Who is this maiden? Deva Premal: creative path and biography of the famous mantra performer. Healing music of Deva Premal. Sanskrit sound is an energetic phenomenon
Since 1991, Deva has been traveling around the world in the company of her lover, musician Miten. Together they give concerts and organize educational and practical music seminars.
The albums “The Essence”, “Love Is Space”, “Embrace” and “Dakshina” topped various new age charts for a long time. In addition, they have become very popular in yoga studios and sections, health centers around the world. The latest album, “The Moola Mantra”, includes a mantra lasting more than 50 minutes, recorded during a joint meditation with Miten, held at Oneness University (Chennai, India).
Deva Premal is actively involved in the creative life of Miten. Her voice can be heard on his new album “Soul In Wonder”, as well as on several joint records.
AK: First of all, thank you very much for the opportunity to do this interview. For me, this is a gift from the Universe, since your couple is the most important guide for me in my life. You are not only an example of talented musicians, but also an example of a couple who follows their destiny and realizes it together. An example of a couple who stays together in love and service throughout their lives...
And my first questions to both Virgo and Miten are about this: how to combine it in this particular way? How can we make sure that love helps service to open up, and service helps love to open up?
Virgo: If service and love are not united, then this is not real, not pure service. True service is based on feelings of love and compassion. Otherwise, this service only pleases the ego or is done out of guilt. So true service reveals love, and love allows true service to be revealed.
Miten: Love and service are one and the same. True service can only come from a loving heart. Serving without any expectations. This is love.
Virgo and I discovered that music and mantras brought a lot to our love as a couple. We feel so much love sharing music, incredible love! And for us this is the most valuable gift, the most valuable exchange of energies.
AK: Have you ever experienced conflicts between your spiritual practice and relationships? Have there ever been situations when you felt like you had to make a choice about what was more important to you? And if such situations happened, what did you come to in the end?
Virgo:Our path, which includes absolutely everything, is illuminated by the light of Osho. On this path, spirituality fills every day and is inseparable from our lives. We can meditate and still wash the dishes. Our path is to be fully ourselves, to be in the moment, to turn everything we do into service. Time together, our love is a spiritual practice for us.
Miten: I've never had such a problem. Rather, on the contrary, the fact that Virgo began to sing mantras is a gift. When the Virgin began to sing (and she had not sung before we met), I heard a special gift in her voice, which still needed to blossom, like a flower, into the voice that she has now.
When she began chanting the Gayatri Mantra a few years after we left India and the ashram, it became an honor to support her path in music.
The question of who is stronger never came up in our relationship (I just do what she tells me :)), we always just loved and supported each other.
AK: When I do what I love, I feel in the Flow. But I also feel some limits. I'm scared to lose myself completely, scared to dissolve. I understand the need for this step, but I am very scared. Do you have any advice?
Virgo: I have never experienced this myself, so I cannot answer this question. But I guess it’s interesting to go beyond the boundaries and see what’s there.
Miten: I understand your fear. And it leads us to one big question: how to trust your heart?
Entering something new is scary. But remember: we are much stronger and bigger than we think! And we grow only by following the heart, which is wild by nature and wants to immerse you in more and more different experiences.
Our mind is a calculator. He evaluates and judges. And he can never make a decision, because his nature is to constantly work and calculate.
The heart doesn't do calculations. It can't. It is important to remember that when you listen to your heart, you are listening to God. And when you begin to believe that your heart is the voice of God, you will believe that it truly supports you, even though its desires may be outside your comfort zone.
Trust grows only from experience. Otherwise it is just a belief system.
Yes, sometimes life is scary... but if we participate fully in it, at least we will die with a smile on our face!! No regrets!! The heart always knows what is best. When you learn to trust this, your life will become richer and full of amazing experiences.
AK: We also have a small women’s community, we meditate together, together we learn to unlock our potential in purpose, in relationships and in other areas of life. And girls from our community have the following questions:
IN: Tell me, please, what in your opinion gives rise to the desire in a man to take care of his woman? Does it depend only on what kind of man is, or can a woman herself somehow influence a man’s desire and desire to take care of her? If so, how?
