Pooja Prabakaran Interview

1. What is your name and your profession(s)?

Pooja Prabakaran, Koyal, Singer-Songwriter

2. What is your ethnic background and what is your citizenship?

I am Malayali, and I am a US citizen by birth.

3. Are either/both of your parents musicians or somehow involved in the music industry?

They are not trained musicians, but they enjoy singing. My dad sang lullabies to me as a child, and has a great voice. My mom would sing while driving and cooking. She enjoys adding improvisation to every tune, and it was rare that I would hear her sing a melody straight as it was written.

4. Please tell us a little bit about your experience, either growing up as an AAPI in America, or as a person of Asian descent who immigrated to America, whichever applies.

The first 8 years of my life were idyllic and spent in the California sunshine. I remember spending most of these days riding around the neighborhood on my bicycle, hiking in the redwoods, stopping by my Hispanic neighbor’s parties for incredible food, and raiding the library to read every book I could lay my hands on. I remember being obsessed with Q is for Quark by David M. Schwartz. My parents were part of a massive Indian community in the Bay Area of very ambitious and adventurous people. I attended Chinmaya Mission’s Balavihar regularly, a program to teach children about Hindu stories, traditions, and values. My first vocal teacher was 

Latha Sriram, and she helped me build a solid foundation in Carnatic music. Her son is Sid Sriram, who is a world renowned singer!

One day, my mom and dad decided that they missed their family too much and moved back to India. They thought it was a permanent move, and my whole world changed. There was a lot of culture shock (such as not being able to wear my mini skirts anymore), but I immediately found a community in depths I could have never imagined. Several of my relatives had homes on the same street, and I spent SO MUCH time in their homes, running over right after school. I would never call ahead, and a delicious meal plus snacks, sweets, and an evening of conversation, music, and entertainment always awaited me. I became very close with my grandparents and extended family during this time, and ate an inordinate amount of mangoes!!! I had several friends too, and we would play on the streets for hours. Everyone ate food that was cooked fresh each day, and vegetable vendors would come by our house every morning! 

Koyals would sing outside my window every morning, and I loved their music. A koyal is a small, jet-black Indian songbird that sings beautifully but is hard to spot. It’s a symbol of talent and humility, and I loved the memory and metaphor so much that I named my band after it years later. 

This recollection makes things sound perfect in India, but it wasn’t. The monsoon rains would flood our streets, and my school would close for a month. I witnessed vast wealth inequality, and the scars that colonization left on the country. On my way to school every day, I would pass by a boy my age who would dip tires in water to find where the air leaked out. He didn’t go to school. While the countryside had pristine air, the city where I lived had incredibly poor air quality. On my daily ride to school in my open air auto-rickshaw, I would press a handkerchief to my face to try and keep the dust and smoke away.

Because of these reasons, my parents decided to move our family back to the United States when I entered middle school. 

Now combine culture shock with the most awkward period of your life! I remember a volleyball game that my middle school co-ed team won. I wore a pink scarf to that game because I wanted to look fabulous, and I didn’t hit the ball once. The rest of my team carried the game, and a boy went over to every teammate to give them a congratulatory hug. All of a sudden, I had doubts about whether I was allowed to hug a boy as a 13-year-old Indian girl, and I started running. He chased after me, and we ended up running rounds all around the gymnasium as the whole school watched and burst into laughter!

I became a real nerd and made it to the state spelling bee, competed in every science and math club, and studied all the time. Believe it or not, my parents never pushed me to hit the books. I just really enjoyed reading, learning new things, making notes, and quizzing myself. When I wasn’t studying, I was training in tae kwon do and earned a black belt. I was also part of a tae kwon do traveling demo team, and for a while, martial arts was my favorite thing in the world!

In high school, I was one of the only Indian people in my class, and I didn’t think about my culture much. I wasn’t ashamed of it, but I also didn’t have anyone to share it with. In college, I met a lot of Indian people, but was too stressed out by my engineering classes to hang out. I spent all of my free time with my band, Koyal, which I named after the Indian songbirds from my childhood.

I finally went back to India this winter with my band, and introduced them to everyone I loved there. I was incredibly happy, grateful for the deep friendships I have built in the US, and heavy-hearted for the time I lost with my family. In the US, sometimes it feels like you have to prove how Indian you are. In India, you can just exist. 

5. How connected do you feel to your heritage/culture(s)?

I feel very connected to and proud of my culture. My family used to be matriarchal, and my email address has my matriarchal family’s name in it.

I have friends of all ethnicities, and a decent number of Indian friends. In LA, I love going to Manzil Game Night, a South Asian game night hosted by Manzil Coffee Co once a month.

I have a little prayer stand in my house. Some days, I walk by and nod at them as if I was saying “waz up?” and other days I actually pray. 

Some skills have been lost. My parents know which region a person is from in India based on their last name. I have no idea. I also didn’t pay attention to how my mom cooked sweets. I can’t cuss someone out in Malayalam.

6. 6a.) How did you get into music? Did you major in music in college? Where did you attend college/university (and grad school(s), if applicable) and in what subjects did you get your degree(s)?

I’ve been writing poetry all my life, and one day, my best friend asked me to sing one of my poems while he played piano. It lit a creative fire in me, and he joked that we should start a band. I took him quite seriously, and put together my band that week.

My band Koyal met at Georgia Tech while we were pursuing engineering degrees. We did music purely for fun back then. Open mics led to shows, shows led to a sold out festival we headlined and put on, that led to an east coast tour, which led to our first festival… 

6b.) When and how did you decide you were going to pursue music professionally? What were your parents’ reactions to you deciding to pursue music? Do they support your music career now?

