Sijya's solitude in sound

The electronica artist on why she goes on stage alone, and what she wants from the Indian indie ecosystem

- Arunima joshua

In Rust, the second track off the electronica composer-producer Sijya’s new EP, Leather & Brass, the refrain of “you're not afraid to write me off. I’m not afraid to tie you up” lingers.

It echoes the tension of the layered vocals and guitar pedals, the latter borrowed from her mix engineer. Sijya, who describes herself as kanjoos (tightfisted), says she has a commitment issue with gear. “It’s all so expensive and I don’t know if I’m going to use it for five years. Everything is 50,000 plus. I don’t know if it’s going to be just a bunch of money lying around.”

Sijya’s sophomore EP, which released in September, is out now on UK-based One Little Independent (OLD Records). Her signing was thanks to a fortuitous Instagram DM from British-Asian electronica innovator Talvin Singh. It’s the same label that has supported pop music pioneer Bjork since day one.