Zenareeta: The Rule of Solitude That Keeps Creative Control Intact in a Mainstream Industry

As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the pleasure to interview Zenareeta.

Music shaped by twelve years of meditation in solitude, Zenareeta is a singer songwriter, composer & author working at the intersection of Advaita Vedanta and the inner architecture of the mind, featured across national radio and national & international media. Her writing has previously appeared in literary print magazines in the United Kingdom and the United States. She has previously worked as an actress in regional TV & cinema.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I had been singing live, writing and composing songs since age 4. I grew up admiring the Buddha and the Bhagavad Gita. During college I went to a private university where I studied Economics, Philosophy and Politics. My readings on western philosophers like David Hume, Bertrand Russell and Descartes along with Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta Philosophy helped me conceive the artist I am today. After twelve years of seclusion including 3 years of meditation 8 hours a day, a year in the Himalayas, and later exploring Europe, I knew the time had come to share what I found and begin with my Independent music career. I said no to many labels who were interested in my music because I wanted complete creative control in my work. It has now been almost 2 years of music releases, and I’m not stopping any time!

What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and how did your journey begin?

I’ve always known that this was my path. My mother was a radio & TV singer who trained me in music and in Indian philosophy too since an early age. Even if I enjoyed studying Biology, History and Languages at school, I’ve always known I’d pursue music and writing! I could never imagine living my life and not pursuing music and writing! While I’ve always written composed and sung my songs lifelong, as early as age 4, I embarked on this journey 2023 onwards after nearly a decade of seclusion and meditation, silently honing my craft, spontaneously writing songs in midnights when I’d hear a fully produced and finished song with my own voice in my mind while meditating and I’d record these and write these on my journals. In 2023 I knew that I was ready to launch my independent music career.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

There is a particularly peculiar story of how 5 of my closest friends either ghosted or blocked me simultaneously in the same month right during my building phase and right before releasing my debut song! I had no clue why. I never received any reply. It was really painful at first. I remember how I cried for days. Then I reminded myself of the promise I once made to myself as a child: “Never cry for a false friend, never cry for a boy, never ever cry for any human who didn’t value you”. These were the friends I deeply cared for as if they were my own family. Gossip is a dangerous thing, and you never know who’s not a real friend until they suddenly block you for simple reasons like “you didn’t pick up my calls for a week” when I was at the studio recording my songs or working on my projects. They all reached out to me again months and years later, as if nothing ever happened, only after I started seeing the fruits of my hard work.

The inception of my music career made me see that it is better to walk alone than be in the wrong company. My seclusion in my building phase helped me immensely. I also got approached by many exploitative music industry people right after I began my career, presenting me with “opportunities”. Many labels approached me too. I learnt that in the end we must carve our own paths instead of waiting for some opportunity to be handed down to us. I realised how important it was to me to have complete creative control over my music and owning the rights to my own songs and master recordings.

The interesting thing is that after I start my music career I felt more and more at peace, I’ve meditated deeper, and I felt so fulfilled in just putting out my music, and I felt that if I died now, I could die peacefully. I simply feel happier.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

The entire experience has been that of trial and error and learning to trust my intuition. I’ve learnt that not all of mainstream advice applies to me. So I slowly started eliminating whatever did not work for me and whatever didn’t feel authentic to me. One of the earliest mistakes I committed was listening to the advice of music video directors and producers I was working with early on, who completely disregarded my artistic direction and ideas and told me that I needed to present myself in a certain way, dance and smile and have loud expressions in my music videos and photo shoots with the sole aim of getting maximum views & likes. They told me that my silent symbolic art film like approach to music videos & Photoshoots will be a ‘failure’. Listening to their advice cost me. Two songs and music videos later I was dissatisfied with the outcome even though the audience praised it. I refused this mainstream approach to try to be “likeable”, because my goal was to reach the right listeners and not merely to gain maximum views and popularity. 5 people as the aligned audience are far better than having 1000 people as the wrong audience who don’t align with you as an artist. I refused to reduce my music and artistry to vanity metrics and numbers. I realised that not all advice aligned with my vision, and it definitely did not do any justice to my music! I eventually found better teams to work with, who respect my vision and my values as an artist and are willing to listen and execute my creative direction.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’m extremely grateful to my mom for everything, for the musical training, the spiritual knowledge and clarity in everything I do! Whenever I’ve been unsure about any creative decision, she’s always helped me make the right decisions. I couldn’t have done this without her. I’m grateful to my dad too for helping me stay worry-free and not stress about financial matters, my dad always helps me lighten up, he always asks me to simply have fun, to be carefree, to enjoy good food and travel!