Virgo:We are most attractive (and by “we,” I mean both men and women) when we are at peace with ourselves, when we feel fulfilled simply by being alone with ourselves. We so often lose ourselves when we fall in love, especially at the beginning of a relationship.
In my experience, women are much more likely to lose themselves than men. Women are so eager to prolong relationships that they often cling to them. I also went through this even before meeting Miten, when I wanted to find my loved one. But every time I lost myself in another person and in the desire to have a relationship, I became uninteresting to a man. And he ran away :)
And learning not to lose yourself, to stay in your center when the attraction is so high is, however, difficult. Meditation helps a lot with this and inner work. When we are connected to our inner silence, staying in the moment, not bending the way a man wants it, not getting lost in the desires of the future, becomes easier.
But I'm not saying it's easy. Perhaps for some time it is worth doing this artificially: specifically stopping yourself from being too focused on a man, and instead focusing on yourself. To give a man the opportunity to desire and gradually conquer us.
The most important thing is to stay true to our natures as men and women.
Miten:When we men connect with a woman, we get the opportunity to experience the true nature of feminine energy - goddess energy. We have the great privilege of supporting and creating space for this energy to enjoy life in all its manifestations. This experience - seeing your girlfriend in such bloom - is the greatest gift for a man.
A man’s concern depends on how much and what he is willing to invest in love.
IN: How important is passion in a relationship? And is it possible to preserve it after 10 and 20 years of marriage? And if so, what is the most important thing here?
Virgo: Passion is very important to me. And in relationships it manifests itself in different forms: in laughing together, in making love, in arguing (in reasonable quantities), in joint creativity. Gratitude fuels passion. Respect from a partner increases passion. Nagging and nagging reduce passion.
IN: What does a woman need to let go of in order to be happy in a relationship and develop in it?
Virgo: The idea that she can change a man so that he becomes ideal in her mind.
Virgo: Love is a guest for whom we can create comfort in our home - in our heart. By feeding it, we create all the conditions for it to stay with us.
How to nourish love? Loving more...focusing on love rather than grudges.
IN: How did your life change when you started singing? And what advice can you give to those who love to sing?
Virgo: My life has completely changed because several events coincided in my life: I met Miten, new life after finishing my studies in Germany, my stay at Osho Ashram in Pune, singing with Miten. Everything began to develop magically from that moment.
I would advise you to find the music or style that you are comfortable with. Find “your song”... for me it became mantras. I feel at home when I sing them and it happens without any effort. They were the ones who helped me find my voice.
IN: Is it possible to learn to sing with your soul without experience and studying singing academically?
Virgo: Certainly. Start singing and everything will happen by itself.
IN: How did you find and reveal your talent, your purpose? Was it a happy accident or was reaching your destiny also hard work? Then in what direction should you put your efforts?
Virgo:For me it was a blessing, not at all a labor. I could never learn through force. This is not my way. But I noticed that the more I grew inside, the bigger my voice became, as if reflecting it.
IN: Where do you get inspiration from and what do you do in your spare time besides your main activity?
Virgo: I take inspiration from my life with Miten and I feel it follows Osho's light. Leisure? My whole life is leisure and pleasure!
IN: What do you think is the most important thing in life?
Virgo: LOVE.
IN: Miten, did meeting Virgo and your joint creativity take you to a new level? And how did you develop together along this path? What is important to you as a man in this partnership?
Miten: When I met Deva, I was at the peak of my creative potential - I was organizing music for evening meditations at the ashram. I played for Osho every evening, exploring what serious, spiritual music is.
Osho helped me accept the rebellious spirit within me and express it through music.
The power of devotion. The power of the rose. All my masculinity was in music. The whole spectrum of qualities, including feminine ones: intuition, curiosity, the ability to accept. All this manifested itself when I played for Osho. Because the ego was not involved. We were creative without a specific goal, we did it only out of gratitude.
