On March 6, 2024, Indian-American artist Avara released her latest single “duck & roll”. The track starts with a dreamy sound, with Avara’s vocals being the perfect voice for this canvas.
With the neo-soul sound you can definitely hear the singer’s background being used in her music with the use of tabla sounding percussion which provides a fun Indo-Western fusion. This track is full of fun ear candy, like chimes and a telephone ringing FX which help bring the lyrics to life “We duck and roll, we're outta luck/ The doves are watching us above/ And I wanna know too/ How'd we get so cruel” helping provide the listener’s with a picture of a failing and stagnant relationship. I would recommend this track to listeners who enjoy other soulful R&B artists like Victoria Monet and Amaria.
The singer-songwriter hails from Atlanta, Georgia but currently resides in Los Angeles, California. With a classical Indian vocal training background, Avara uses her skills to set her apart from the western crowd by integrating it with an R&B sound, creating a fusion that although sounds flawless, is harder to achieve without rigorous years of training. “duck & roll” is the latest single to be released from the artist in anticipation for her debut EP, set to release some time in April. As a fellow brown woman, I am more than excited to see and hear sounds that encapsulate my being as both Indian and American and cannot wait to see how Avara continues to shine in a Western filled music industry.
Written by Ayesha Khahera