Avaraj’s insightful artistry, combined with her relentless energy, makes her an artist to keep a keen eye on. When it comes to her music, genres and styles are secondary. She prides herself on her innate competency to present music in multiple forms without losing her authenticity. And her music is inspired by daily life happenings, which allows her to transform grief, heartbreak, joy, and all these raw emotions into melodies with universal appeal. Music saved her life. It gave her a voice when she couldn’t find one. It gave her a friend when she felt alone. It gave her purpose when she felt like she had nothing, and it gave her an outlet to express how she really felt. She is now giving back with her own music, telling relatable stories packaged in the form of heartfelt lyrics and captivating melodies.
“Precious Memories EP” is a 5-track project that was inspired by the life and death of her grandma, who succumbed to Alzheimer’s. Sadly, things happen in life that are tragically unpredictable and beyond our control. For Avaraj to have the courage to transform such deep grief into something beautiful, healing, and unforgettable shows the kind of selfless artist and human that she is.
She exceeds all of our expectations with this project, which she hopes will provide solace to anyone watching a loved one grapple with dementia. The songs poignantly express how the impact of Alzheimer’s extends beyond the individual directly affected by it.
The opener, “Precious Memories Intro” is a spoken word art piece. The gently hit piano offers a bed of support for Avaraj’s soul-stirring performance. Vocally, this track has all the fire and vocal prowess fans have come to expect from her effortlessly powerful voice. She vividly expresses her pain and sadness to the fact that she can no longer share moments and memories with her MawMaw—how she’d wish to share stories with her and tell her everything going on in her life. The tune is heavily melancholic, and the violin addition as it progresses underscores these feelings of hurt mixed with reminiscence.
“Before You” is another gentle masterpiece that has been delivered through Grandma’s own lenses. Avaraj sings in the second person, highlighting how grandma felt she was becoming a burden to everyone else before the disease took root, and she slowly went on to relinquish all control and understanding. I love how she articulately makes this come out with her impassioned vocals. Her emotive delivery and impeccable flow accentuate the weight of her words!
The piano foundation in “What Would Change” is accompanied by a subtly dense, old-school R&B soundscape. Avaraj’s effectively spans R&B and rap in a track that is inquisitive as to whether things would have been different had the late grandpa been available. This is Avaraj wondering whether the burden would have been eased, whether he’d been her support system all through, and maybe sparked some of those fading memories from her…at the end of the song, a listener is left with something to reflect on…what if?
“Never Fade” has an outstanding guitar foundation, setting the tone for this soulful jam. Sung with a tone of acceptance, Avaraj’s velvety, smooth, and subtly powerful vocals glide through the rhythm with impeccable precision and power as she affirms her eternal love for her grandma, which will never fade away no matter what. This is her finding a place of healing, talking to the departed soul of MawMaw, and reminding her that nothing would have changed with or without the disease.
The last tune, “Won’t Forget Her” was written with her own mom in mind. The instrumentation featuring piano and violin is as powerful as the heartfelt lyrics that delve deeply into dementia and its horror impacts on those close to you. She is brutally honest in a song that is both melancholic and fulfilling. You can tell that she wrote this from a place of both tenderness and strength, and it really stirs those deep emotions from within a listener.
As you can probably imagine, this was one of the hardest and most painful projects she has ever written. She wants anyone listening in to find peace and solace and feel less alone, no matter the kind of loss they are dealing with right now.
Check out the link below to listen to this project, and let us know how you feel about it.
https://open.spotify.com/album/63LsvjJJFZAaGkZZJQ9fxj?si=8SjsbvGhQmeWDr_UaMX2WQ| INSTAGRAM |