Born and raised in New Delhi, India, Shivani is a multi-disciplinary artist, singer-songwriter, author and composer whose work weaves together genres, cultural identities, and emotions. Her work aims to break tradition-based boundaries and is inspired by a blend of storytelling, aesthetics, and spirituality.
Shivani has trained in Hindustani Classical music for twenty years and currently focuses on vilambit khyal, a deep and meditative form of classical music that evokes peace and reflection through melodic improvisations. Shivani has also studied piano at Trinity College London and performed widely across New Delhi and London at venues like the Indian High Commission, Southbank Centre and SOAS University and festivals like All Points East. She has collaborated with prominent producers and vocalists like Bombay Mami, with her music featured on platforms such as NTS Radio, Voices Radio and BBC Introducing, where she was named Artist of the Week. Shivani's pop releases have also been covered in publications like Eastern Eye, Notion, Earmilk, Dominasian Magazine, Pop Passion, Music News, Lock Magazine and Rotate Magazine, where she was named Artist to Watch.
Shivani is also a poet, with her debut poetry book To the Homes that We Are sold internationally and housed at The Common Press in Shoreditch, where she has also appeared as a guest artist. Her poetry has been widely read at festivals and exhibitions, printed in magazines and shared in universities in the UK, where she currently lives.
Photographer: -
Ethnicity: Indian
Location: London (UK)
Instagram: @shivanisenmusic
GET TO KNOW - completed April 2025
3 words to describe you:
Spiritual, creative, resilient
Describe your sound:
etherial, classical, pop, soulful, spiritual, melody-heavy, raga-infused
Describe the moment you knew that you wanted to pursue music:
Being the lead singer of a class choir in second grade (probably even sooner when I started learning Indian classical at 4 years old, but the firm decision came after the lead singer moment!) .
How does your heritage impact your art?
Being born and brought up in India and learning Hindustani classical music from gurus in Delhi, I have only ever known the meditative spiritual world of classical music, as a student. While I was always surrounded by Western pop and rock, as a singer, I would process, feel and sing those sounds with an Indian classical touch. Moving to London 3 years ago and now releasing my music inspired by Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams and Billie Eilish, I am always conscious about bringing artists like Shobha Mudgal, Kaushiki Chakraborty and Naina Devi in all the work that I put out, especially when introducing Indian culture through my music in the West.
My heritage is predominantly my art, and everything else is a chosen aesthetic to enhance and beautify it further.
What moment are you most proud of in your music journey so far?
Featuring on BBC Introducing Asian Network as their Artist of the Week with the first song I ever wrote and released;
Your next music goal:
Releasing my debut album featuring nature sounds, my poetry, my hometown in India, all while heavily blending my training in pure classical morning ragas with western pop.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who and why?
Fred Again and Nitin Sawhney - 2 very different genres, but in my mind, they live together. Both artists have a very unique sense of melody and use storytelling and feeling as the base of any composition, building on this base. In both their works, I find emotions of nostalgia and melancholy very prevalent, and that's right up my alley! I know I'd be able to add to their brief beautifully <3
Lyrics you live by:
"You're on your own kid, you can face this"
(You're On Your Own, Kid - Taylor Swift)
3 songs you're listening to right now:
O Yara - Abdul Hannan, Kaavish
Manipura - Kula Kriya
The Call I Never Made - Shivani Sen
Your community shout out:
Vishnu Vijayan - the most amazing tabla player, band member and friend
Anything else you'd like to share:
Though shared above, I am also a published author. The art that I create is less genre-specific and more based on the stories I want to tell, whether that is through poetry, photography or music making. As a poet, my book is sold across stores in East London, shared at festivals across the UK, discussed at the University of Brighton and exhibited at Rich Mix, London.
