Priya Ragu: Culture, Authenticity and Collective Liberation
Meet Priya Ragu, a Sri Lankan-Tamil singer-songwriter bringing her blend of second-generation musical innovations to a global stage. Born and raised in Switzerland, Priya’s early influences were rooted in jazz and neo-soul. However, her journey took a turn in 2017 with a collaboration with her brother, producer Japhna Gold. Together they embarked on the goal to create music that is vibrant, culturally infused and unmistakably authentic to themselves. The resulting sound was not only bouncy and energetic, it also resonated with the multifaceted experiences of the South Asian diaspora, making their songs a celebration of culture, heritage and identity. Despite being surrounded by music growing up in a Tamil household and community, it took a leap of faith to find her voice and believe in her artistry. Breaking into the professional music scene in her 30s, Priya left behind a stable job at Zurich Airlines to pursue her passion — a decision that paid off with the release of “Good Love 2.0”, in 2020 from her mixtape EP damnshe’stamil. What started as a curiosity — an itch she just had to scratch — developed quickly into a full-blown and full-on career as a musician, a path she’d never deemed possible. Perhaps this is why her debut album, Santosham, is a testament to self-love and perseverance, reflecting her commitment to staying true to herself while not losing sight of the collective vision.
On the eve of her departure for her first North American tour, I caught up with Priya over Zoom. In between the flurry of packing, she and I candidly discuss the influence of culture in making music in the diaspora, the importance of forging your own path and following your gut, and the emotional weight of releasing an album during a globally dark time. She shares her spiritual process of art making, her hopes for the future, and her gratitude for the increasing recognition for marginalised artists.
Our conversation takes a poignant turn when we delve into her experience writing the heavy-hitting track “Black Goose,” a response to the murder of George Floyd. Priya speaks passionately about channelling rage and grief into her music, using it as a powerful means to speak her truth, convey a message and navigate through pain. Her work embodies a deep respect for resilience, courage and transformation— qualities she strives to inspire and reflect in others through her music.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Chantelle Gomez @_chantellegomez
PHOTOGRAPHY ASST: Heidi Morell @didi_morelll
STYLIST: Brutus Labiche @brutuslabiche
MAKEUP ARTIST: Nicola Fischer @nicolanikitafischer
RUNNER: Cornelia Heid
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Rhona Ezuma @roena
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Sol Rei @nowosnika
MODEL: Priya Ragu @priyaraguofficial
Roshni Riar: Priya, I’m curious to hear about your experience growing up in Switzerland as a Sri Lankan Tamil child. What was the community and sense of cultural connection like for you?
Priya Ragu: I was born and raised in Switzerland, and my parents were one of the first ones who came to Switzerland from the [Sri Lankan Civil] war. So, the community was very small at that time. Back then, there was no such thing as a community gathering, per se. During that time, people would be like, “Hey, I'm cooking, everybody come to my house.” And that’s what it was like. And music, it all kind of brought us together.
My father played tabla [hand drums], and he’d invite all his friends and my mother's friends over and they would just jam together on some old songs by musicians like Ilyaraja and Deva. And my brother would play the keyboard. I was too young to participate, but as far as I can remember, it was a very joyful time, because everybody was having a good time. And it really felt like home, even though they weren't all my relatives. I'm happy that I was able to experience that, you know?
RR: Absolutely. Looping back to your growing up in a musical household, where did that musicality come from, and how did it evolve over time?
PR: I didn't really grow up with traditional music. My father loved to sing, and he loved to play but he never formally learned music anywhere because he didn't have those opportunities back then. He told me that he joined jam sessions in Jaffna [Sri Lanka] but he was always very cautious because of the civil war that had started, so it wasn’t easy for him to just go sing on stage. He just told me that recently, actually, so I never knew that side of him. It's beautiful that he brought that with him when he came to Switzerland. Our family was also one of the first ones that played at weddings, events, and other Tamil gatherings so I feel like we also inspired a lot of other Tamil kids back then to sing in their families and try performing, too.
RR: I love that you all performed for your community in that way. So when you started making music, did you always work with your brother, Japhna Gold? How did that partnership come to be?
PR: That came later on. I never really did music in my twenties. I did some backing vocals for other artists, or I went to jam sessions and open mics, but I never really wrote my own songs because I didn't have the confidence to create my own music, so I was suppressing that voice within me. I thought I’d keep music as a hobby and keep my 9 to 5, safe job at Swiss Airlines, where I had a good income; I didn’t want to risk that and be a full-time musician. I was too rational. I was listening to my mind more than to what my spirit was saying, so it took me a while to recognise that other voice.
So, in my early 30s, I hit a point where I decided I was going to quit my job and go to New York. I only had one goal, which was to write 10 songs, and then come back to Switzerland and start working for Swiss Airlines again. I never wanted to make a living out of it or anything; it was more of a goal for myself. And that’s when I started working with my brother. We realised: You're a producer. I'm a singer. It can't be a coincidence. Why don't we just try working on one or two songs together? So, we did that and the first song, ‘Leaf High’ from the ‘damnshestamil’ project, we sent it to the national radio station, SRF3, the biggest in Switzerland. And right away, they invited us for an interview and from there, momentum started. It didn't take a long time. This was during the pandemic in 2020. It felt like something was waiting for me to actually do the work.
I also never thought about releasing music internationally; I was just thinking about Switzerland. But you're more successful if you do Swiss German music, because if it's in English, then people would rather listen to music from the UK or the US. I felt like the possibilities were so small for me, but I still did it, so I’m very happy about that…
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