Born and raised in Venezuela, steeped in the ancient traditions of the East and traveling the world sharing her powerful message: Dhanya is the female voice of the conscious music scene we’ve been waiting for.
Daughter of two-time Latin Grammy winner, Ilan Chester, Dhanya was playing piano and singing harmonies to Beatles songs when she was a toddler. A self-professed music nerd, her gift for poetry and singing blossomed in early childhood and gave her a voracious appetite for music of all genres. Her parents infused her with the teachings of the Bhakti tradition, opening her ears and heart to the devotional sounds of kirtan, qawwali, gospel and other spiritual music styles. As a teen, Dhanya gravitated toward the burgeoning Venezuelan underground electronic music scene, expanding her influences into the experimental and technical genres. Seeking to deepen her spiritual practice, she spent time living in West Bengal, India where she studied Vedic literature and kirtan.
Back in the US, Dhanya began touring and recording with the acclaimed kirtan group, Mayapuris; performing with them across 6 continents and hundreds of musical festivals, yoga studios and theaters. Together, they shared the stage with renowned musicians such as MC Yogi, Jai Uttal, Krishna Das, Michael Franti, Nakho and Medicine for the People, among many others. These experienced opened Dhanya up to the conscious music movement that was bridging ancient wisdom with popular song. She experienced first-hand that audiences were thirsting for real artistry and meaningful messages in music, igniting her desire to craft spiritually-charged sounds. In a predominantly male conscious genre, Dhanya’s radiant voice, bold lyrics and innovative sound clear the way for her strong feminine perspective.
Dhanya co-produced her self-titled debut (out 2/2/18) with acclaimed artists Robin Livingston, Ben Leinbach and Mayapuris, and the album features MC Yogi and renowned lyricist Bali Rico. Her soulful alt-pop aesthetic is counterbalanced with gritty electronic influences and Eastern instrumentation, including the mridanga drum, bansuri flute and esraj. Her sound marries East and West, modern and classical, speaking to her expansive musical range. Complex harmonies and uncommon time signatures are commonplace, and Sanskrit verses intermingle with visceral poetry. “My lungs will sift the soil, filter water through my bones. All my organs like an organ with a hundred sacred tones” she sings over the 7-beat pattern of “Lesson.”
It is deeply exploratory album, as if Bjork collaborated with Ibeye and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.Yet amidst the collection of mystical soundscapes, there remains a constant focus on Dhanya’s soaring vocals, which exhibit a personalized and exotic emotional range. “As an instrument, the voice is alchemical,” Dhanya asserts. “It has the potential to transform all feelings and experience into sound.”
Her debut release has already received accolades and exceptional critical acclaim, being featured on AXS.com, Songwriting Magazine, Women on Air; as well as her hit single, ‘Fire’ being voted #1 Top Conscious Music Song on Soul Traveller Radio.
