Biography

Snatam Kaur is one of the most popular New Age artists of our
time, selling over 70,000 albums a year. Snatam Kaur’s albums
have topped New Age Retailer’s Top 20 lists every year since
2004. She was the only artist to have 3 albums in the Top 20 in a
single year. Her albums have consistently ranked in the top 20 in
both Indie New Age and Indie World Music on Amazon throughout
2009 and 2010. Her music can be heard around the world in
venues from yoga studios to schools to Hollywood films and in
the homes of her fans worldwide. An International phenomenon,
her music has reached every corner of the globe from North
America, Europe, Asia, and South America to Africa and the
South Pacific, one fan spoke for all when he said, “We come to
Snatam’s concerts to experience the beautiful atmosphere her
voice creates, to heal and grow.”
You’ll find enthusiastic press about Snatam’s music everywhere
from the Houston Chronicle to the Hindustan Times. She’s also
been featured on the cover of new age publications such as the
Light Connection and the Body Mind Spirit Guide. Snatam Kaur,
whose father was a manager for the Grateful Dead, has an amazing
ability to transform traditional chants into a contemporary sound
that appeals to the modern ear yet awakens an ancient yearning
in the soul. Sacred Sounds Radio calls her music “spiritually
uplifting and deeply soul cleansing.” Ram Dass, celebrated
author of Be Here Now, says that “in Snatam’s voice...there is
purity, clarity, and love.” Snatam’s CDs Prem, Shanti, Grace,
Anand, LIVE In Concert, Feeling Good Today! and Liberation’s
Door are setting the industry standard for excellence in new age
sacred music.
Dressed in distinctive Sikh clothing, Snatam Kaur embodies
the Sikh message of strength through inner serenity. She is an
ambassador for 3HO (a United Nations affiliate), and is deeply
committed to supporting the U.N.’s Peace Resolution through
her ongoing Sacred Chant Tour. She brings music, yoga and
meditation to the communities she visits, as well as to hospices,

juvenile detention centers, and schools she visits along the way.

 

 INTERVIEW

1) What is the inspiration for your music?
I see my music as simply a vehicle for the sacred mantras of the Sikh and Kundalini Yoga tradition. The inspiration for my music comes from my own transformation that these sacred mantras have brought into my life.  My teacher Yogi Bhajan who essentially taught me these mantras and how to experience them in a deep way believed that these mantras should be available to as many people as possible for the healing of the human psyche.  I feel that I am serving this mission with my life's work.

2) How does your yoga and spiritual life shape your music?
Every day I practice yoga and meditation because I love to.  It helps to keep me clear and centered and in touch with my spirit.  This is important because with the sacred mantras that we chant all of it comes from a place of Spirit.  In fact there seems to be a Divine Spirit that guides me in the creation of the music and with my whole life. I feel shaped by this Spirit and my music feels shaped by this Spirit as well.

3) Tell us how the practice of kirtan/spiritual music can become part of the life of a women doing yoga and the benefits of this practice?
For women doing yoga, Kirtan or spiritual music is really important and essential. Kirtan gives you what is called " Ras" which means the nectar of God's Name.  It is the sweetness of devotion, in is the wreckless abandon that brings you into your heart, it is the surrender that allows you to open the door to your spirit.  To me Kirtan can bring you into a depth of your yoga practice that would otherwise take many years or even lifetimes.  

4) What do you learn from your music that teaches you about your daily life- please give examples.
In music you can never push things.  In the creative process you have to be patient and wait for tunes to come to you, wait for fellow musicians to come and collaborate with you, wait for the right environments and circumstances for the music to flow.  Every note is a gift from the Creator.  It does not come by your will, but only by Divine Will.  To me, life is like this too.  All that we do only happens by Divine Will, and that which flows is a gift.  When it does not flow....wait....it will soon if you listen to all of your cues.


5) As a woman musician where do you garner your creativity, strength and endurance from?
My creativity comes from the Divine.  I take no responsibility.  I have no clever tips to offer to you, be it man or woman.  All that I can say is that tapping into your creativity takes opening your heart.  The more we do it, the more we develop the muscle of opening the heart.  It never becomes easier though.  You just see the signs and know that your heart is about to open and you go into your creative expression.


6) How do you find balance in your life?
My balance comes from two places.  The first is my daily spiritual practice, and the second is from my husband's daily spiritual practice!  We really balance each other out all of the time!  We are fortunate to have each other and to both be committed to our spiritual growth.  My teacher Yogi Bhajan once said, " we are not human beings here to have a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings here to have a human experience.". I totally believe this.  Once I am in touch with my spirit I am automatically in balance again.  My husband and I practice yoga and chanting daily.  I love it and highly recommend it to everyone.