It is rare that I discover a new musician by watching a 20-minute live performance straight out of the box. This is how I discovered India-born, UK-based composer Cephas Azariah. He has composed music for various brands and media outlets but Cephas is now embarking on his solo career, with his debut album ‘Joy Paradox’ out now.
Borrowing from modern classical contemporaries, Azariah uses the piano as a base for his music but merges it with modern technology and synths to create long trails of ephemeral tinkles and vast, expansive bleeps and bloops. Add on some restrained cello and violin and you have a beautifully emotive sound. The mix of the organic and synthetic could be seen as a comment on Cephas’ life.
“This project is all about these cultural intersections that repeatedly come up in life. I often find myself at a crossroads, unsure of who I am, and being at peace is difficult when you just don’t know where you fit. I’m brown, I live in the UK, I write a predominantly white genre of music. Then there’s family background, heritage, language – it all comes into it. Now I understand that I will constantly live at an intersection, and that’s okay.”
Cephas Azariah on his music and life philosophy
Enjoy the spellbinding performance of five tracks from his debut album ‘Joy Paradox’ below. It kicks off with the title track which is the new single. It is one of those performances that is elegant, understated and wholesome. For more information on all things Cephas Azariah, visit his website.
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