Deva studied this kind of music - she grew up listening to “sannyas music”, and I immediately realized that she had the right energy to participate in our music.
That's when we started singing together and continue to this day! This was 25 years ago.
Before we started playing together, our connection was mostly sexual. Of course, we inspired each other a lot, but on an energetic level, our deepest communication happened when we made love.
We were also in Osho's tantric school, and we learned to love and accept each other, breathe, relax. This practice can be an interesting and great challenge when there is a love connection between people.
It was a wonderful time, and our music was born from these practices: tantric meditations. For example, when Virgo and I sing together, this is tantric practice.
Our music heals us and all the people who sing with us.
IN: How did you develop together? What is important to you as a man in a relationship?
Miten: We developed and grew in a very natural and organic way, without chemical fertilizers! 🙂
We support spiritual growth each other, we love to watch how each of us opens up, grows and gives our light. We give each other space to have our own experiences. We support each other as friends, not as “husband and wife”, bound by some kind of agreements and obligations.
For me, as a man, the most important thing is to watch Virgo blossom.
I don’t ask for anything and give everything... And Virgo does the same: she doesn’t ask for anything from me and at the same time gives everything.
And the greatest gift a man can give a woman is to be silently there while she devotes as much time and space as she needs to explore herself and not worry about whether she is behaving correctly or not. We live and love like two travelers on a journey of exploration of life.
This is the most important knowledge we received from Osho.
And over time, this became our life, and not just “teaching.”
IN: Virgo, Miten, could you tell me one story about the impact of your singing on other people that you really remember?
Virgo: Miten will answer this question.
Miten just sent a few reviews. There were many more, and we translated only some of them...
“It was wonderful listening to your voices in Cleveland this week.
The calmness and peace that you give is a blessing that I have been waiting for for so long.
I listen to your CDs every day on my way to and from work.
I work as a nurse in a large hospital and there is a lot of anger and cruelty around me. Your music helps me separate myself from this and feel calm. Peace of mind is priceless in my life. This is something that no amount of money or medicine can give to your soul.
I want to thank you for all the joy you bring into our lives. I consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to listen and be blessed by your music.
THANK YOU!"“I was at your concert for the first time. And it was incredible! I had great fun!
Towards the end of the concert I experienced a vision. When you sang with your eyes closed, I saw another eyes above you, looking at the listeners. Now I think it was Shiva looking at us through your music.
The gaze of these eyes was healing and bringing balance to our planet, raising its vibrations. It was magical!
Please share if anyone else has experienced this.
Happiness and blessings to you!”“Thank you for the incredible music and energy. Your music is one of the few things that my dad, who has Alzheimer's, responds positively to.
I play him a CD with your music when I take him to the doctor, and he immediately calms down.”
– Florida
“I’m writing to tell you that I love all your music and all your CDs. You are very beautiful people.
Now every time he gets into the car, he automatically says: “third, please” and turns on the song. Your music appealed to his inner nature and I feel blessed when I listen to him sing along.”
– Canada
“I found out about your CD “The Essence” last year when I was pregnant with twins. And although I was quite physically limited, I often went down to my basement to meditate and sing to your music. How much joy it brought me!
My children were born big and healthy, I think, thanks to your music, which they listened to in the womb! Now we listen to these songs when we fall asleep or rock in a rocking chair.
I don't have much time to do yoga these days, but chanting mantras with you helps me stay calm on stressful days. What you do touches my soul and the souls of my little ones.
Thank you very much!!"
– Texas
Translation by Nail Maganov
Elizaveta Babanova
When I first heard the voice of Deva Premal performing the “Mula Mantra”, I felt a touch of eternity - the same thing I feel when reading books by masters, listening to classical music performed by great musicians, in nature and in a praying temple.
Deva Premal was born in 1970 in Germany into a family that loved and constantly chanted sacred mantras in Sanskrit. Even when she was in the womb, her father chanted mantras for her, and after birth they became lullabies for her.
