Glowing accolades have followed New York-born, Tamil Nadu-raised singer Ganavya since her debut. The Wall Street Journal has described her as “among modern music's most compelling vocalists”; the New York Times says the singer’s “work feels like prayer… with listeners hanging onto her every word”; and The Guardian put her 2024 LP in the year’s Top 10 Best Global Albums. The magic is in her voice, which plays beautifully off her long-time touring companions, bassist Max Ridley and harpist Charles Overton. Together they create a spiritual kind of ambient jazz blended with South Asian classical music. Ganavya has four graduate degrees in music, including from Berklee College of Music, UCLA and Harvard — but most of her childhood was spent away from school, dancing and singing on the pilgrimage trail, learning the storytelling art of harikathā and singing poetry. Her latest album Nilam was released in 2025.