Jahnavi Harrison, also known by her spiritual name, Jahnavi Jivana dasi, is a British musician known for her Hindu mantra meditation music ( kirtan). She regularly appears as a presenter on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

's ''

Something Understood ''Something Understood'' is a weekly radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 since 1995 which deals with topics of religion, spirituality, and the larger questions of human life, and took a particular spiritual theme, exploring it through speech, ...

'' programme and BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought.

Biography

Jahnavi Harrison was raised in a family of Bhakti-yoga practitioners at

Bhaktivedanta Manor Bhaktivedanta Manor is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple set in the Hertfordshire countryside of England, in the village of Letchmore Heath near Watford. The Manor is owned and run by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), bette ...

. She states that she aims to channel her creative expression as a musician as a path to self-realisation and service. She is trained in both Indian (

Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is ...

and

Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...

) and Western music, as well as dance, writing and visual arts. She gained a bachelor's degree in Linguistics and Creative Writing from Middlesex University in 2009. Since then she has presented and taught mantra music and meditation globally. Harrison released her debut album, ''Like a River to the Sea'' in July 2015, and featured on the Grammy nominated ''Bhakti Without Borders'' charity album (2016). She presents regularly on broadcast media including for BBC Radio 2's "Pause for Thought" and "Something Understood" on

. She co-founded "Kirtan London", a project that aims to make mantra music accessible and relevant to a wider audience through a variety of events and retreats.

Recordings

''Like a River to the Sea''

Harrison released her debut album, ''Like a River to the Sea'' in July 2015.

''Bhakti Without Borders''

Harrison features on "Bhaja Govindam" for the charity album '' Bhakti Without Borders'', which was nominated for a Grammy award in 2015.

''Mantra Lounge Volumes 1, 2 & 3''

Harrison has recorded tracks for ''Mantra Lounge'' Volumes 1 2 & 3.

Surrender (Krishna Keshava)

Willow Smith Willow Camille Reign Smith (born October 31, 2000), known mononymously as Willow (stylized in all caps), is an American singer and actress. The daughter of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, she has received various accolades, including ...

and Harrison present a unique, first-time collaboration. Surrender (Krishna Keshava) is an ancient sacred song from India. The

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

lyrics invoke divine peace, protection and grace. Harrison shared the release exclusively with

Zoe Ball Zoe Louise Ball (born 23 November 1970) is a British radio and television presenter. She was the first female host of both '' Radio 1 Breakfast'' and '' The Radio 2 Breakfast Show'' for the BBC, and presented the 1990s children's show ''Live & ...

on BBC Radio 2.

''R I S E''

In 2020, she released the EP ''R I S E'', with

. Wonderland magazine described it as "a idyllic garden surrounded by angelic ethereal vocals and shimmering productions", with "birds chirping sweetly over melodic guitar strings".

Reception

McKenna Rowe, reviewing ''Like a River to the Sea'' for ''LA Yoga'', wrote that she was "moved and stunned by the beauty of the instruments and arrangements" of the songs. She found the album "a deeply satisfying masterpiece", not only for people who like devotional music. Reviewing the album for ''Pulse'' magazine, Sanjeevini Dutta noted that kirtan was "the sound track" to Harrison's childhood. She called it "a first album of astonishing ripeness and sweetness," one that drew the listener "to a profound inner space," yet staying in contact with "life lived full of joys, sorrow and heartbreak." Amardeep Dhillon, in ''Songlines'' magazine, called the music pleasant but unsurprising, the tracks being "soothing and uncluttered, with Harrison's violin weaving in between Celtic and Karnatic strains". In his view the album succeeds through the undoubted "depth of feeling, sincerity and love that come through".

References

External links

WebsiteiTunesSpotifyAmazon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Jahnavi 1980s births Living people Kirtan performers English Hindus 21st-century British musicians