Interview with Miss Wootten.

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Throughout the past year of living in this crazy city, I have continually been surrounded by inspiration. It can be overwhelming at times. Almost every person I have met has been incredibly talented in one form or another. Wether it be photography, writing, dance, acting, etc. Point is everyone is so god damn artsy and I love it. One special soul in particular I have been lucky enough to meet is young woman with an extremely powerful voice. The first time I met Nisha Wootten was at house party. It was the middle of the summer and she walked in with multicolored paint all over her face, she looked just like the joker from Batman. She was sitting across the room by herself, just observing me from a far. I have to admit this was slightly intimidating. We eventually spoke at the end of the night, she came across as very sophisticated and mature. She called me the next week and invited me over. This was when I heard her sing. She began to play the piano and then her voice came in. My heart started beating, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She sounded like an old jazz singer from the 1920s.

This past year she has been torn between dreams. She is half Indian and wants to venture to India this summer to meet her family and discover more about herself. At the same time, musical dreams have been fighting with her need for security. She wanted to be a lawyer, then a musician and now a nurse. Never the less her talent is obvious and I strongly believe she has the ability to succeed. I sat her down and asked her a few questions about her love for music.

When did you start playing piano and singing?
I started playing piano when I was nine. I was going to Face and my mother immediately enrolled me in piano classes. As for singing, it has always been there. Ever since I was little I would make silly little songs.

What kind of music do you love? What has inspired you over the years?
I went through different phases of genres throughout my life so far. From early on, I remember listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Ravi Shankar and Stevie Wonder. There was always Hindi songs and other Indian artists playing in the house. When I searched for music later, it was mostly 1960s and 70s Rock n Roll like Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and The Beatles. Bob Marley, Carly Simon and Carole King were other artists I enjoyed. My musical taste then progressed to heavy metal and different kind of Rock like System of a down, Nirvana, Metallica, Box Car Racer, Blink 182, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.Then it was disco and electronic sounds. Many parties I went to played transcendent beats. Come to think of it, I can't specify any bands; they were all scattered, temporary and different.

Do you create your own songs?
There are periods in my life where I love to write songs. I have accumulated a few, around 15 or so. Right now I haven't been in that zone lately but the act of music is always a benefactor to the mind. We should not deny ourselves when the sound is there somewhere in your mind.

What do you love most about music?
Music calms me down. When I play the piano I have no worries, I am completely relaxed. It is something I do for myself. It can be therapeutic to the brain. Music is one aspect of art that directly stimulates our emotions through the ears.