Deva received a classical musical education, and she released her first album, “Essence,” in 1998. It sold millions of copies. After “Essence”, Deva released 9 more albums, and now she is rightfully considered one of the best performers of Sanskrit mantras.
In one of her interviews, Virgo told what mantras mean to her:
“The meaning of the word is secondary. The primary vibration is that which sounds during singing. For example, the word “ananda” is a vibration of bliss expressed in sound that works at the cellular level. One should not strive to understand the mantra with the mind, but to feel it with the heart, for it is a universal code, a sound that connects us all.”
Today, Deva travels around the world with her partner Miten, whom they met 20 years ago at the Osho Ashram in Pune, India. They give dozens of concerts every month.
“Gayatri Mantra” was the main mantra of her childhood. It was the father who sang for the Virgin at the time of her birth. Listen to it in the extraordinary performance of Virgo: Gayatri mantra.
CONDUCTOR OF LIGHT
Perhaps the main character quality that Virgo Premal possesses is the ability to transmit subtle vibrations of peace and tranquility, which can only arise in contact with holiness.
In her interviews, she is extremely simple and sincere, but in this simplicity lies incredible depth and wisdom.
In your song “In the light of love” (“In the light of love”) the musicians sing that in the light of love they feel “at home.”
LEADER
It is obvious that in the musical duet with Miten, Deva Premal is the leader. It is her singing that leads listeners into the world of infinity, while Miten helps her with his guitar and harmonious singing in the background.
But it’s enough to watch one video to catch their interaction, full of love and recognition for each other, and understand that she is a leader only because she received a huge gift from above and brings it to people humbly and nobly.
What kind of leader are you? If fate has destined you to be a leader, how do you approach this - as an opportunity to serve your employees if you are the head of a company, or as a despot who asserts himself at the expense of others?
Service does not mean indulgence. On the contrary, a true leader, through his example, helps his subordinates cultivate good character traits, evolving as individuals. And this sometimes means severity and punishment (only without humiliation), so that a person does not stop developing and does not degrade.
If we compare Deva Premal with Oprah Winfrey, it is obvious that Oprah has much more masculine qualities of character - courage, assertiveness, gushing enthusiasm. Virgo is dominant feminine energy- softness, beauty, grace.
WHICH PATH TO CHOOSE?
In his book “Rain without Clouds. A new journey - an enlightened woman,” Osho writes: “First recognize your nature correctly. Then, in this recognition, allow this nature to do whatever God wants to put through it. Then become just an empty passage.”
Therefore, our main task is to recognize which path is closest to us - the path of the leader or the path of the follower. If a leader, then which leader? Do we need a family, or is work enough to fulfill our purpose?
Osho says: “Create such a way of life that there can be harmony between your inner nature and outer life, so that there is no contradiction between your way of life and the inner flow... If inside you move to the west, and outside to the east, in your life there will be tension: there will be problems, worries and melancholy. And in the end, there will be nothing left in you but suffering.”
There is no single recipe for how to become a happy woman, but there are beacons that help us determine the course. Here is another one of the lighthouses from Osho’s book:
“The test of whether your life is moving in the right direction is within you. Who else can decide this for you? No one can decide.”
Osho gives examples of the different characters and lifestyles of Krishna, Buddha, Muhammad, Jesus and Mahavira. They were all different from each other and each had their own way of comprehending the divine. Only “one thing was certain: no matter what path they took, their inner nature was in tune with this path. This is the only thing they have in common.”
Children, career, having a partner, or loneliness are not criteria for happiness and success. How well you feel in your world is the only criterion of happiness.
No matter how much I like the idea of a family and a committed relationship with a man, I have rechecked more than once from my own experience that attachment to relationships leads to disharmony and unhappiness.
My definition of happiness is the ability to fill yourself with the energy of life, no matter where and with whom you are.
When the world(man, relatives, friends) is unable to cause you suffering, pain, and disappointment, you become the sun, shining for everyone, unconditionally giving love to everyone who needs it.
