Hear Ahmedabad Singer-Songwriter Dhyani’s Vulnerable Debut Song ‘Asphodel’

Drawing from poetry, Greek mythology as well as the fantasy/adventure book series Percy Jackson, Ahmedabad-based singer-songwriter Dhyani Gajjar (who uses her first name as an artist) makes a tender but introspective first impression with her debut song “Asphodel.” 

Produced by sound engineer and bassist Raag Sethi (Heat Sink, Random Gyan) at his Compass Box Studio with drummer Divyang Arora, “Asphodel” marks 21-year-old Dhyani’s leap from poet to published musician. Inspired by a poem called “Bleeding Soul” that she wrote, Dhyani tapped into her own experiences of struggling with depression. “Growing up, the Percy Jackson books were a huge part of my life. Hence Asphodel — a section of the underworld for souls who were neither good nor bad, who made no real impact on the world – is a metaphor for the mental state I was in,” she says. “Asphodel,” which takes its name from the Fields of Asphodel in Percy Jackson, is a “desperate cry that talks about holding on to that last bit of hope when going through a rough phase,” according to the artist. 

Over subtle keys by Nayan Kapadia, the song starts off ballad-esque, offering detours into guitar leads by Sethi. In a vocal style that’s informed by pop artist Taylor Swift, Dhyani croons wistfully as the song builds into a brighter space, featuring Arora on drums and backing vocals by Meera Desai. Dhyani adds, “My biggest hope is that my music helps others just as much as it helped me when I wrote it. The artist that inspires me and keeps me going, Taylor Swift, does this perfectly.”

Listen to “Asphodel” below and on more platforms here.