For Singer Naomi Guha, Music Helps Her Get in Touch with Her Femininity
“I sincerely hope my music will speak to other souls, including, but not limited to, female ones.”
While singer Naomi Guha describes her music as ‘alternative’, the themes that she tackles are anything but alienating. Her dark-pop sound looks to tackle struggles familiar to any young woman growing up around the world; on her latest single, 'Prey', she confronts the “soft-spoken violence” that women are often subject to. “The song needs to be strong, because it represents a collective struggle greater than myself,” she says. Beneath her tough exterior, she describes her younger self as timid, someone who was afraid to pursue her dream of becoming a musician. “It took a lot to realise that I needed to write music, and that I could,” she says.
Tell us about your latest single, 'Prey'. What sort of message are you trying to communicate?
Conceptually, 'Prey' speaks out against all a lot of violence that happens against women. It takes aim at the silent aggressor’s gaze and dominance. The song resolves itself by re-expressing sexuality on self-inspired terms and eschewing unwanted sexual attention: The song needs to be strong because it represents a collective struggle greater than myself. It is my hope that the track will be a strong narrative, one that helped me repatriate myself with the actuality of my body and independent identity.
What have you been working on since then?
I’ve been on a hiatus for a while, which has given me a much needed moment of quiet to finally sit down, set my neuroses down, and conceptualise them into a sound I like, a body of work that best encapsulates my past few years. My next album will be one that personifies various mental health struggles – that of my own and of people I love – identity struggles, relationship struggles, and so forth. This will be the album that I will identify with the most, one that I’ll need as I navigate young adulthood. I’m sure it will also be relatable and rather universal, but at the same time, intimate and personal. I will be releasing it gradually this year, starting with a single titled 'Delirium', which is about my role and message to someone undergoing intense mental health struggles where they experience moments of dissociation.
When did you know you wanted to become a musician?
I was a little bit of a late bloomer on this front. Growing up, I was runaway with many dreams – mostly dreamt from my school desk or on commutes. I never saw myself as a singer: Quite frankly, I didn’t feel good enough to pursue it. I sought quiet in life and held on to any semblance of predictability; maybe it’s conditioning? Probably. I would envy those brave enough to express themselves that way. It got so bad that I would just boycott singing competition shows altogether, which were all the rage back then. It just seemed so out of reach in a place like Singapore, and way too revealing for the composure and status quo I’ve created for myself. It took a breakup, a big move, some personal failures, and some mind-opening conversations with a music teacher I had, to realise that I needed to write music, that I could, that all this was based on fear, and that there was space in Singapore for this.
What is the main inspiration behind your lyrics and music?
Initially, my inspiration was to get in touch with my female identity, having been alienated from its appreciation for so long, especially in my process of finding love. I’m just a small fry who tries – and still am trying – but I sincerely hope my music will speak to other souls, including, but not limited to, female ones. Moving forward, my feelings seem to be expanding into adulting emotions, new world views and personal vices, all of which are still underpinned by my experience as a woman.
PHOTOGRAPHY Joel Low
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT Eddie Teo
STYLING Gregory Woo
HAIR & MAKEUP Sha Shamsi using KMS HAIR and CHANEL BEAUTY
