Due primarily to her versatile style and approach to music-making, Suman Sridhar is an artist who, for the longest time, has been difficult to situate in one space, place, genre, or culture. In engaging with her latest series of three EPs alongside her music act The Black Mamba, one is compelled to think of Suman as a musical force that exists in one artist yet occupies multiple spaces of sound, style and expression. Far from being misconstrued as fragmented, Suman’s musical oeuvre maintains a consistency and a unity that can only be developed by an artist who—on a long enough timeline—has achieved a natural comfort with their sense of purpose and belonging while crafting an identity grounded in deep engagement and deeper love with the processes of music-making, songwriting, composition, collaboration and working with a wide range of instrumentalists and music professionals. 

For a listener engaging with Suman’s music—on a long enough timeline—it becomes only a matter of time to locate that consistency and unity to discover—or perhaps re-encounter—a singer and a musician who simply knows who she is through the music she brings into the world. Even in her more mainstream musical endeavors, such as her songs for popular Bollywood films such as Bombay Velvet, Talaash, and Shaitaan, Suman’s elegant vocal deliveries cannot be mistaken for anyone else’s. If you know her music, you will not mistake her distinctive voice, style and signature, which she keeps intact, so much so that for the world at large it seems that there is no musical category, genre or term that has been invented as of yet to truly situate her sound and style if one considers her entire musical oeuvre. 

And so, music critics and the music press tend to attribute the category of “world, urban contemporary” and “worldbeat” to the sound that she brings forth. In this, they are fairly accurate, at least in metaphorical terms, because Suman’s music truly belongs to the world, and in listening to her entire catalog, the sounds and styles she explores begin to weave a thread that strings together an/other world that refuses to rotate on the axis of rigid definitions and fixed boundaries. It was Johann Wolfgang Goethe who first coined the term “world literature” and Karl Marx who wrote of a “cosmopolitan character” that gave way to “a world literature” allowing for writers like Jorge Luis Borges to find a home (in this all-encompassing genre) for his eclectic literary oeuvre that resonated with audiences throughout the world. 

In this context, Suman Sridhar’s musical work as “world music” and “worldbeat” is parallel to Borges’ literary work when defined under the mega-genre of “world literature”. Added to this “worldly” definition—and again on a long enough timeline—within history, one cannot ignore the “cosmopolitan character” that locates Suman’s artistic figure as one that belongs to the world, just as the cosmopolis does in its sophisticated worldly nature driven by the convergence of multiple cultures, ideas, genres, peoples, and linguistic domains. From a musical standpoint, that convergence within Suman’s catalog manifests in her engagement with jazz, hip-hop, rap, spoken word, Bollywood, Indian classical, opera, cabaret, among other genres. 

The diverse and eclectic nature of Suman’s musical work complements the types of venues that have featured her performances over the years, including establishments such as BBC World Service, MTV India (Coke Studio), Radio Mirchi Music Awards, among several others. From there, Suman as a musician has also been a part of art exhibitions such as Transformation 19124 (Philadelphia), What Happened 2081? (Germany), Between the Waves at dOCUMENTA 13 (Germany), while also inaugurating the 20th Contemporary Arts Festival of São Paulo (2017), the Kochi Muziris Biennale (2016) and the 11th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art with Land of the Breasted Woman, a live cinema performance by The Black Mamba.

It is puzzling to imagine how a musician and artist can enter the more mainstream spaces where musical performances are made accessible to wider audiences and then go on to be at the forefront of contemporary artistic production in the liminal space where international contemporary art scenes admit music on the pulpits of exhibition and performance. However, in the case of Suman Sridhar, it ultimately makes sense because she arrives at each of her creative endeavors from the plane of knowledge production, academic exploration and rigorous training and study. Apart from being formally trained in Music, Visual Art and Gender Studies from Rutgers, Suman is trained in Bharat Natyam classical dance and Indian classical music—while having spent significant time exploring and studying Western Classical Music.

Such details become highly significant to assess the symbolic time at which an artist like Suman brings forth her latest creative musical project consisting of three EPs: The Black Mamba I, II, and III. With an artist of such a dynamic range and more than enough years in training and refining her craft, there is a particular symbolic intent that comes into play when one thinks of all the different directions in which Suman’s creative impetus could have unfolded when conceiving this latest release of the three The Black Mamba EPs. One of the salient features of the three EPs is that they maintain a consistency that is entirely novelesque, in the sense that each song and composition can be approached as one would multiple chapters within a novel. Equally important is the unity of sound and composition that defines The Black Mamba EPs as a singular body of work, especially for an artist who has been known to break all sorts of barriers—leaping into the mainstream and out of it into innovative and pioneering spaces of her own making. 

