Childhood Songwriter To Genre Spanning Artist - Meet Breakout Singer Jewel Lasrado

At an age when most children her age were still discovering their hobbies, eight-year-old Jewel Lasrado was already penning original songs. A decade down the line, she has transformed her passion and innate talent into a blossoming career. For the Empower Her Anthem Contest, in collaboration with Songdew, a wholistic music platform for artists to distribute, promote and tap revenue-generating opportunities, SheThePeople proudly helped select Jewel Lasrado as the winner. The contestants were expected to upload a powerful and uplifting song that celebrates the spirit of womanhood, and Lasrado won us over with her song 'Six Feet Under'.

The Bengaluru-raised musician captivates her audience with heartfelt lyrics that speak to the soul and versatility that spans numerous genres. In an interview with SheThePeople, Lasrado spoke about her journey navigating the music industry and the inspiration behind her multifaceted music style.

Jewel Lasrado’s Formative Years

Jewel Lasrado’s love for the arts was nurtured by her parents, both avid music enthusiasts. She first explored her vocal talents in her church choir and soon realised that her passion extended far beyond singing. It was the art of crafting songs that truly captivated her.

The little girl started writing songs as a sanctuary to express the emotions that words alone could not convey. She said, "I started songwriting when I was a child, as a way of journaling. I started putting my negative emotions into songs as it was like a catharsis.”

Lasrado’s music style soon evolved beyond personal introspection into an experience that even her listeners could relate to. From capturing the psychology of a movie character to universal human emotions, she found inspiration in varied sources and stories.

“Over time, I realized that I should not just use songwriting as a way of putting my emotions out there, I have to try capturing other people's emotions as well. And that's what I did with my songs like Clue and Chai. As a songwriter, I feel I have to be observant of the world. So I try exploring different styles; I take inspiration from music, books, or movies.”

Be it pop, rap, metal, or classical, Lasrado's musical portfolio knows no bounds. Her ability to seamlessly traverse across various genres demonstrates not only her technical skill but also her deep passion for exploring different and creative musical landscapes.

Career In Music

For Lasrado, the decision to take up music as a career was not an easy one. From balancing academics with her love for music to convincing her traditional parents to believe in her ‘unconventional’ professional goal, the journey saw many challenges.

“I grew up in an environment where music wasn't like a conventional thing. No one actually took it up [in my family]; and even if they did, it was not as an artist but more as a teacher. So, I didn't always have that drive to professionally pursue music early on. I just grew to like it over time because I realised that I understand it much better than I would something else.”

Lasrado has produced several originals, each a testament to her diverse skills and evolving craft. She has also won many awards for her artistry The young prodigy is now set to pursue her higher studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in England.

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On Creative Blocks, Hustle Culture

Being in an artistic career, Lasrado has faced her share of creative blocks. She described how such periods have impacted her songwriting process. “I recently had a gap from music when I was a little sick and then I didn’t have any inspiration to write songs.”

However, her way of dealing with such burnout is to consistently explore new ideas and get out of her comfort zone. “Usually, if I do the same thing over and over again, I feel like I'm not doing much. So, to get rid of the creative block, I try to do something different,” she said.

“I either Google some really interesting chord progressions and then I'd play it and see what those make me feel and then write a song based on that; Or, I find quotes or movies that I can look at a character and be like, ‘Oh, she would probably sing this kind of a song’. For the recent creative block, I got rid of it by trying something I hadn’t done before-- I wrote a song that could be part of a musical.”

Lasrado also described how maintaining a strong online presence has enabled her to connect with her audience and find new opportunities. Her Instagram feed is peppered with everything from snippets of upcoming projects to covers of popular songs.

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Candidly sharing her experience in the music community on social media, Lasrado shared, “I started on social media thinking that everyone is a competition. However, over time, I realized that it's more about supporting each other than competing. So, now, I feel more like ‘I should be like them’ instead of ‘better than them’. So instead of scrolling past posts where I think that an artist is much better than me, I like their posts or share their posts because we artists have to bring each other up.”

As a Gen Z artist, Lasrado hopes to resonate with her peers and create a positive and refreshing impact with her music. In her interview, she shared an inspirational message for the youth about living authentically and finding balance in a fast-paced world.

“There has been an increase in people thinking that work culture makes you happy or that you're going to be successful if you have a lot of money. But sometimes you have to just relax and enjoy. I hope more people invest in entertainment, in arts, in their hobbies,” she expressed.