If you are dependent on loved ones or employees, you become demanding and intolerant, expecting that they will always “feed” you with their own resources.
The saddest thing about this is that every day the ability to cultivate in oneself Inner Light decreases, and dependence on others increases. Then the person turns into an energy vampire, living off the energy of others.
Instead of the sun shining freely for everyone, you become a black hole sucking in vitality the people around you.
Of course, on the material level we are all interdependent, since we are a cell in a single organism of humanity. But everyone is subject to their own psychological level - our emotions. After all, only a healthy cell can benefit the body.
If we stop depending on the mood of other people, we break the chains of attachment and become free inside. But only inner freedom leads to full self-realization of a person.
(May 2011, Moscow)
On May 4 and 6 in Russia, two concerts of Deva Premal and Miten took place in Moscow and St. Petersburg. We talk with Deva Premal about life, spirituality and, of course, music:
- Welcome to Russia!
Thank you. These are our first concerts in your mysterious country.
- In your opinion, what do people who come to your concerts in different parts of the world have in common?
First of all, a feeling of spiritual Unity. Friends come to our concerts and some of them even surprise us by unexpectedly appearing in one country or another. It's always nice.
- What is the secret of your success?
I do not consider my activities from the point of view of “success” or “failure” - this is our spiritual practice.
- You grew up in an unusual, spiritual family. What parenting principles did your parents adhere to?
I was born in Germany. My mother is a musician, and my father is an artist who chose the path of spiritual development for himself. He studied yoga and sacred practices. I disciplined myself to wake up every day at 3 am and do two hours of meditation. Throughout my mother's pregnancy, I was chanted the Gayatri Mantra, one of the oldest sacred mantras. Then they sang it as a lullaby to both me and my sister, and then we all sang it together. Then I sang simply because I was told to do so; I did not immediately understand the great meaning. To cultivate a sense of awareness in Everyday life, at the behest of my father, I had to perform several practices - for example, saying the mantra “Ram” when I turned on the light, or the mantra “Om” when I put something on the table.
We didn’t have a TV at home, there was no upholstered furniture, we sat on feminine, but very beautiful meditation benches that my father himself made. My father was a very sincere and deep person - he knew that he was giving us something that was most important, and I always trusted him, although sometimes it was difficult to do so.
When I was 9 years old, I became interested in Christianity, and then I secretly learned the Lord’s Prayer on my own and said it every night. I did it secretly because I was very afraid that it was forbidden and my parents wouldn’t understand me, but they understood and supported me. They have always supported me in all my endeavors.
- Do you practice yoga now? Who is your mentor?
Bhakti Yoga - the yoga of devotional service... by chanting and repeating mantras. And also Hatha Yoga. Who is my mentor? - Osho. My mother was the first to meet Osho - she then came home so bright - in all orange. I was 10 years old and really wanted to know more about it. I actively began to practice Osho meditation with my mother in the company of his novices in Germany. I felt and decided that I would be his preacher, but I needed my parents’ permission, and they again supported me. Since then, my life began to center around meditation and other spiritual practices.
- Did you have any problems communicating with classmates at school then?
No. Perhaps my classmates thought I was a little strange - I wore an orange robe all the time, wore a mala around my neck, but even if they thought so, they never showed it. Although I felt that I was different from all my friends at school.
- How was your duet with Miten born?
At the age of 17, I spent a lot of time at the Osho Ashram. She studied bodily practices: shiatsu massage, reflexology, and it was there, in 1990, that she met Miten.
Miten is a famous, successful English singer and composer, who was then disillusioned with rock and roll and felt an emptiness inside himself. Even then, his previous marriage broke up, and he decided to change his lifestyle and came to the ashram.
He came to me for a massage and reflexology - this was 18 years ago - we have been together since then. Despite the age difference - I was 20 then and he was 42.
- When did you start singing?
I didn't sing before I met Miten. Although I was close to music - I learned to play the violin and piano since childhood.
