We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nidhi Arya. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nidhi below.
Hi Nidhi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
It’s one of those “all path leads to Rome” sort of things. When I was a kid I always had a creative bone especially in music and visual arts. Music is where I leaned into most and felt most at home but stepped back from it to pursue what was considered a more “realistic” career. I had always secretly wanted to be a professional musician and performer but shied away from it feeling very undeserving of it as I often sparred with imposter syndrome. For work, I got into the trade of audio engineering to be somewhat close to the world but that didn’t pacify me as much as I thought it would. I delved into other passion projects but a big life change brought me back to music realizing I need more from it rather than just being a hobbyist or just a shadow behind the curtains. There’s many choices we make in life but I do very much believe in fate and that whatever road we choose eventually leads us to where our heart lies. So it was either then; when I was 20 or now…so not necessarily “now or never” so to say but “now or later” which is what I always tell people who are push away their passions: to at least do the responsible thing; get a job and all that economically sound stuff and let it be a part of your support system.. otherwise the choice to reject their dreams will live in the backdrop somewhere until something will come and shepherd their way back to it. So, “all paths lead to Rome”.. my Rome being music.. that it’s now or sometime later. You have to try or you’ll never know.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a singer-songwriter and the acoustic guitar is my usual medium of choice when it comes to making music. I’m in an indie rock band called Stones on Neptune that began around songs I wrote but is now becoming a mosaic of all of us. I also write songs outside of the band to maintain the ability to creatively express myself unfiltered as I have never wanted Stones to represent solely my inner world, and that we write songs together that represent all of us. An important factor to me that I have embedded in my writing is around social justice. I have always felt pulled to use music as something that doesn’t just serve me but operates as a voice to amplify certain topics and keep our current landscape honest as many of my my most influential artists do. I’m South Asian as well and as much as I’m proud of my heritage I acknowledge that the skeletons that exist in our closet is criminal. I’m also a woman which puts me in an intersection where women in my culture are often sociologically as we’re not encouraged to be outspoken – to be polite, subservient and agreeable. The unique circumstance that brought me up is my mother who left a home of DV – something that is very much the norm in traditional conservative Indian households but she raised my sister and I to make sure that it doesn’t become a norm in our own lives. She became extremely successful here in Canada with a fierce and mighty voice of her own. My sister and I very much take after her so it’s no surprise I have taken my music in the direction it has gone. Our latest single ‘Sǔnscar’ is around bride burnings in India (1 woman every 2 hours is murdered or burned over a dowry). Even in modern culture, this still occurs at an alarming rate yet we don’t speak of it because it’s simple not “appropriate”.
I can’t say what sets me apart from other artists. I would love to get away from the idea of competition as I’ve met my best support system within the industry. Artists are wonderfully unique and have an abundance of their own talents to offer and it takes nothing away from me or gives me any more of an edge. So I am me: some will rock with it and some won’t – and it’s all good.
I am definitely most proud of where I’ve come as a writer and an artist and excited that there’s more growth to be had. I have only taught myself what I can on the guitar and the rest is through all feel and I’ve had major breakthroughs as of late. The limit is truly where your comfort zone is.. push past it and you’ll continue growing and we should always want to grow.
I want potential fans and readers to know that I am not the most polished singer or musician there is and I will never want to sound overproduced but I will always deliver you something real and authentic. And one thing I am always grateful for, are the fans that the band has gained through this journey and we’ve got some great stuff on its way. We’ve had some bumps in the road on the way but now we’ve finally found our fourth link (a drummer) and I’m really excited to share what’s been percolating!
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Being a musician is exhausting (cue eye roll) and there’s no beginning and end to it’s process. And we know.. no one asked us to produce what we’ve been producing. whether it’s a marriage, or having a child, what’s considered a ‘conventional’ career – a career in the arts is no less valid and this is our chosen pursuit to live a fulfilling and joyful life. It’s another form of birth and it can be very isolating. It’s time consuming with daily practice, constant sourcing of new material, rehearsals, shows, marketing, production and post, I could go on.. it takes it out of us. It’s just another kind of emotional and financial investment that makes us all – artists and non-artists – so much more similar than we realize – just a different manifestation of very hard work. So having said that, your support, eyes and ears means more to us than you realize.
Listen to your friends’ music, go to their shows when you can, support them publicly and understand we do not love our art more than you and we are not any more selfish than the next person: it’s also our own baby. It’s difficult putting ourselves out there and it’s full of rejection but rejection from our own circles are especially hard to swallow – if you have creatives in your circle they want you apart of the journey: I promise you, we are so grateful for your loud and loving support and we have so much love and support to give right back.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I’ve had to unlearn the word “competition”. The industry is full of talent and yes – highly populated but there’s billions of people in the world therefore there is room for all of us.
I have met my most fiercest supporters and allies in the music community: artists that I have collaborated with and have become each others’ fans. I found other talented artists extremely intimidating when I realized I could learn so much from them and allow their brilliance to empower me to be better.
If you don’t treat this space scarcely it will continue pitching friends, allies and opportunities to you. Art is subjective and there’s room for everyone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/stonesonneptune?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=1a64897b-7ab8-4e9e-a15f-13ac5be7a36d
- Instagram: @stones.on.neptune
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCHs3ndr5ilg-d0k50HeX6mQ?si=H54PB0SaeSYw7-Hf
- Other: I have yet to post my solo work but it’s on its way. You can also find the band on Spotify at Stones On Neptune or any other streaming platform.
Image Credits
Photos taken by loved ones of the band