Post graduation,a year into a full time engineering job, and hot off an east coast tour and festival, I decided to take a big risk and quit my job. My band packed up everything we owned in a car and moved from Atlanta to LA to pursue music!

My parents were STRESSED. They didn’t see many brown people being given chances in entertainment. Years before, I’d even had a high school drama teacher tell me that they didn’t have any roles for brown girls. I had always been studious, and my mom and dad worried that I was a late bloomer to a rebellious era, years after being a teen. 

Since then, my parents have come around after seeing the dedication that my bandmates and I have toward creating music and performing. They wish the best for us and also listen to my music every day (happy tears!). However, they’re still waiting for us to become commercially successful, haha!

7. What are a few of your (music) projects of which you are the proudest? What were your roles on those projects? Beyond those projects, please feel free to name some of your other credits as well as any brands/companies you officially endorse.

I am a singer songwriter in Koyal! In February 2025, we dropped our album “breathe in. breathe out” which has amassed 400k+ streams so far. Upon its release, the album received high praise from The Knockturnal, Pleaser Magazine, The LUNA Collective and more. The album was about meditating and being present in the feelings of self doubt, conviction, crushes, yearning for purpose, feeling unheard, feeling stifled, hopelessness, and triumph. I am especially proud of the final track on the album, “half alive,” which I wrote right before I quit my tech job. Back then, I didn’t have time to work on music and felt drained after every workday. I found myself desperately wishing for an ideal, alternate life where I could devote myself to music, and leave those long days energized and inspired for the next. I woke up one morning at 4 am with the song howling in my head, and reached around in the dark to grab my phone and record the voice memo. The produced version is cinematic, with a slow and steady build that completely erupts into vocals howling, a guitar solo, drums smashing, and synths and instrumentations swelling around in aggressive waves. Still, it is surprisingly similar to the voice memo, which helped retain the rawness and spark of the song. You can watch the lyric video here: https://youtu.be/5E9XBnBOdsU?si=usl7_kZ_GS7F1yjj

“Gasoline” is a song on the record that I wrote about feeling unheard in an argument with a loved one. There is no space for understanding and growth if both individuals are not in a space of compassion and readiness to listen. We filmed a music video for it close to the Mojave, and the band did the art direction for it too. I walked on a treadmill (which is right below the camera) to show that while there is movement, I am still going nowhere in the argument or making progress. You can watch the music video here: https://youtu.be/p5046E-T6oc?si=p-cNYX6jhdUXAjGC

“Bummer song” is another great song from the record which has a music video that was incredibly fun to shoot. It is a joyful and campy song about the small bummers in life that are actually quite funny if you distance yourself from them, such as your socks getting wet! You can watch the music video here: https://youtu.be/hn03BFlaokg?si=AzeGXrefhsj45z3r

I love my JH Audio Roxannes (in-ears).

These aren’t companies - I officially endorse chai and matcha. 

8. What are some obstacles you have encountered (if any) being an AAPI in the music world? What are some obstacles you have encountered (if any) as an AAPI in general (non-music)? Conversely, has being an AAPI ever helped you in the music industry or in general?

Sigh.

I had to work 10 times as hard at my craft and networking as the artists in my community in the beginning of my career to get added to a lineup. I see a wealth of AAPI artists, and a few of them getting big opportunities. The rest of the lineups still look decently homogenous.

9. 9a.) Who are some AAPI musicians/composers/producers who have previously inspired and currently inspire you (if any)? Why?

My friend Kabir (in several bands: Guppy, Left Tracks, and Sun Kin) just wrote one of the most heart wrenching albums about family, and I can’t wait for it to drop. Raveena and Debbii Dawson have intoxicating voices!

9b.) What are your hopes for the AAPI music community and your hopes for AAPIs in general?

Respect and representation. No more "scandinavian scarf" dupattas, "vintage chandelier earring" jhumkas and cultural appropriation.

I’ve played so many shows where people come up to me, and say that they’ve never seen an Indian person on stage. I can’t wait for the day when that won’t be the case for me and my AAPI community. For now, it is important that our identity is part of the message. One day in the future, it will be just purely about art.

10. Name one or two non-music-related things/subjects about which you are also passionate.

I’ve been trying my best to only buy cotton, linen, or silk. Polyester and other synthetic materials are so bad for the environment. All my friends have heard my spiel on ethical fashion.

India is at the forefront of ethical fashion with natural dyes and natural fabrics. My band collaborated with Heenaagrima (a female-founded brand in Jaipur that only uses natural dyes and fabrics and pays its workers very well) to create custom looks for tour. I feel so proud to say that our clothes have my motherland’s heritage, look incredible, and are good for the earth.

India also has a lot of eco-conscious communities, and my relatives live in one!

I love cooking and being in nature. I love going camping, and am on a mission to go to every national park.

11. Any final thoughts? Alternatively, do you have any questions for me and/or the greater AAPI music community?

I want to hear your story! I’ve yapped so much. We will hang out soon, I’m sure. I’ve been so deep into finishing this album, and I can’t wait to re-emerge from my studio cocoon.

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Support Pooja online :)

Instagram - @koyal.official

YouTube - @koyalofficial

Spotify - Koyal

Bandcamp - Koyal

TikTok - @koyal.band

Soundcloud - Koyal

Official Website - https://www.koyal.band/

Image courtesy of Pooja