Pragya launched the full-length album Queerism with a brand new single, “Queer It Up,” which aspires to be an LGBTQIA+ anthem across countries and generations.
Indian Lesbian Singer-Songwriter Pragya Pallavi released her much-anticipated debut album Queerism on May 17, 2019— The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
Queerism is apparently the first LGBTQI+ themed album by an openly queer artist to release in India since the 2018 historic Supreme Court judgement decriminalized same-sex relationships.
Pragya’s eclectic and multi-genre album is dedicated to LGBTQI+ people in India and all over the world. She inaugurated this album with her fifth single, the LGBTQI+ Disco anthem, “Queer it Up.”
Pragya is a singer/songwriter, musician, percussionist and performer who is classically trained as a Hindustani vocalist. She identifies as a gender fluid lesbian. Her first musical album, Queerism, is inspired by both her diverse musical influences and her life experiences and social conscience as a queer person in India.
The 9 track album, Queerism, features songs in English and Hindi, each in a different genre. This ultimately pop-oriented offering invokes a variety of styles, including jazz, folk music, hip hop, disco, funk, Indian fusion, Indian rock, EDM, dancehall and moombahton. The album features collaborations with National Award-winning sound engineer K.J. Singh, International DJ and “Mother of Electronica” Ma Faiza, DJ Lolly, Deepa Vasudevan, Dena Gorilik and Sanjay Kumar.
Thematically the songs cover many aspects of queer life and other social issues. There are songs about queer love and celebration, social justice and the need to stand up for rights, women’s empowerment, suicide prevention and global warming.
The songs are a celebration of the legal and other victories of queer movements, in India and around the world. She saw that LGBTQIA+ individuals still suffer from social discrimination and marginalization. She said, “We are free human beings and we should celebrate ourselves and our existence. Like everyone else, we have the right to be happy.” The music video for “Queer It Up” features Pragya and other queer and trans people.
Pragya has been featured and interviewed on the prestigious Jeremy Vine talk show on BBC Radio 2, and BBC Asian Network. Her music is on rotation on a number of UK radio shows.
She has received positive coverage from LGBTQI international press such as Pink News, Gay Times and Gay Star News, as well as being covered in a variety of international music blogs.
Pragya says, “I am a person who is not confined to any single genre, nationality, religion or gender. I want to bring together Indian and western, contemporary and traditional musical influences in a way that all types of people can relate to. I know songs have the power to create a movement, this is my attempt at being that voice for LGBTIQ persons across the world”
“It was such a joy to work on a track with Pragya on her album Queerism. Pragya is such a talented singer and I loved many of the different styles she has explored on this album, showcasing her diverse influences and her writing skills. Queerism celebrates all the queer community, expressing our struggles and our joys and helping to unify in all of us our queerness. Its been truly inspiring to be a small part of such a pioneering project. This is India’s first queer album and Pragya deserves all the success and appreciation,” Ma Faiza, the Internationally Renowned DJ, Collaborator for “We are LGBTQI- The Pride Anthem,” said.