VII Interview: Navasha Daya

Navasha Daya is a modern woman. She is balancing her many professional responsibilities with her family life, thus proving that successful women can have it all. Daya has been the lead singer of the highly revered underground group, Fertile Ground, for over 13 years and is now stepping out in her own right. I sat down with Navasha a few months ago to discuss her spirituality, how it feels to go solo, performance, and future plans.

What is it like working with artists from different cultures?

It's wonderful because everyone has different ears and you get to see the influences. Black music influences the whole world, even Africa. There's a famous hip hop artist hoop de hoop from Nigeria and you can hear the James Brown and African mix in his music. When I travel, I can tell different styles of music and what they present to you is specific to their own culture with the influence of Black music. It's very interesting.
How is that merging into your own music?

My music is very interesting. I'm like a chameleon and so I hear different styles of music all the time. I'll write a song that sounds like pop, then I'll write a song that sounds like old school soul classic, and another song came out of me that sounds like rock. It'll be interesting to see how that flows together.

Is it different doing a project and not having your band mates with you?

The only way it's different is because I'm not working with James. He usually writes most of the songs and I'll write a couple of songs but this one is all on me.Although I have other people write stuff, this is my responsibility. It feels more liberating to a certain degree because I get to have total free control. Because I feel more responsible, these songs are coming out. I'm doing what I've done before just more of it. I feel challenged and I love it.

Do you feel like being in a band may stifle creativity?

No, it doesn't. A lot of bands work together to make songs. There may be a leader or musical director but they present the song and everyone starts jamming. Ike Turner, I'm not sure of his history, but he was a song writer and he had a band and he would present the songs to the band. A lot of band leaders write for the band. They write the songs with everyone in mind. As a solo artist, I'm writing with me in mind. I don't have the guideline with the band.
Have you ever thought about doing anything else beside music?

I do a lot. I am an ordained_ minister. I teach reiki, I do acupuncture, I teach music and dance with children and adults, I do private voice lessons, I do spiritual counseling, I teach workshops on self development and healing. I have a spiritual teaching side, a music teaching side, and a performing side. That's my life.

How did you move into starting a spiritual and holistic life?

Oh girl! I was raised like that way. I was raised meditating and in a non religious aspect. You know there's energy and God all around you and how to be a good and loving person. I was always aware of Hinduism and indigenous cultures. I never felt anything was bad or good about certain religions, I was raised very open. To be honest, when I was 18 I began contemplating who is God? I would always have to contemplate what I felt because I wasn't proclaiming Christianity and everyone else around me was. That made me figure out which ways I wanted to serve God.
What does being an ordained minister in interfaith mean?

It means you're not tied to one faith. You can marry people who are Muslim, Hindu, Christian, are open. I've never married an Atheist couple before because I have my own feeling about that but you can marry people who are traditional and non traditional. Alot of people's whose churches don't agree, can come to me or a colleague and we will create a ceremony to honor all their traditions. We also do funerals that way.

How is Navasha different offstage?

I feel like there is another energy that comes through me when I'm on stage. I feel empowered on stage. I pray on stage and ask the spirits to assist me in being a vessel for humans so I have a lot of prayers I say on stage. My purpose for being on stage is to heal myself, heal others, and to heal the band. It's a sacred experience and I take it very seriously. I'm pretty much the same person the same person.

What do you want to accomplish in the next few years?

I want to have some babies. Record some albums, work with some really remarkable artists, work with the youth of the community to help uplift their lives, I want to travel the world and work with some uplifting female artists, I want to use my popularity to do some good on the earth, I want to help the world to love themselves and serve God, write a book, and just have some balance.