Miten is my partner and teacher. He then sang beautiful mantras on English language and was responsible at the ashram for organizing live music that accompanied the evening meditations (up to 2000 people took part in them every evening) and, by including me in his musical group, helped me become part of this process. Then I sang in a second voice and played the keys. I was very embarrassed to sing alone and sang very quietly, but I think Miten heard my voice, because he continued to work with me so persistently! All responsibility lies with him!
One day I heard my native Gayatri mantra performed by one of our English friends, although it was a version of the Gayatri mantra that was unfamiliar to me. This mantra cleansed everyone around: both the performer and the listeners. I was deeply touched, delighted and excited at the same time. I sang it, because I knew it since birth, and all my embarrassment disappeared, and my voice felt strength and confidence. I rediscovered mantras! It was as if I had found my voice and the effect was amazing!
I started looking for more mantras, and soon collected material for my first album, “The Essense,” which contained mantras in the blessed language of life - Sanskrit. We recorded it in my home country, Germany. Since then, more than 800,000 discs of our music have been sold. And the Gayatri mantra is always with me now! We even sang it with Miten on CNBC news!
- Is your name Deva Premal a pseudonym?
Yes. My birth name is Iolanta Fries. And Deva Premal from Sanskrit means - Giver of love.
You give 50 or more concerts a year - that's a lot! Plus rehearsals, trips, etc. Perhaps you don’t have time for your personal life and vacation?
For me and Miten there is no division between “work” and “rest”. We travel because we love to travel, we sing because we love to sing. That's why we have vacation every day. I'll tell you a secret: we never rehearse! Our music is like a stream, like true love, the movement of which does not stop for a moment.
- Do you sing only in Sanskrit?
We also sing songs and mantras that belong to other traditions... In addition, we, of course, sing Miten songs, and they are in English.
- Do you have children?
Our children are our albums... we spend our whole lives together... we have very close relationships in the family!
- How do you manage to keep yourself in such great shape?
Yoga and regular physical exercise- as far as possible when your whole life is on the road. A loving, enriching relationship with Miten, chanting and repeating mantras all contribute to good health! After all, healing by prayer or repetition of mantras is found in various world cultures and religions. It is like a magic key that allows a person to enter a deeper world.
-Are you a vegetarian? What nutrition principles do you adhere to?
Yes, we are both vegetarians, me since birth, and Miten for the last 35 years.
- How did you meet Cher?
She first heard me sing in a yoga class, as my albums are often used as background music for meditation. Since then she only wants to listen to my music.
- Does your personal spiritual search still continue?
It never ends.
What in your opinion is the most important for a beginner who has embarked on the path of spiritual enlightenment? What should he pay attention to first?
He must listen to his heart. It never lies, it will always lead you to the Light.
- Do you plan to teach the technique of performing mantras, or perhaps you are already doing this?
Neither I nor Miten are teachers in the literal sense of the word. We help people live with mantras inside themselves. Be open to the miracle they bring. Our workshops are about unlocking the energy of chanting and repeating mantras together and the grace it brings.
The ancient Greeks said: “Music is an art filled with power to penetrate the very depths of the soul.” You and Miten succeed! Thank you!
It’s very natural, we just sing well together. We learned from the music we listened to in the ashram - it was amazing!! I would like to encourage everyone to find their song, meaning their inner creativity. Our creative essence is so close to us that sometimes we cannot even see it! We think: if it's so easy, it can't be something great. My whole life changed because of a simple mantra that was inside of me. You just had to open up!
- Your immediate creative plans.
In addition to concerts in Russia, in May we will have several more concerts in Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bulgaria and the UK, in particular in London there will be a concert at the Mind Body Spirit Festival.
Healing music of Deva Premal. Sanskrit sound is an energetic phenomenon
Concerts of Deva Premal, one of the most famous Western mantra performers in the world, and her companion Miten took place in Moscow and St. Petersburg. For thousands of people around the world, her music not only inspires, delights and calms, but also heals. It was about the healing power of the works that she performs that we were able to talk with Deva Premal shortly before her Russian concerts.
