Q: Your new album, Ameya, features kirtan chant. What is kirtan? How does it differ from mantra?
Brenda McMorrow: Kirtan (pronounced keer-tahn) is a participatory Indian musical tradition that dates back many centuries. It is being whole-heartedly embraced by countless Westerners, especially in recent years. In Western Kirtan, the melodies, instrumentation and presentation can vary from the Indian style while the great devotion remains the same. Kirtan is one of the practices of Bhakti Yoga (the yoga of devotion). The songs often include sacred mantras (such as Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya), but can also have other lyrical components. Kirtan is a beautiful opportunity for people to come together to open their hearts and chant the many names of the Divine. I love that in Kirtan, the lines between musician and audience are blurred. The audience members play a vital role in the music through their singing, clapping, dancing and the transformative devotional energy that they bring to the experience.
A number of the tracks on Ameya are what we call Kirtan chants. These are songs done in the traditional Indian Kirtan “call and response” style. I sing a line that is then sung back to me by a chorus of singers, just like at one of our live gatherings. The words we’re singing can be ancient Sanskrit mantras, lyrics from sacred hymns, prayers or more modern devotional composites of Sanskrit words and Divine names; at times a few English lyrics are added in.
Q: You’ve been composing and performing music for nearly 20 years, from folk and bluegrass to jazz. Why did you choose to explore this new musical direction?
BMc: This new musical direction seems to have chosen me! Before discovering chant, I had been feeling the pull to integrate my spiritual journey with my musical one and began writing songs with lyrics about expanding consciousness and spiritual awareness. But it was when I first experienced Kirtan chant that I was absolutely filled with the knowing (and the butterflies!) that I must follow this path. It was clear that this practice of Kirtan – the combination of the powerful vibrational quality of the Sanskrit language, the sacred mantras and the very act of calling out with devotion to the Divine with others - was one of the most profound ways for us to connect with the infinite nature of the Divine – with our own true natures. And I’ve been on this delicious adventure of expansion and learning ever since. There was no question for me that I would dedicate myself to sharing this beautiful form of expression and connection with as many beings as possible! It is a true blessing to have been called to make this music.
Q: How does your singer/songwriter background influence Ameya?
BMc: Because of my experience as a songwriter, I love to come up with “hooks” or catchy pop/folk influenced melodies. I’m also a lover of blending various musical genres and of creating harmonies. This is a big part of the sound on Ameya. I’ve been told that my style has a “familiarity for the western ear” which is something that has drawn people who might not normally be attracted to this genre of music, to explore it.
Q: How did you learn to chant sacred Sanskrit mantra?
BMc: Learning about this deep and beautiful practice is an ongoing experience. Chanting mantra is an important part of my individual spiritual practice as well as being what I do as a musician with groups. I am continually amazed at the power of mantra and the layers of transformation and expansion that are possible with it. The first time that I heard a sacred mantra being chanted I was absolutely taken by the power of it. My informal study of it began immediately after that first experience! I started listening to CDs (by artists like Jai Uttal, Krishna Das, Deva Pemal, Wah!), reading books (such as Healing Mantras by Thomas Ashley-Farrand), and attending every Kirtan and chant group possible. I was absolutely devouring everything I could! Shortly thereafter, I went to live for three years in Asia, and was able to spend some invaluable time in India, where I attended workshops with both Western and Indian teachers (including Silvia Nakkach and Dr. Ritwik Sanyal). When I returned to North America, I headed straight to Kirtan College in Florida with David Newman and Bhagavan Das. It’s really in the practice and sharing of it that I continue to grow and expand in this realm. The learning has been joyful and is sure to continue throughout my lifetime.
Q: Why did you title the album Ameya?
BMc: Ameya means boundless or immeasurable in Sanskrit. The truth of our very being is infinite and our whole existence is filled with infinite possibilities. The reason I do this music is to help myself and others touch this knowing and ultimately abide there. So, I figure, what better title could there be?!
Q: Ameya was produced by Ben Leinbach, an acclaimed producer who has also worked with Deva Premal, Jai Uttal and Shiva Rea. Tell us a bit about the creative process behind the production.
BMc: Working with Ben is really magical. He has worked with such a variety of outstanding devotional chant artists and he also has a rich background in rap, hip-hop, rock and R&B. He loves to incorporate elements that are diverse and not just typical of what people expect Kirtan music to sound like. This lends itself so beautifully to my own musical taste and ideas of what would really lift a song out of the ordinary. Ben’s ability to translate amazing abstract ideas into the music and to stretch beyond what is usual or what is expected are some of the things that make this record really special.
I came to Ben with a bunch of songs and together we selected the ones to go on the album. Some of these were complete and some were still to be finished. Ben helped me arrange the ones that were complete and for the ones that were partially completed, we sat down and jammed out different ideas. I loved this, because we each brought our individual creative strengths to the process of co-writing. This resulted in some really great songs that couldn’t have existed without the two of us.
Q: How is your music different from other popular chant artists like Deva Premal and Krishna Das?
BMc: My acoustic guitar lends a different texture to the sound and my percussionists use a variety of African and Middle-Eastern drums. The pop/folk influence of the melodies and song structures lends a bit of a different edge to this music. But the feeling and intention behind the chants is something we all share.
Q: More and more “mainstream” music fans are flocking to kirtan. Why the surging popularity?
BMc: A Western form of Kirtan has been evolving for years now – one that holds sacred the power and beauty of the Indian tradition while adding our own rich elements. I think that “mainstream” music fans are noticing an opportunity in this music to enjoy sounds that they are familiar with and love, and to also delve more deeply into their own spiritual hearts. Just like my own initial experience with Kirtan, people often express that they are being inexplicably pulled to this music. More and more, people are exploring beyond traditional religious structures, and I think the non-dogmatic spiritual nature of this music becomes especially attractive.
Many world cultures have strong participatory sound and movement traditions and it seems that our present culture doesn’t have a whole lot of that going on. I think that these types of rituals or experiences fulfill a deep human need for connection and expression. People in our culture are searching for a community experience, one where they can share their hearts with each other – whether they know this is what they’re looking for or not! I think there’s a deep urge within human beings to connect with others and with the Divine on a deep level. And a huge variety of people are finding this experience through Kirtan.
Q: What have you noticed about the people who attend your kirtans? Are they all yoga students?
BMc: I often chat after kirtans with folks who have never set foot in a yoga studio before! Of course there are many yoga students in the crowd as well, but a good proportion of our audiences are people who don’t have a regular asana practice but who do have a deep desire to sing and are drawn to Bhakti yoga.
Q: What are your performance plans for 2010?
BMc: 2010 is going to be an exciting year with much travel in both Canada and the US. So far an extensive tour throughout my home province of Ontario is planned for January/February with a tour in California in April. Plans are underway for tours in Western Canada and elsewhere in the US for the rest of the year. I’ll keep you posted!
Q: Now that Ameya is released, what's next for you?
BMc: Ben Leinbach and I are finishing up my next record, Love Abounds, an album of Devotional songs. I’m very excited about it (we have some very special guests joining us on it!) and White Swan will be releasing it in fall 2010. And I’ll just be continuing to help spread the Bhakti love whenever and wherever I go!
