Six-time Grammy® Award-nominated sitarist, composer and producer Anoushka Shankar has released her new single Those Words, featuring British composer, singer and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson and renowned Indian singer Shilpa Rao. The track is taken from her upcoming EP, Love Letters, out on Mercury KX.

Stream the new single “Those Words” HERE

Deeply evocative in its sound, Those Words is based on an original poem written by Anoushka and Ayanna, which then inspired respected director and writer Shirin Anandita to write lyrics to the track in Punjabi. The track was mastered by Egypt-born/New York based engineer Heba Kadry (Björk, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Beach House).

Speaking of the track, Anoushka says, “It all started with Jamaican food. Ayanna came over with an open heart, a secret recipe and the seed of a new melody. She played me her cello idea and it felt incredibly instinctive to play my sitar melody over her progressions. Sometime later we wrote a poem together about memories, loss, and nostalgic words. Shirin then took our original poem and turned it into beautiful Punjabi lyrics of her own. Finally, Shilpa shared her beautiful voice with us as she brought those lyrics to life. I’m very attached to this sweet, sensual song and I’m so grateful to each of the women who helped to birth it.”

About Anoushka Shankar

Hailed by the Guardian as a “virtuoso sitar player”, Anoushka truly pushes the boundaries of how the instrument is heard and perceived and “uses it as a vehicle for creativity” (Times). Her new EP Love Letters marks a different direction for the internationally celebrated artist; it offers a shift in intimacy and content, and comes at a pivotal time in her career as she signs to her new record label, Mercury KX.