Indira May: Blending Jazz, Electronic, and Personal Struggles into a Unique Sound

With a voice that seamlessly blends jazz tones and contemporary influences, independent artist Indira May is carving out a distinct place in the music scene. Based in St Leonards-On-Sea, her latest project, Disconnected, gained traction with BBC Radio 6’s Jamz Supernova, who had the “EP on loop” and named Indira an 'Artist Spotlight' for 2023. Her new singles, *don’t feed the sharks* and *childsplay*, from her upcoming EP Imaginary Problems, continue to captivate audiences, tackling both personal and universal themes. From dance music collaborations to heartfelt ballads, Indira May is an artist on the rise, bringing innovation and authenticity to every track.

1. Your sound combines elements from jazz, electronic, and dance music. How did you develop this unique fusion, and how have artists like Radiohead, Billie Holiday, and Joni Mitchell influenced your songwriting?

I’ve been experimenting with my sound for quite a while now. My roots have always been in jazz though. I grew up on a lot of jazz. My Dad was always playing people like Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Dave Brubeck, Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Billie Holiday. I had a singing teacher back in secondary school who used to let me bunk off PE and sing jazz standards. I love the improvisational side of jazz - the freedom and unpredictability. As I’ve gotten older, my tastes have broadened. I got into electronic music and started going to house/techno/garage events and also started recording vocal hooks on people’s dance tunes. Through this I realised that I could also mix jazz and electronic elements within my own music. I recently released an EP with an artist/producer called Saffron which is a mix of hip-hop, jazz, soul and electronic elements. We also drew a lot of inspiration from bands such as Radiohead, especially with the more trippy samples and guitar sounds. Since creating that project, I definitely feel like I’ve started to hone my sound more as an artist. 

 2. ‘childsplay' delves into your personal experience with endometriosis. How has navigating life with a chronic illness shaped your music, and what message do you hope listeners take away from this track?

The last few years have been pretty wild. Since I’ve received my diagnosis and also since my condition has progressed, my life now looks very different. Endometriosis has shaped the way I navigate a lot of things, including my music career. I can’t get out of the house as much as I would like and socialising has become difficult.

Trying to be an independent artist in the music industry comes with a lot of challenges already. Being chronically ill has added another layer of complexity and has definitely affected how I approach things such as touring, sessions, networking, productivity levels. The silver lining is that I have a lot to write about. It’s definitely made me realise how inaccessible the creative industries actually are for the disabled community. I’m definitely not going to let chronic illness stop me from creating and releasing music though. If there was one message people could take away from ‘childsplay’, it would be that no matter how others decide to perceive you or how many labels people try to put on you, your strength lies within you living as the most authentic version of yourself. Sometimes, just being yourself is the radical act.

 3. You've recently started learning to engineer and produce your own music. How has this journey into production influenced your creative process, and what new directions are you excited to explore in your upcoming projects?

Yes! I’ve just finished a production course and it was so useful. I’m a songwriter at heart and I write things either in my head, on the guitar or on the piano. I’m really looking forward to experimenting properly and really delving into mixing jazz and electronic elements more. I think being able to produce will bring me a lot of positives, including complete creative freedom and also to be able to communicate more effectively in sessions with other musicians and producers - it’s almost like a form of musical communication. I’m mainly looking forward to spiralling into a creative rabbit hole and making more music on my own. It’s another tool in the tool box, especially with the electronic stuff I want to experiment with.

4. Your collaboration with Saffron on the 'Disconnected' project gained significant attention, including from BBC Radio 6. How did this collaboration come about, and how did it help shape your musical evolution?

We were really grateful for all the support on that project, especially from Jamz Supernova, who in my eyes is an absolute icon. Anyone who DJs with their baby strapped to them deserves instant respect. Me and Saffron met a few years ago on a music video shoot that I was running for another artist. We bonded over similar music tastes and the rest was history. Our working relationship consists of staying up until the early hours of the morning, cooking extravagant meals (mainly noodles) and making tunes in our bedrooms until our brains feel like they don’t function anymore. We have this creative synergy that I really value. Saffron is one of the main producers who has inspired me to start my own journey with production. I’m really excited to link up with her later on this year and start making new music.

 5. You've worked with a range of artists and producers in the dance music scene, including Jaded and Skelecta. How do these collaborations impact your sound, and what can we expect from your upcoming work in this genre?

Electronic music has become more important to me over the last few years. I’ve loved working with JADED and Skelecta. Making dance music is fun and playful. Since making more of it, I now enjoy it more on nights out or whatever. I still adore live music though - jazz bands, big horn sections, electric guitars. In terms of my upcoming work, I think I’m more interested in blending the two. I’m really loving artists like Wesley Joseph, James Blake, ELIZA and the new Corinne Bailey Rae stuff is wild. She’s so cool. I’m also learning to DJ at the moment, so maybe I’ll lean more into making dance orientated tunes. I don’t like to plan these things too much. I create and then make sense of things if you know what I mean..