It is not by any stretch of the imagination an easy feat for an artist to engage with the mainstream and more popular forms of music. Their allure and power, particularly in the Bollywood music industry, is so captivating that an artist can easily become immersed in such labyrinths—and sacrifice independent musical exploration to find repeated success and hits. An apt analogy from the art world would be perhaps that of a visual artist who has a breakthrough work and decides to make it into a series or different variations and stays within that space of success and acclaim. In the South Asian world of music, many artists struggle with carving out a distinct creative identity that places them within an avante-garde of their own making while at the same time giving into the great allure of sacrificing their musical vision for greater acceptance in the mainstream—especially with more popular forms of music and the trends they establish. It is here that Suman Sridhar stands out loud and clear, because she is her own artist, whether on a popular Bollywood track or on an experimental jazz piece. In my view, this is greatly possible due to the fact that Suman has spent more than the required time training, learning and elevating her craft in such a way that each creative project she takes on is shaped by the artist she carries within, and not the other way around.

In The Black Mamba I, II, and III EPs we see that inner artist render polyphonic vocals that seamlessly dance with contrapuntal symphonies, melodies and composition, at a natural pace, at home within the space of music that Suman fosters. One has to emphasize that Suman as an artist has known to traverse multiple spaces of music and culture, playing in all sorts of venues of international repute, and then venturing into multiple genres, such that any artist engaging in such eclectic creative endeavors would come across as dispersed and spread out too thin. However, in Suman’s case, the contrary is true as there is a magnetism within her artistic identity that weaves threads of continuity into whatever she does, revealing a greater consistency to her craft. It is this continuity and consistency that she brings to The Black Mamba I, II, and III EPs.

The Black Mamba I, II, and III EPs mirror Suman’s tradition of genre-bending and genre-blending that combines street jazz, hip-hop, afrobeat, Afro-Indian Soul, cabaret, Indian classical and elements of spoken word to draw new urban myths that combine elements of storytelling, dissent and critique. When one thinks of contemporaneity and the urban spaces defined by cosmopolitanism, a demand for a complex and eclectic musical form emerges to describe and tune into the realities that lay bare but become inaccessible through the sound of conventional music. Here is where The Black Mamba I, II, and III EPs succeed as the musical version of what a graphic novel can do by combining text and image to ascend to a level of storytelling required to describe complexities that not only necessitate the word but the image as well. The genre-blending approach to music-making that defines these three EPs results from the intersectional and convergent state of contemporaneity within the cosmopolitan space that requires a musical form that gives way to The Black Mamba I, II, and III. The contemporary and the cosmopolitan are weaved together in such a way that they produce a feedback loop that unfolds in these three EPs and the artistic expression they bring forth.

The Black Mamba I begins with a jazzy love ballad titled “Before Sleep” that ventures into a romantic confession of sorts. The first EP is characterized by an intriguing exploration of themes like love, time and its passing, and the fleeting and transient nature of life. With “Before Sleep”, Suman combines pop elements and Indian classical vocal inflections. The song’s cascading vocal crescendos create a hypnosis that is akin to love that is unconventional, producing an innovative fusion that highlights Sridhar’s vocal abilities but also showcases her deeper appreciation for a wide range of musical traditions. 

The Black Mamba I wastes no time to go from the ruminations on love to a rap-influenced free jazz track titled “Drink A Toast To Never” that relies on Suman’s dexterity with spoken word since the Sridhar/Thayil years. The track denounces the constricting space that a homogenizing modernity imposes on the subject already engulfed by impermanence. The uncertainty of space and time both mediated and manipulated by power and commerce within the cityscape come to mind in the sarcastic denunciations in “Drink A Toast To Never”, a track that employs a mocking tone that resists against the impositions of a reality enforced upon the enunciating subject. The track is a brilliant unfolding of the dissonance that exists between a human-in-nature and the one governed by a synthetic reality driven by artificial and mechanical forces.

In “Blow Up Dolls”, the third track of The Black Mamba I, Suman dives directly into a cabaret-style sound that is befitting to the harsh and sarcastic critique of showbiz culture and the hollow commitments one has to make to participate in the circus of events and gatherings of a certain kind. The cityscape offers a variety of parties, soirees and gatherings that at times appear to alienate the subject and remove the soul from the social in a kind of de-spriting dissonance that is familiar to anyone who has dealt with the entertainment industry. This dissenting track is a direct critique of the depersonalization that can take place within the entertainment industry, particularly when concerning artists whose individuality, spirit and solitude are integral to their sense of self and that are completely undermined in social engagements that require “schmoozing” for them to survive as professionals. And that too as if the arduous creative work of bringing art into the world were not sufficient.

The Black Mamba II EP delves into themes of love, gender, femininity, and consumerism through a rich combination of musical styles. The track “Shine” stands out with its incorporation of a poem by Kabir Das, translated by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra. This song offers a queer perspective on love and union, seamlessly blending poetic lyrics with Sridhar’s soulful melodies. The result is a contemplative and evocative piece that bridges traditional Indian poetry with contemporary musical expression that begins in the style of acapella, journeying through spoken word and poetic recitation to classical Indian inflections and vocal melodies. All of these progress into a drum and bass accompaniment with vocal harmonies converging and diverging from one another in complete sync with one another. 

