Aayushi
Sunday 18th August 2024
#PVFF24
Birmingham-based folk singer-songwriter Aayushi writes strikingly tender songs, sung with an uncanny and beguiling intimacy. She creates ‘dreams disguised as poems disguised as songs’, blending soulful vocals drawn from her Indian heritage with abstract symbolism to evoke an atmosphere that is soft, hypnotic, and whimsical. Her favourite things to write about are childhood memories, things she can’t say out loud, and her recurring dreams of the sea.
A 2015 collaboration with electronic producer Dillistone led to the remix of her single ‘Diamond Child’ landing a number-one spot on Hype Machine, international press coverage, and the start of a loyal digital fanbase. This sparked a host of solo self-released singles, and in 2020 her single ‘My Space is Overgrown’ reached number one on Spotify’s Most Beautiful Songs in the World playlist. In the winter of 2022, her whimsical folk tale ‘I Ran Out Into the Snowflakes, Laughing’ was featured on platforms such as Fresh on the Net and Spotify’s ‘New Music Friday UK’ playlist. The hand-drawn, animated music video was also awarded an Honourable Mention for Best Animation in Sea of Art Film Festival. Aayushi’s music now has over 7 million streams; her most recent single, Palm of the Sea, was released on March 8th, 2024.
Aayushi spent 2022 deep in Birmingham’s poetry scene. The lyrical strength of her work quickly led her to headline most, if not all, of the city’s most poetry nights, despite not being a spoken word artist herself. In 2023 she went on to complete her first UK tour, with performance highlights including Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Festival and an opening slot for Nessi Gomes at the Crescent Theatre. 2024 saw her showcase at Americana Music Week in Hackney, as well as headline a double bill at the prestigious Southbank Centre.
“It’s difficult to understand why this woman isn’t a commercial giantess, because musically she is for sure.” – Outside Left Magazine
“Nothing could prepare me for when she sang … beautifully hypnotic” – Dee Manning, Festival Producer, Commonwealth Games 2022
“An incredible ability to be powerfully delicate” – Alex Carr, English Folk Expo Trustee
