ARTIST SESSION #17: Between Two Worlds - Sparklmami (US) on Reclaiming Identity, Blending Cultures, and Finding Her Voice

By Akriti and Shashwat Hota

Sparklmami is an artist who defies easy categorisation, crafting music that’s as layered and complex as her personal story. Half Indian, half Mexican, and raised in Texas, based in Chicago for the last decade, her sound weaves together the rhythms of Mexican Bolero, the groove of Funk, and the improvisational spirit of Jazz. Her recent single, "fajas" marks a turning point in her career—a track that blends raw emotion with bold experimentation. Sparklmami has experienced a rise to prominence – a viral moment on TikTok, a cosign from Clairo, and a BBC radio feature with Benji B and Gilles Peterson have all been key milestones – but the heart of her music lies in her journey of self-discovery.

Raised in a Mexican household, Sparklmami didn’t meet her Indian father until she was 27, a life-changing moment that has deeply influenced her art. Her upcoming album In This Body – executive produced in collaboration with Eddie Burns and William Corduroy – will explore this blend of cultural identities. Her intuitive and improvisational approach to music allows her to channel the complexities of life, love, and identity into her work. With a band of collaborators who’ve worked with Frank Ocean, Omar Apollo, and Dominic Fike, Sparklmami is carving out a space in music that’s truly her own—an artist who continues to redefine herself with every song.

Shashwat Hota: Growing up, what kind of music did you listen to in your home? What did you like listening to? 

Sparklmami: I listened to a lot of Corridos, Norteños, and Cumbias, just being around my family. A lot of Bolero music from my aunts and uncles. My mom collected CDs. She was a music head, for sure. I remember her cleaning the house late at night, she had insomnia, and she would just be blasting Alice DeeJay - “Do you think you're better off alone?” I'm six years old, like, “Fuck yeah!! I think I am!” Also a lot of Spanish rock, and a lot of electronic music through my family. Spending the summers in Chicago, a lot of Chicago House. I didn't really get into jazz music until I was in college, through an ex boyfriend.

Shashwat: What story do you want to tell through your upcoming album ‘In This Body’? 

Sparklmami: ‘‘In This Body’ is me really just reclaiming my voice and my body. The story I'm trying to tell through this album is an introduction; it's me introducing myself to the world more than a story itself. But I think each song has nuances of my complex experience, and it taps into my relationship with my body, complicated familial relationships, heartbreak, grief, pain, desire, the lack of desire, the want for desire, love, things like that.

Shashwat: The Jazz-influenced arrangement in ‘Fajas’ is the reason the song feels so fresh and interesting, and the use of spoken words and the solo only add to its beauty. Can you take us through the composition and writing process for your songs? 

Sparklmami: Every song begins with Eddie on the piano. I sing, and we just go back and forth. I’ll sing my way through building a chord progression together. Once we have something that feels good, we record a demo, then bring it into Corduroy & we lay down a recording of the song with keys, bass, and drums and add additional solos & vocal arrangements afterwards. William Corduroy was very instrumental in the process of making this project; he also produced and mixed the record. Lyrics are what comes last usually. All the spoken word bits on the album were just off the top, so I didn't pre-write that. Writing those songs was a very intuitive process.

Shashwat: What sonic soundscape will listeners be treated to with ‘In This Body’? 

Sparklmami: I'm drawing a lot of influence from 70s Brazilian Funk and Jazz and a lot of Mexican Bolero, Soul, and Experimental Jazz. You know, me going insane and releasing my subconscious (laughs). I think this project is my confessional subconscious. That's what it is.

Shashwat: What importance does improvisation play in your music-making process and while you are performing? 

Sparklmami: As I mentioned, my approach to making music is very intuitive and improvisational, which lends itself to being disabled. Moving through a world that doesn’t consider disabled folks has forced me to improvise my way through life. I’m met with obstacles in my day-to-day life, such as just doing mundane, simple tasks – whether that be figuring out how to unload groceries or closing the car door with one arm, or you know, having taught myself how to ride a bike when I was six years old, or having taught myself how to tie my shoes, tie my hair, and braid my hair. As a very little kid, I think those were very formative moments that gave me the sense of doing it myself, trusting myself, and improvising my way through things. So, I think when I re-approached music, that skill lent itself there naturally. My intuition seems to physically and metaphysically make its way into my life. I think improvising is also just a very spiritual practice. I'm able to just do the thing.

Shashwat: Can we expect any other explorations of your South Asian identity in your work now or later? 

Sparklmami: Definitely. I think it'll make its debut in the next album for sure. I’m trying to reconnect to something that I’ve been disconnected from for so long. I think, again, it’s exploring the grief that comes with having not been raised within South Asian culture. With the next project, I’m trying to re-imagine my lineage and create that world, imagining what it would have been like had I grown up in that space.

Check out the HIVEWIRE playlist by Akriti - The Hive

One 'The Hive' is where our diverse team shares new music and trends from emerging markets. New additions this week:

TUNNEL VISION - Talwiinder

Alag Sa Andaaz - Blal Bloch

Uvalo - Usimamane

guava - jazzgroupiez

KUDOS - Blue Pappi

Interesting reads from last week from Shashwat:

>>> Welcome To The Post-Feature World | Tatiana Cirisano | Midia Research

The world is becoming a more homogenous market than ever before. Phones, music streaming platforms, and social media apps all look the same and provide the same features. Similarly, in the music industry, artists are faced with challenge of homogeneity in the distribution space where other than distribution companies, labels, and even production software's are providing distribution services containing marketing tools; The choice is made based on price and familiarity while the service differentiators are based on the people working in the companies and not the technology. 

>>>  Macron calls for fairer music streaming model after France imposes 'music streaming tax' | Mandy Dalugdug | Music Business Worldwide 

France implemented a 1.2% tax on the subscription and ad-generated revenues of the big players in the streaming industry, which wasn’t received well by the same. While Deezer’s former CEO predicted a negative impact on the French music scene, Spotify increased its subscription rates and disinvested from music festivals. Macron’s government sees the issue of smaller artists not getting paid for their work while big names take up a significant share of the streaming royalties. If appropriately implemented, their solution can be used by other markets to promote a fairer deal for artists in their region. 

>>>  Nigeria is the 6th Largest Music Exporting Country in the World | Tochi Louis | The Jollof Diary

Nigeria has grown into a global music powerhouse that sits on the sixth spot in the music export rankings, with Afrobeats, which has become one of the most followed genres around the world. Sitting only behind the U.S., Colombia, Puerto Rico, the U.K., and South Korea, this surge in popularity means not only a cultural boost for Nigeria but also an economic catalyst. As music is used to educate people globally about their sound and culture, it will also help boost sectors like tourism, media, and fashion.

Hivewire is an independent music industry publication launched in June 2023 by Srishti Das and supported by Akriti, Shashwat Hota and Yatin Srivastava. This dynamic newsletter offers a unique perspective on the music industry, focusing on emerging markets and the rapidly growing music cultures gradually making their mark globally.