“Sweet Kiss” infuses this second EP with a vibrant latinesque rhythm, featuring melodious saxophone harmonies that add depth and warmth to the track. The song’s groove invites listeners to revel in its smooth, jazzy undertones while maintaining a catchy and accessible pop sensibility. This fusion of Latin influences with jazz elements exemplifies Sridhar’s ability to create music that is both sophisticated and universally appealing—traversing cultural boundaries and returning us to that cosmopolitan notion of what culture, convergence, and intersectionality have come to signify. Suman accesses the operatic tones of her vocal delivery and lets her singing loose there where the voice becomes yet another—but central—instrument that accompanies all the other instruments on the track. Just as in “Shine”, in “Sweet Kiss” it becomes impossible to detect or ascertain the direction that the track will take, with varying tempos, a dynamic intro, head, vocal solos and improvisations, trading of solos between Suman as the vocalist and the other instrumentalists on the track who emphasize the vocal departures.

In “Jailbird,” Sridhar narrates a compelling story set in Berlin, tackling themes of consumerism, authority, and rebellion. The use of multiple languages to name “a girl” who got arrested on a particular date again alludes to the multicultural mode of expression at the center of the cosmopolitan edge that characterizes Suman’s music in more ways than one. The song’s narrative is enhanced further by its blend of genres, including hip-hop, spoken word and soul, which highlight the track’s defiant tone with a recurrent refrain “I lovingly convert all curses into blessings across time and space.” This second EP as a whole traverses a wide musical landscape, from jazz to pop, forging a unique genre that Sridhar aptly describes as worldbeat. This genre-blending approach not only highlights her versatility as an artist but also reveals her commitment to addressing complex social themes through her music. This last track from The Black Mamba II also presents a vision of Berlin that is far from that idealized city that is globally recognized as the art capital of the world. Just as all cities, Berlin also presents to its residents, its tourists and its flaneurs with a set of challenges, struggles and doses of oppression.

In the third and final EP entitled The Black Mamba III, Suman digs into the themes of love, urban existence, and sexual violence, presenting a powerful and thought-provoking musical journey populated by storytelling and social commentary. The track “Feel” is a soul-infused piece blended with Indian classical elements, capturing the experience of love—through both body and landscape—with intense passion as a song that opens with an organ that is eventually complemented by drums and bass. This song uses nature as a metaphor for sensuality, creating a rich, affective tapestry that intertwines the physical and natural worlds in a celebration of love. The classical Indian inflections in Suman’s voice rise and fly as the track progresses with a consistent melody on the organ sustained with the consistency of jazz drums and bass. 

“Summertime in Bombay / Plastic” offers a fresh and sarcastic reinterpretation of the jazz classic “Summertime,” transforming it into an incisive commentary on the relentless and often harsh realities of urban life in Mumbai. The song paints a vivid picture of the city’s constant hustle and the unique challenges faced by women navigating its pressures and enforced limitations. Beyond highlighting the daily struggles of city life, it also touches on broader themes such as environmental crisis and the fleeting nature of our human existence. The refrain, with its sardonic observation that plastic endures forever while love does not, encompasses a critique of modern consumerism and the transient nature of human connections. By blending traditional jazz elements with sharp, contemporary insights, the track serves as both a musical innovation that is lyrically sustained by powerful social commentary, reflecting on the intersection of environmental degradation, urban life, and the search for lasting meaning amidst impermanence and transience.

“Rail Gaadi” addresses the complex realities of a woman’s life, blending Marathi and English in a half-spoken, half-sung narrative, with a voice sample taken from an upset and unapologetic woman at a Mumbai train station. The song explores themes of sexuality and violence against women, with the raw line “Bhen-chod, behen ko chod [leave]” capturing the harsh realities faced by many. Musically, the track fuses soul, jazz, hip-hop, and Marathi afrobeat, creating a diverse and dynamic sound. This third EP as a whole forges a new genre that due to the proper taxonomical vocabulary can be described as “worldbeat”, demonstrating Suman’s ability to blend diverse musical styles while tackling critical social issues.

Overall Suman Sridhar’s The Black Mamba I, II, III EPs invite listeners and long-term fans to consider the historical time and cultural conditions under which these three works of music arrive at the present time. The three EPs represent the summation of the independent work that Suman has invested in highly over decades to bring forth the type of music that is at the core of her artistic identity. She has been able to orchestrate this independent project and earlier ones while creating equilibrium with her more mainstream creative engagements without shedding away any essential part of her artistic identity or creative styles. All three EPs and their featured songs weave an element of surprise, as listeners can never anticipate the direction of her vocal performances, which are refreshing and balance between an improvisation, spontaneity and memorable vocal melodies that in several artists can only be the result of consistent rehearsal. When the three EPs are taken into consideration as part of a unified work in three parts, the result is a series of tracks that are innovative and novel by equal measure as well as memorable and accessible.