Sharada Shashidhar Announces A Foot on the Ground, Shares New Single “Arches”

 

L.A.-based vocalist, composer, and producer Sharada Shashidhar returns with “Arches,” a luminous new single that heralds her forthcoming LP A Foot on the Ground, out June 5 via Colorfield Records. Recorded at Lucy’s Meat Market studio with producer Pete Min, the album features a dynamic cast of collaborators including Benny Bock, Mark Guiliana, and Devin Daniels, and continues Shashidhar’s boundary-blurring journey through jazz, experimental music, and alternative R&B.

“An amazing singer, a bit like the jazz Kate Bush.” — Gilles Peterson

“With Indian classical influences… a reflective journey with few stylistic precedents.” — MOJO

“A deliciously woozy waltz pitched somewhere between Stevie Wonder and Minnie Riperton.” — Uncut

“There’s a quality… that borders on ethereal.” — Bandcamp Daily

With A Foot on the Ground, Shashidhar builds on the acclaim of her 2024 release Soft Echoes, further refining a voice that feels both rooted and unbound. Her music draws deeply from jazz and Indian classical traditions, yet resists easy categorization, unfolding instead as a fluid, exploratory sound world shaped by instinct, collaboration, and a willingness to embrace the unknown.

“Arches,” the album’s lead single, emerged organically. “It took shape from a preexisting backdrop of chords and drums I had played,” Shashidhar explains. “I then had an unusually free-flowing string of lyrics in a moment of solitude, and with the creative Udo additions from Benny, pieced together my favorite song on the record.” The result is a piece that feels intimate yet expansive, anchored by her multi-layered harmonies and the subtle interplay between acoustic and electronic textures.

Recorded over two years at Lucy’s Meat Market in Los Angeles, A Foot on the Ground captures an artist in transition—stepping into new creative roles, experimenting with unfamiliar tools, and reshaping her approach to songwriting. Working closely with Pete Min, Shashidhar learned to loosen her grip on perfectionism, instead embracing spontaneity and the hidden musicality in every idea, even those that initially felt uncertain or incomplete.

The album’s process was deeply collaborative and intentionally open-ended. Rather than adhering to a fixed vision, Shashidhar and her collaborators—both longtime peers and new contributors—allowed each session to unfold naturally, following whatever felt most compelling in the moment. The result is a collection of songs that feel alive with possibility, moving between styles not to demonstrate range, but to resist creative confinement.

Her voice acts as the connective thread throughout—sometimes delivering intricate, composed melodies, other times drifting freely in wordless improvisation. It’s a presence that feels both grounding and otherworldly, equally at home in structure and abstraction.

Shashidhar describes the album as “a documentation of instinct and a challenge to mentally free herself” from past expectations. That sense of liberation is palpable across the record, which she hopes will leave listeners feeling both comforted and inspired. “I want it to excite someone into trying something new,” she says. “If they listen again, they hear something completely different.”

With A Foot on the Ground, Sharada Shashidhar doesn’t just expand her sound—she redefines her creative process, crafting a vivid, immersive listening experience that rewards curiosity and openness.