Local StoriesMarch 27, 2023

Check Out Ishani Joshi’s Story

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ishani Joshi.

Hi Ishani, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for music started with a karaoke machine my mom gave me as a birthday present. Along with this karaoke machine was a CD of “Disney’s Greatest Hits” where I would sing “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from the movie Hercules over and over until my mom decided to put that energy into vocal lessons. Growing up, many of my opportunities came from my parents encouraging me to keep putting my voice out there – from lessons to musical theater to auditions for competitions, they wanted me to do it all. I am so grateful because I truly don’t think I would be living in Nashville chasing my dream without their love & support.

Throughout high school, I really was that typical singer girl. I was doing all the theater & talent shows, writing songs about boys with no dating experience, and singing at every moment I could and I loved every second of it. However, when I got to college, it all started to slightly take a back seat as I didn’t think my post-college life would heavily involve music. While I did start releasing music throughout college and performing at local venues, it wasn’t until my junior year internship with Sony Music that I realized I needed to pursue music full-time.

I was freshly 21, living in NYC in a shoebox apartment living the dream of doing two internships with Sony Music within a span of 8 months. Honestly some of the BEST times of my life. It was amazing working with so many cool artists and getting the opportunity to make an impact on their careers. As I would sit at the computer creating marketing decks for artists, I kept envisioning myself in their position. It was like a wake-up call to make a career out of a passion I thought could only stay a hobby.

It was my senior year, I was graduating with an exciting & new adventure ahead and I was just starting to build myself as an artist…. but then the pandemic hit. Suddenly, just like most people my age, I was back living at home, mindlessly scrolling through social media and heavily influenced by other people’s successes but losing site of my own. So many questions ran through my mind every day. What is my story? What kind of music do I want to share? What makes me stand out? I wanted to keep learning so I started taking a lot of songwriting courses and one course with Andrea Stolpe stood out. She said “Go to a city that is known for music and just network and perform. Put yourself out there”

So at the end of 2021, my best friend, Angelica, and I lived in Nashville for a month to do exactly that. I fell in LOVE with this city. The people were so nice and encouraging and it felt good to be so inspired by everything around me. After my month was over, I knew that wasn’t the end of my time there. I applied for a corporate job and decided it was time to try living a double life.

Fast forward, now I am living my Hannah Montana life. I work 9-5 and after I’m networking, performing, and writing as much as I can. With influences from Tori Kelly to Remi Wolf to SZA – I want to explore all the different avenues of pop. I love singing a good funky song, a little splash of R&B or just ripping your heart apart and having a “singer-songwriter” moment. In just 6 months, I have met the most amazing people, and gotten opportunities I could only dream of just a year ago and it’s all just the start.

I am SO excited to release three singles this year & it really is the start of something new.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a very slow road with many ups and downs which I feel is the definition of a musician’s life. I think three of my biggest struggles were figuring out exactly what my sound is as an artist & being proud of what I was sharing and the pandemic.

I started releasing music during my second year of college. I was so excited to be in a recording studio making the songs that I created in high school come to life. I released more music in 2019 and 2021 and it was heavily influenced by the artists I was listening to across social media. Now looking back, it did not feel authentic and felt like I was trying to curate a sound that would just blow up on Tiktok rather than creating things I was proud of. Another big struggle was within me. I was so desperate to release music that I would rush the entire process. I would not take time to evaluate if the song was done to the standards I truly wanted. Being in Nashville, growing up & living through more life, I now know to not rush anything when it comes to putting music out there. I want to be proud of what I release because it represents me and my message to the world. I also want to take time to curate a sound that I am proud of. What I realized is I love listening to songs across many genres – pop, R&B, funk, singer/songwriter. I always thought I had to pick one but when I see artists like SZA whose new album “SOS” was mostly R&B/hip-hop but had so many influences of other genres, I am inspired. I want to curate a listening experience that doesn’t have to fit into one “genre” per se.

Another major obstacle was of course the pandemic. I had just decided I was going to take a gap year to focus on myself as an artist. I was planning live performances, attending concerts and networking, and setting up writes with people all in Atlanta but that quickly changed as we went into lockdown. All of a sudden, my original idea of how I could build myself was not possible. It was hard to stay creative and inspired being stuck at home and already had me feeling stuck at the very beginning of my career.

All that to say, it’s a valuable learning experience and I’m in it for the slow burn. The opportunities will come when the craft resonates. With the right environment & right people, good things will come!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a singer-songwriter based in West Nashville. I love the two aspects of being an artist. Being on stage with a band and singing all my originals and favorite covers to a room full of people. Also, love sitting in my room and writing about situations in my life as a way to cope with them. Living in Nashville, I found the love of cowrites too. The idea of more minds coming together, pouring out their heart, and writing an incredible song to represent whatever you are feeling is amazing. It’s also cool to be in a room with people who all specialize in one aspect of writing – whether that’s the lyrics, the melody, or the instrument. I think my favorite part in a writing room is making melodies because there are really endless possibilities. At the end of the day, my goal is to establish myself as an artist first but continue songwriting as well!

I want to make music that you would roll your windows down and jam out to. I also want to make music that would make you cry. I am the kind of person that feels everything to the MAX (like I am all water signs) and I want to reflect that in my songs. Whether that is making an upbeat song about how I can’t stand to be in silence or a ballad with strings and piano talking about the trials and tribulations of my long-distance relationship, there are endless possibilities of where I can take my music.

Another really cool influence in my life and something I want to bring to the Nashville scene is my heritage. My family immigrated to the States from India so I grew up listening to my mother playing Indian music all through the house. We would also watch Bollywood movies that were filled with beautiful songs which entail many different instruments and melodies that were very particular to the culture. It’s inspiring seeing so many artists, who share the same culture as me, use Indian influences in their music. I haven’t really explored that as much yet but I want to. Bringing a little spice to the Honky Tonk doesn’t sound like such a bad idea haha!

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I feel like you can’t be an artist if you don’t take risks. It even starts with making the decision that you want to be a musician and I feel like people view you as a risk. There have been many times in my life when people would ask me “Why would you want to go into the arts? You should find something stable and secure. You can keep it as a hobby”. To that I say, it’s a risk I am willing to take. To grow as an artist you have to take risks. That could mean, taking an opportunity with no knowledge of the outcome or jumping into a new sound or a new look and hoping it resonates with the people that support your music. It’s an industry full of risk but that makes it fun too.

I think a big risk I took was getting a corporate job and balancing the two. I knew I still had to pay the bills, so I decided to put my degree to use and take up a marketing job. However, I also knew I wasn’t going to compromise on doing to Nashville to be an artist but I was afraid of one job consuming the other. I was afraid I was going to be too mentally exhausted and would not find the time to focus on music. However, my job prioritizes a great work-life balance which has given me the ability to pursue both careers.

The number one thing that helps calm my anxiety about pursuing a music career is prioritizing a stable and positive mindset. It’s not an easy thing to do but if I don’t, I will spiral into the ‘what ifs” of it not working out and that is just not even an option. I think you have to be your own stability in an industry full of risk-taking.

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Image Credits
George Carlton

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