music theory and production helps the band execute Joshi’s vision and put that to the band’s instruments immediately.
“We all look(ed) at each other,” Brown said. “We almost feel that anger while she’s singing, while we’re playing so aggressively.”
Nevin Varghese, bass player for Study Break, found the process of producing Joshi’s music creatively meaningful to the band’s learning process.
“Here’s a song that people already like — what can we add to it?” Varghese said. “How can we do that without taking away from Sri’s role?”
Joshi performs with Study Break regularly and will be accompanied by the band on Oct. 18 at Mohawk. She said live shows are critical to building her musical presence, wanting to pursue a humble career by working with students for as long as she can.
“There’s so many people here at UT that are so hungry for it,” Joshi said. “I feel like that’s so beautiful.”
