UK Tamil-Swiss Artist Priya Ragu Releases New Song 'Adalam Va!'

Between her debut mixtape damnshestamil and her recent single "Illuminous", the UK's Tamil-Swiss vocalist, songwriter, and producer Priya Ragu is ticking off all of the big achievements that will set her up for huge things in 2023.

With tastemaker acclaim from the likes of The New York Times, Vogue, and Refinery29, plus a major sync in Netflix's rapturously received movie Wedding Season, an incredible debut TV performance on Later... with Jools Holland, and a nomination for the BBC Sound of 2022, it's clear that Priya is destined for the top.

Now Priya once again fires up with her new single "Adalam Va!" which translates loosely as "Let's Dance!" As her most vibrant cocktail of electrifying electro-pop and soul-stirring South Indian sonics, that's exactly the reaction it inspires. Above the rattling rhythms, warped synths and thumping dub bass, Priya's voice rises like a beacon of positivity.

Priya says, "'Adalam Va!' is about hope in the darkest of days. It's about the fresh energy that emerges out of these times. We wanted to express that feeling through this song and to get everyone on the dancefloor!"

The accompanying video for "Adalam Va!" is Priya's most ambitious video to date. It raises the bar in terms of visual elegance, choreography and pure physicality with Priya mastering an eye-catching array of intense martial arts moves and energizing dance routines.

It's also a love letter to international cinema with numerous references to Tarantino's classics as well as the 1991 Tamil-language crime epic Thalapathi - a blend best described as The Tamiltino Effect. The vibrant visual is further elevated by the striking splendour of its location, Strawberry Hill House & Garden.

Priya adds, "I've always wanted to shoot a video where dance moves and fighting combine together, which is well out of my comfort zone. It was a huge challenge for me to do these movements, with no prior experience, but we did it!"

The wider "Adalam Va!" campaign champions a team of top tier South Asian creative talents, led by Priya and the track's producer, her brother Japhna Gold.

The video was directed by Sasha Nathwani, a three-time Best Video nominee at the BRIT Awards whose visuals for the likes of Becky Hill, Jonas Blue and Izzy Bizu have exceeded a billion views on YouTube. Meanwhile, the accompanying photoshoot was captured by blackksocks, a photographer and director whose credits include Arlo Parks, The 1975 and Pink Pantheress.

Priya Ragu's back story is just as fascinating as her music. She was born in Switzerland after her parents fled Sri Lanka's civil war in the early '80s, but they constantly connected her to the culture of her homeland. As she grew up, Priya was equally inspired by western pop - the Fugees, Brandy, Nina Simone, and more - but kept her musical ambitions hidden due to her parents' initial disapproval.

Eventually, however, she couldn't hold back any longer. Mentored by the American rapper Oddisee, Priya dedicated herself to her music and earned international attention for Good Love 2.0, which she followed with her debut mixtape damnshetamil last fall.

Watch the new music video here:

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