My Music Episode 294 - Indira May

<p>Indira May is an artist who is currently living in London. She co-owns and runs an independent music label and film production company called TRASH – “run by women. for everyone”. Indira writes: &quot;My recent release is an EP titled Simpler Things, which touches on subjects such as climate change, politics and becoming a woman. Most of the songs on the EP were actually written a few years ago. They’ve evolved over time, been played at gigs in different ways, and the way in which they relate to my life has also changed. I’m happy with how they sound now though – I’m starting to find my style and voice as I grow into a more confident individual. I think if I released these songs a few years ago I wouldn’t have done them justice. I moved to Brighton when I was 19 years old; I followed a guy there that I fancied at the time – classic. I went to a music university for about a year but it wasn’t an environment I felt comfortable in for various different reasons. I decided to carry on living in Brighton, got a job as a pretzel baker (not as glamorous as it sounds… does it sound glamorous?) and started making music and gigging with people I’d become friends with. At the time, I was obsessed with Jazz and Hip Hop – I still am – but nowadays I’m also exploring new sounds. I think you can probably hear the Jazz influences in the EP. I was listening to a lot of Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Tom Waits and my favourite, Chet Baker. Originally, I started writing a few of the songs with a duo who are now known as Dysfunktion. We never got round to finishing them or recording them properly but I was playing them at gigs around the UK quite a lot. The EP reflects a sort of journey, I guess, related to becoming the woman I am today – it’s quite personal and introspective. I started writing these particular songs at 19 years old and I’m now 24, so I’ve grown quite a bit since then. My perspective on things and how I view myself is very different. I moved to London last year in the middle of the pandemic t