SIJYA Releases New Single TURBINE via One Little Independent Records

Sijya, the South Asian composer, producer, and graphic artist, has released a new single titled TURBINE through One Little Independent Records. The song was written during the same creative period as her EP LEATHER & BRASS but went unreleased until now, arriving alongside a new music video.

'I played this song for the first time at the Turbine Hall. Thristian Richards (Global Roots) had somehow found my music online and invited me to perform at the Tate Modern,' she recalls. 'It was a wild experience - my first show outside India. It was also only my fifth or sixth show ever, so it was incredible and pretty frightening. Turbine felt like a name that fit the song well. Some of the sounds are what an old turbine sounds like in my head.'

Written during the same creative period as 'Leather & Brass', 'Turbine' has remained unreleased until now. Existing alongside the EP, it continues to build on the ideas Sijya was exploring at the time, while offering a fresh perspective on the material.

'I'm not sure why I didn't include it the first time around,' she says. 'It's funny what we choose to put out and what we don't. It's a creative decision like any other but looking back it can feel quite random. Maybe my best songs are still in my laptop.'

Built from distorted synths, immersive atmospheres, and a fascination with texture, 'Turbine' further showcases Sijya's instinct for finding emotion within experimentation. Like much of her work, it balances opposing forces; industrial and intimate, mechanical and human, abrasive and delicate.

The release arrives alongside a new music video directed by longtime collaborator Tito, whose creative imprint has become woven throughout the wider 'Leather & Brass' era. 'Leather & Brass has found me a lot of my collaborators, a huge one being Tito. His imprint is all over this EP. Even the 'Turbine' artwork is one of his photos from the time. He's directed, shot - with DOP Ayush - and edited the 'Turbine' music video and done a beautiful job with it.'

The visual language surrounding 'Turbine' extends beyond the screen and into Sijya's increasingly ambitious live performances. For her appearance at Lollapalooza India, where daylight conditions ruled out immersive lighting design, she instead chose to build a physical world around the music. To realise the vision, she worked with Mumbai-based set designer and artist Kanika Gupta. 'We really connected creatively from the get-go. I had a few ideas on how we could transform the space and the stuff we explored in the EP - decay, rot, old machines, that kind of vibe. I wanted her to feel free and be as ambitious as she wanted.

'One day she just messaged, 'fun house mirrors?' and I replied with a resounding YES. Then of course we worked on it for a few months before the full structure came about.'

Sijya embodies the wave of fresh ideas and distinctive musicianship coming out of South Asia. With records that showcase a defining commitment to originality without losing touch with instinct, and live shows that create immersive atmospheres, the New Delhi artist has emerged as one of the most exciting voices in the region's alternative music space.

The multi-faceted talent lays down textural abstractions of her inner monologue onto musical and visual canvases alike. Dreamy untamed synth layers and raw rhythms come together with emotion-led vocal lines, creating a unique blend of art pop, downtempo and ambient music first introduced through her debut EP 'Young Hate' and expanded upon through 'Leather & Brass'.

Released via Accidental Records, 'Young Hate' and its accompanying visuals showcased Sijya's creative stamp as an audio and visual artist operating in complete synchronicity. Since then, she has received support from BBC Radio 6 Music, Crack Magazine, NOWNESS, Mixmag, DJ Mag, NTS, Rolling Stone India, and Rinse FM, while being championed by artists and platforms including Four Tet, Machine Woman, Openlab, and NARR Radio.

Alongside her recorded output, Sijya has steadily built a reputation as a compelling live performer, opening for The Cinematic Orchestra and Nabihah Iqbal, and is set to open for Model/Actriz at ICA. She has also appeared at events including Boiler Room, Rewire, Lollapalooza India, Magnetic Fields, Dialled In Festival, Echoes of Earth, and the upcoming Pop Kultur. Her touring has also brought her to iconic venues including Tate Modern, Café OTO, Servant Jazz Quarters and Trinity Centre, while her work continues to bridge the worlds of sound, visual art, and performance.

Upcoming Live Dates

7th-10th Aug - Sanatorium of Sound - Poland

27th Aug - IKLECTIK - London

28th Aug - PopKultur - Berlin

1st Sept - ICA supporting Model / Actriz - London

8th Sept - Rescue Rooms supporting Model / Actriz - Nottingham

Music Credits

Written, Produced & Performed - Sijya

Recording & Mix Engineer - Jay Panelia, Labrat Studio

Mix Engineer - Seth Manchester, Machines with Magnets

Master - Heba Kadry, NYC

Video Credits

Film, Edit & Grade - Tito

DOP - Ayush Sayalkar

Mirror Installation - Kanika Gupta

Lighting Equipment - Pink Lights

Light Attendants - Manoj Arya & Kshama Sagar Barik

Camera Attendant - Sagar

Special Thanks - Master ji & Arun ji, Husnain, Jiwan

The TURBINE music video was directed, shot, and edited by longtime collaborator Tito, with cinematography by Ayush. Sijya has also incorporated the visual themes of the release into her live performances, including a set built with Mumbai-based designer Kanika Gupta for her appearance at Lollapalooza India.

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