Tanya Shanker Rises Like a ‘Phoenix’ in New Rock Song

True to the theme of a Phoenix that rises from the ashes, Bengaluru artist Tanya Shanker’s new song is incendiary in tone and intent, with her co-composer and producer Richard Andrew Dudley adding a dramatic rock grandiosity to it. 

Shanker – a performing artist since the age of 11 who’s shared the stage with the likes of powerhouse rockers Girish and The Chronicles, Perfect Strangers and performs regularly with rock band The Moksha All Stars – has written about resilience and rising above challenges on “Phoenix.” Now 18 years old, Shanker balances studies and music just like she always has for the last seven years. “It’s hectic, but I make it work. I’m sort of used to it now,” she says over the phone. 

Her latest release rounds off the year that started with her second collection of songs, What Lies Beneath, out in April 2023. While that seven-track record was driven by self-reflection and writing more pop and R&B-oriented songs like “Softboi,” Shanker’s new song “Phoenix” is a return to rock, one that was written at the beginning of the year. She says, “It’s sort of based on experiences that I went through last year, because I was having a bad time, both mentally and just in my general life… dealing with all of these obstacles and just feeling really down about life.” At that point, she felt she needed to face her struggles head on, leading to writing the anthemic song. Working with Dudley, Shanker says they both felt that a steadily built rock song was the best sonic treatment to match the emotions behind “Phoenix.” 

The song brings in Bengaluru-based keyboardist Aadarsh Subramaniam and drummer Jaime Dudley, plus guitarist Manou Rao from France and is mixed and mastered by BobbybeeBob in Australia. “It’s nice to get all of these different musicians living in different parts of the world to come together,” Shanker says. 

It helps that she has a long-standing mentor like Dudley and their creative processes have changed over time. Shanker says, “I’ll just go to him with some idea – some lyrics or melody or something and he just instinctively knows what I want.” At times, there’s some push and pull to reach a creative consensus with their music, but she says they both often tell each other “I’ve got this” to back up the partnership. 

While “Phoenix” has been a turn back to rock – heard on her 2021 debut album Battlefield in full force – Shanker says she’ll likely go back to the pop sound and experiment more. She’s also pushing herself to do a lot more songs and covers in Indian languages rather than just English. “Also we’ve been doing longer sets, like three or four hours sometimes without a break. I think it helps me grow as an artist and as a performer,” Shanker adds. 

Watch the “Phoenix” lyric video below.