Shreya Pujari is a world folk fusion vocalist based out of San Francisco. But Shreya hasn’t forgotten her ethnic roots and shares a deep love for the Mediterranean and Balkan sounds. She approaches making music more differently than most artists: find what connects us rather than what separates us, and let the music do the talking.
“The call echoes across rivers that have no single name, carried by voices that speak different languages but share the same yearning.”
Coming to her brand-new release, “Naoriya.” The song begins with a gorgeous narrative in which Shreya’s voice is calling out to the naoriya (the boatman), begging him to take her across to where her beloved waits. The production consists of the dotara, which gives it that traditional plucked texture, and there’s a 7/8 rhythm running underneath that keeps you slightly off-balance in the best way. You need to sit with this one, let it unfold. Pujari blends Assamese river songs with Rajasthani poetry and even Nordic folk. It showcases that yearning sounds the same whether you’re waiting by the Brahmaputra or a fjord. Her standout lyric: “Raahein dekhe saanware ke, hum guzaare hain baras” (We’ve spent years watching the path). That’s the weight of time passing while you’re stuck on the wrong shore. The boatman becomes this sort of figure of hope, becoming the one person who might finally close that distance.
Support artists like Shreya who are doing something genuinely different with songs like “Naoriya”. Stream it, share it, add it to your playlist. Music this thoughtful deserves to find its audience.
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