It is remarkable when someone speaks up and channels their hardships and things they’ve witnessed while growing up, into something positive. Sreeja Chakra decided to use her voice through music among other tools to address a significant issue in a specific community. Chakra is more than an artist, she’s a musician, songwriter, businesswoman, and decolonization activist who is originally from South Asia; born and raised in Kolkata, India then moved to Dubai. She decided to move to Denver, CO in 2018 to major in Music Business at the University of Colorado with a minor in Psychology. The artist has a spiritual side and is in constant search of divine femininity and mood-altering sounds for the healing of the soul. She is influenced by artists like Amy Winehouse, Bessie Smith, Rihanna, Jorja Smith, and Greetea Peng.
“Ami Jaani” is her latest single release, it was published by B3 records and recorded at a local Denver studio with the support of Alayna Marie, a close friend of hers from university. The song’s lyrics are mostly in Bengali/Bangla language which is the native language of the Bengal region in South Asia, Bangladesh, and India, with some English lines in between. It’s mainly addressed to this community as she’s trying to tell them that she is listening and she understands; Sreeja is dedicating this song to the children who had to step up and fulfill a role that isn’t theirs to fix their families, the children who grew up too soon and are struggling from traumas and having no one else stand up for them. She’s trying to raise awareness of this trauma that has been ongoing through generations through a conversation about mental health and assuring them that it’ll be ok. The song has a soft, meditative vibe with a simple melody and hypnotic effect.