For those of you who are not into the Desi Hip Hop music scene, this one is going to hit you straight out of left field. The independent Indian music scene has been growing steadily for years. The last decade was dominated predominantly by rock bands – Parikrama, Mother Jane, Pentagram, and many more. But over the past few years, there’s been a shift in the trend. Emerging from the gullies has been a new breed of musician that was lurking in the background, waiting to make a break. With the release of movies such as Gully Boy, India has finally been introduced to Desi Hip Hop in a big way, and artists such as Divine, Raja Kumari, MC Prabh Deep, Brodha V, and Tracy De Sa are finally taking centre stage.
A global performer with Indian roots
This particular Goan girl has moved around quite a bit. She left India for Portugal when she was just a child, and after spending a few years there, moved to Spain before establishing herself in France. This isn’t to say that De Sa hasn’t spent her fair share of time travelling the world. Lisbon, Malaga, Montpellier, Lyon, and her hometown of Goa are all places that have contributed to her colourful life experiences.
When it comes to the music De Sa’s influences are varied. Her biography states that her formative years were influenced heavily by flamenco, reggaeton, and R&B before she was introduced to Hip Hop. “From the 5 disciplines that originated in the Bronx, she used dance as her first tool, giving rhythm to the beginning of the 2000s with acrobatics and contortions; with battles and clashes, driven by the energy and competitiveness of Hip Hop.” Combining her influences, she took up rap and did not look back. In her lyrics, you’ll find the soul of Lauryn Hill, the intensity of Biggie, and the spitfire emotion of Lupe Fiasco. “English being her mother tongue, she was determined to give every word sense and sound.”
The progression of a true artist
In 2012, De Sa met French singer XKAEM, cementing her first collaboration of soul and rap. In 2013, she met beatmaker Gate, and the duo produced Alpha Female in 2014, along with an immense portfolio of live music. Fast forward to 2019, and the name Tracy De Sa is finally set for global domination. With the release of her debut album ‘Commotion’ on May 17, De Sa has set her self up for massive success. Her latest drop ‘Rickshaw’ the fifth and last release, from the thirteen track album, saw its video filmed in Mumbai and her hometown of Goa. The track speaks of returning to her roots and draws a subtle comparison between the crazy of Mumbai and the calm of Goa. The rickshaw itself, according to Tracy De Sa, is “a symbol of movement and freedom, (and) also represents the cliched vision of transport in tourist’s imagination.”
The video of the track produced by Thiery-F features a team of amazing women, such as dancer, costume designer, and choreographer Deboshree Roy Chowdhury, production designer Namra Parikh, editor Dipika Kalra, and director of photography Diane Pol Lajaima. The video itself was directed by India based, French origin entrepreneur, Bilitis Jolly Sharma. According to http://www.desihiphop.com after spending most of her life abroad, Tracy De Sa opens up about how she has constructed an identity that is based on multi-culturality, that has been nourished by different influences and has flourished through a river of acceptance that came to stick the pieces of her mosaic together. Check out the video for ‘Rickshaw’ below, and download the full album at http://idol.lnk.to/Commotion