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

My creative journey is never predictable! There are so many songs I have written which were conceived during meditation over the last few years! I’ve already written and composed songs that I’m yet to release until the year 2033! And I can never tell on which night a new song will arrive! I’m currently working on 6 of my upcoming philosophy books yet to be published! My upcoming songs delve deeper into my meditation journey. My books and songs complement each other as both revolve around the same themes, both fill me with excitement! And of course I’m working on my upcoming song releases that are to be released ahead next year, some are already recorded, and some are still being produced etc.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

Diversity is immensely important in breaking the cultural hegemony of just one culture dominating over the others. We constantly need fresh voices, fresh faces, fresh perspectives and new ideas. We need new lenses to look at life. Beauty, wisdom and great ideas are found around the globe, and in the most unexpected places on earth! Each culture has a distinct approach to beauty, paintings, music, writing, direction, acting, dance, philosophy (especially the philosophy!), how we process emotions and how we see life itself, how we approach spirituality, concept of marriage, parenting, traditions, raising children, femininity, masculinity and even politics. We can only call ourselves culturally rich when we can give access and visibility to all cultures around the globe. That is our birthright!

As a successful music star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated? How do you overcome obstacles in your career?

My first challenge was to find the right producer and the right music video director who are not just artistically aligned but also ethical and professional and who would be willing to execute my unique and unconventional ideas. It took me almost a year of searching, to find the right teams who were willing to execute the unique vision I had in my mind and actually listen to my artistic direction. Working with the wrong teams initially led to financial losses that were beyond my control, I was even financially cheated once. But I never gave up, my mom helped me stay motivated. And after many trials and setbacks I finally found the right teams to work with!

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. Trust your intuition, don’t do something just because it is “popular advice”. Early on I was advised to only focus on social media numbers and it gave me much stress because it clashed with my values and felt inauthentic. I don’t feel comfortable turning my Instagram into a personal journal and oversharing to strangers I don’t even know! I realised I’m not here to make “content” nor entertainment. There is a big difference between art and entertainment and my goal is simply to put out my art. I don’t make music for the applause or to appease an audience. I’m here to challenge conventional ideas, not to be popular and likeable.

2. You don’t have to “make it”, just continue to focus on your craft. I realised that thoughts like “when will I make it” happen after socialising with the wrong crowd, and random people passing comments on your career and creative processes. I’ve learnt to ignore them now. Because I realised, nothing good ever came out of listening and brooding over their comments.

3. Build in silence. Reveal your plans to no one, don’t leak anything about your projects to friends and acquaintances until after the release date. Never tolerate disrespect. If a friend constantly makes you feel “small”, acts as if your initial successes and small wins are no big deal, that your dreams are “unrealistic”, says that you’ll never “make it” and then says “oh I was just joking”, that’s not your friend. The wrong friendships can really affect you negatively during the building phase and even after success.

4. I’d tell myself to relax about the initial financial losses that can happen as a result of working with the wrong teams and that it’s completely okay and normal. One learns and evolves. That’s how we move forward. There can be projects you are not proud of as a result of mismatch in values with the people you work with early on. Things eventually worked out for me a year later because I was patient and finally found the right people to work with!

5. I’d tell myself not to obsess about the results. I’d tell myself to put in my entire effort and then not be attached to the results because I realised that my attachment to the result adds nothing to my life! You go to a cafe and order coffee. You don’t stress about whether or not you’ll get your coffee! Your attachment to that cup of coffee won’t make it arrive any sooner! And if the coffee doesn’t arrive, you can walk into another cafe! I realised that attachment has no practical value at all! This helped me meditate deeper, sleep better, and stay focussed on my craft.

Can you share some insights into your creative process? How do you approach songwriting? How do you approach musical collaborations?

I’ve never sat to write a song or a book. The songs and essays knock on my door usually during my late-night meditation sessions between 12 am and 3 am. I hear a fully finished song with my own vocals and lyrics. I immediately turn on the bed lamp, record the melody and write down the lyrics in my journal. I give myself sufficient time to sit with the song, I try not to meddle much because in the past I experimented by coming up with 20 different versions of the same song only to realise that the first draft was in fact already the best! I’ll collaborate with a musician only if our values align, and the song aligns lyrically.

