Music, the therapy we need, now more than ever Jasleen Royal

Music has charms to soothe the savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oaks- William Congreve.

Have you ever listened to a song and felt cathartic respite? Like a heavy burden has been lifted off your chest? That’s the power of music! And we need it now more than ever because when we are all isolated; physically and emotionally, music can make us feel connected and understood.

Most of us have a very personal relationship with the kind of music we listen to and that’s probably because it puts our emotions and moods in perspective. It allows us to get closer to our own selves. And this is not a coincidence, experts say, music has a profound impact on our mental and emotional health. In other words, music heals, literally!

According to a report on Harvard Medical School, music has the potential to evoke emotions and stimulate people that can lead to physical and mental healing. It causes the release of endorphins which can calm anxiety, ease pain, and work as a support intervention in highly stressful situations. Studies have shown that music can alleviate the pain in patients of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's and cause a pleasant diversion during chemotherapy.

While we have always felt a deep need to listen to our favorite kind of music in emotionally heightened circumstances, it emerged as a therapeutic companion during the on-going pandemic. From Spaniards singing from their balconies to cheer each other up to watching online concerts during quarantine, we kept falling back on music for comfort, connections, and warmth.

In an exclusive conversation with Mid-day, millenials’ favourite singer Jasleen Royal, who has many hit tracks under her belt, shared her tryst with making music and how it has helped her express herself and stay sane during the lockdown.

Jasleen Royal

Jasleen revealed that she was “shy and introvert” as a child and music became the outlet for her emotions. She embraced music as her way of expression which not only made her “feel light and peaceful” but also introduced her to a spiritual side.

Known to have sung some of the most calming and refreshing songs of late, Jasleen says that she does not have a fixed process of music-making because she allows herself to immerse in the tunes. And probably that opens up a mystical avenue. Maybe that’s why we need music now more than ever, so we can elevate from the on-going crises for some time and lose ourselves in a mystical world, only to come back with calmed nerves, a hopeful heart, decreased stress and increased concentration.

In many ways, Jasleen’s relationship with music seems very familiar and relatable because we might not always know why our favourite music seems right; we just know that it does.

The young singer who was recently tested positive of the novel coronavirus says, like many other times, music helped her stay calm and positive through her ailment. In fact, she worked on her new track ‘Sang Rahiyo’ while recovering.

She likely listened to one of her favourite motivational songs ‘Kholo Kholo Darwaze’ from the movie ‘Taare Zameen Par’ during this period. She said she listens to it when she goes through a downswing in life which helps her get back on track. That is perhaps another reason why music has revealed itself to be our best companions during this time of confusion and mess. Paying attention to the lyrics of songs makes you realise what they mean to you and can help you deal with an emotionally difficult situations. There is a reason why we are reminded of certain songs during certain specific situations.

Not just that, she also reveals that she has received messages from people saying music has helped them stay afloat through these tough times. And in ways more than one, she felt connected to them. Yes, music connects! Right now, when the whole world has been forced to isolate and lock itself inside; we communicated our thoughts and understood others’ through music. From sending songs to friends to performing on social media for your contacts, music brought us close and eased our insecurities rising from loneliness and uncertainty. A few decades from now, when people look back at 2020, it’s the music we all released on the public domain that will help the future know how we were feeling going through a global pandemic and lockdown. Nothing can be a better example on how music can form bridges.

Citing the example of her song ‘Jaha Tu Chala’ from ‘Gully Boy,’ Jasleen says that it is important to make a friend fell that you are there for them when they need you the most and music does a fairly good job in doing that.

So, in the midst of this crisis when all we need is to feel safe, heard, and understood, use music to reach out to others and yourself. And the evergreen songs like ‘Heal the world,’ ‘We are the world’, or even the hauntingly beautiful ‘Show must go on,’ etc, that have always helped us through different tragedies will carry us through this challenging time as well.

Jasleen Royal's new song Sang Rahiyo is out! Click here to listen.

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