Born in India and raised in the Swedish city of Gävle – Vidya is a playful and highly intuitive singer, pianist, composer and producer and is inspired by the body and its processes, sounds, forms and colour. In Vidya’s music you are met by the truth of her voice and a pulsating now. She is a non-prestigious musician who lets herself be guided by a sense of freedom when she sings and plays. Vidya’s first album, Peace Play, was noticed in the media, including in Expressen and also received 4/5 in Dagens Nyheter. One of the singles also played on national radio. Her second album The Papillon also received great reviews both in Sweden and abroad. The album was also nominated for the Manifest Prize in the Jazz of the Year category.
Adi Shakti is Vidya’s third album and a continuum of the record The Papillon, which was released in 2022 and was rooted in Vidya’s experience of having found and then lost, her Indian biological mother. In June 2022, Vidya’s Swedish mother also passed away suddenly. Losing two mothers in a short period of time affected Vidya deeply and on several levels. At this stage, she found solace in a poem by Rumi and started composing music based on it.
We look forward to welcoming Vidya to Fasching for the first time together with a star-studded band including guitarist Rob Luft!
Rob Luft is an acclaimed and multi-awarded 30-year-old guitarist from London, whose virtuosity has been compared to John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola & Paco De Lucia. He was, among other things, the recipient of the Kenny Wheeler award in 2016. Rob can be heard on Edition Records and ECM – most recently there with John Surman. He tours the world with various bands including Elina Duni. Vidya and Rob found each other after playing live together in Stockholm. They decided to compose together and the songs The field and Desert blues on Adi Shakti, Vidya and Rob have written together.
Vidya – vocals & rhodes piano
Rob Luft – guitar
Magnus Bergström – double bass
Jon Fält – drums
Lisa Rydberg – choir