Your music has resonated with so many fans worldwide. What do you believe sets your music apart?

My lyrical themes of Advaita Vedanta philosophy, Buddhism, space, science and the inner architecture of the mind definitely set me apart, especially the fact that these are expressed through the medium of pop music instead of a 1 hour philosophy lecture! Despite working with serious themes, my songs feel uplifting, energetic and upbeat. Also, I write screenplays to my music videos, perform, and direct my own music videos that are shot as a symbolic art film with layers of meaning. It’s been a pleasant surprise to see the audience connect with my art so deeply!

How do you connect with your audience?

I just express. I simply put out my work, pitch it to the right platforms. I do my part. A rose simply blooms, a diamond simply exists, they care not for an audience nor admirers, and people are naturally drawn towards beauty, truth and art. The bee finds the flower. And so does the audience find my art.

With your busy schedule and demanding performances, how do you prioritize self-care and maintain a balance between your personal life and career in the music industry?

My own disciplined schedule of sleeping early helps me a lot. I set a timer so I don’t spend more than 15 minutes on social media per day. I avoid all unnecessary socialising. That is how I am able to give adequate attention to my diet, skin care and workout routines, helping me stay grounded. Books help me immensely because I get to converse with the greatest thinkers of the past and present! My daily morning and night-time meditation practice is the sole glue that holds everything together, it is my comfort, my pleasure, my joy, my all!

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I definitely want to start an Anti- Astrology movement. And mind you, this is coming from an ex-astrologer. I studied and researched Vedic Astrology for 6 years and practiced it professionally for a whole year after which I quit it. I’ve seen first-hand the disastrous results of negative Astrology predictions affecting the psyche and the subconscious mind, the dependence on astrologers to make important decisions of life and not taking responsibility for one’s actions! I’m still grappling with its side effects myself! Astrologers are not gods. And if you are scared to pursue your dreams for the fear of failures, Astrology is not going to come and save you! I have a lot of respect for the great astrologers K. N. Rao and Marc Boney. But I always ask that people make their own decisions, I urge everyone to know their own selves first-hand rather than depending on an ‘Astrology personality report!’ You cannot outsource self-knowledge and self-awareness to Astrology! Whether destiny exists or not is irrelevant to the choices you make every day. Depending on a “fixed fate” will not make you a better person nor will it help you make better decisions, because ultimately you have to make your own life-altering choices. In fact, Vedic Astrology doesn’t deny free will at all. I’m not saying “don’t visit astrologers” I’m merely asking people to not let an astrologer decide their futures.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I’d love to meet Barbara Stoler Miller who did the translation for the Patanjali Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita and other important scriptures and helped popularise Indian philosophy in the US. Her translations of the books have impacted me immensely, especially chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita! I’d love to meet Robert Greene, because his book “The 48 Laws of Power” really helped me navigate the social spectrum of life and understand human psychology in social dynamics and relationships. That is the only self help book I always recommend. I’d also love to meet my favourite actors Keanu Reeves, Meryl Streep and Cillian Murphy to discuss philosophy, books and art over breakfast!

How can our readers continue to follow your work online?

You can find me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/zenareeta My YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@zenareeta I’m especially most active on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/88723263

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

About The Interviewer: Tavares Beverly ( www.tavaresbeverly.com ) is the Founder and CEO of Beverly Boy Productions, a national video production company that has helped organizations tell their stories through video for more than two decades. Over the course of his career, he has worked with everyone from Fortune 500 executives and healthcare professionals to politicians, nonprofit leaders, educators, and artists, gaining a unique perspective on the role communication plays in leadership, business, and human connection. A frequent contributor on topics including communication, entrepreneurship, leadership, and personal development, Tavares believes that the ability to communicate effectively is one of the most valuable skills a person can develop. His work is driven by a passion for helping organizations connect with their audiences and helping individuals unlock their potential through mentorship, perseverance, and meaningful relationships. To learn more, connect with Tavares on LinkedIn or visit www.BeverlyBoy.com . If you’re interested in using the power of storytelling and communication to grow your organization, strengthen your brand, or inspire your audience, he welcomes the opportunity to connect.