Shubhangi Joshi Set for Los Angeles Residency

As much as being an enterprising and talented musician is part of being selected for a residency, Mumbai singer-songwriter Shubhangi Joshi seemed to have luck on her side. And Google.

She says about coming across a mentorship program by Isina in Los Angeles, “I google things like ”˜call for applications poetry’ and ”˜call for applications music’ and stuff like that to look for music residencies and this program popped up. I saw the mentors and thought it was a pretty good opportunity.”

Who wouldn’t be impressed when their heads of department include everyone from producer Paul Oakenfold and saxophonist Kenny G to vocalist Kenny ”˜Babyface’ Edmonds and more? Joshi submitted two songs, including her cover of Led Zeppelin’s “The Rain Song” last year. While she was at another artist residency in Chennai, she received her confirmation. “I pretty much forgot about it for a while,” she says. She received her selection email last month and began getting her documentation in order, and has just reached Los Angeles, the only Indian to be selected for the six-week program.

Joshi has already tested the waters in the U.S., with a performance and stay in the country earlier this year. She says, “For the past two years, I’ve been creating more material and working on my album.  I did go to the States to get a feel of what my audience would be like. This is like getting a footing and networking with the biggies in the U.S. for when I want to tour there.”

For someone without formal music education, Joshi is excited about learning as well as collaborating with mentors and students alike. What the short-notice call to fly to L.A. also implies, however, is putting pause on her upcoming full-length album. She says, “For six weeks, I won’t be working on my album, which the band was really looking forward to. Hopefully going there will open my mind even more and give me a different perspective on my songs too. But yeah, once I’m back, we just want to finish the album.”