Interview with Deva Premal in the youth magazine "Boomerang"
Deva Premal is called the most famous performer of mantras and ancient sacred songs all over the world. Her magical, meditative music is great for relaxation, yoga, and simply relaxing the body and soul, because the singer’s voice is like the chime of a clear stream that you want to listen to endlessly.
"BOOM!": Does your name – Deva Premal – mean something? I understand that you received it from your spiritual master at the age of eleven?
D.P.: Yes, in Sanskrit “Deva” means “divine” and “Premal” means “love”. The name received from the spiritual mentor is a kind of reminder of our true nature. In addition, it helps to consciously choose a certain path in life.
"BOOM!": You grew up in Germany, but in a family fascinated by Eastern philosophy, in an atmosphere of strict discipline. Was it difficult for you to adolescence to be “not like everyone else”?
D.P.: At times I really felt a little uncomfortable, but still I won’t say that it was hard. When I was about five or eight years old, I thought that I would like to be “like everyone else.” But, on the other hand, I didn’t feel that other people had anything more necessary for me than the values that my parents instilled in me. And by the age of eleven, I finally decided: in essence, I don’t care what others think, I began to learn meditation, wear an orange robe and a mala around my neck (a mala is a rosary, and the saffron-orange color symbolizes renunciation and humility). In fact, I have never experienced anyone being hostile towards me, including my classmates. Surprisingly, they always accepted me for who I am!
"BOOM!": How would you describe your music - for those who haven't heard it yet?
D.P.: This is modern sacred music based on spiritual love. I don't mean that it is serious, strict, canonical. It simply reflects the joy of life, admiration for its miracles.
"BOOM!": Do you perform mainly traditional chants?
D.P.: Yes, all mantras are ancient prayers. But the tunes - with the exception of one or two originals - are new. In addition, my partner Miten and I perform his songs in English.
"BOOM!": How do you choose which mantras will be included in your program?
D.P.: We choose those that resonate with us, tell us something important and, in our opinion, will help other people in these difficult times.
"BOOM!": How do you feel when you sing?
D.P.: Fullness of being and bliss. And after them comes silence and lightness of peace.
"BOOM!": How does your music influence listeners?
D.P.: I hope so!
"BOOM!": You have studied shiatsu, reflexology and other bodywork practices. Has this had a positive effect on your voice in any way?
D.P.: The voice expresses the state of our inner world more accurately than any other instrument. When you sing, you can't hide anything - it's like you're naked. Therefore, everything that I experienced, everything that I learned in life, made my voice the way it sounds now. Over the years, spiritual growth occurred - and the voice also changed. But not thanks to vocal exercises (I have never studied music with any teacher), but due to internal self-improvement.
"BOOM!": Please describe your best concert?
D.P.: The best concert is always ahead!
Deva Premal is a world famous New Age mantra singer. Her meditative music became popular among residents different countries not only for use during spiritual practices and yoga, but also for everyday relaxation. After all, the girl’s wonderful voice gracefully combines with Sanskrit texts and modern music. However, few people know that Deva’s potential may not have been revealed. It started quite late.
Biography of the singer
The performer's real name is Jolanta Fries. The singer was born in the German city of Nuremberg on April 2, 1970 into a creative family. Iolanta's father is a mystical artist, and her mother is a classical musician.
The head of the family was quite seriously engaged in self-development; he was attracted to the path of searching for Zen. He was actively involved in yoga and chanting mantras. The family tried to convey the same perception of the world to Iolanta. The Gayatri mantra became the companion of Deva Premal from the moment of her birth, as her father chanted it during childbirth. The girl often heard this same mantra before going to bed, as well as various stories with Zen overtones.
Later, together with her sister, Iolanta chanted the Gayatri Mantra, not understanding the meaning of the text in Sanskrit. Children grew up being brought up in the spirit of Eastern wisdom, and therefore reincarnation was for them a logical and fair end to life, but values Western Europe- fake.
After some time, the girl began to become more and more interested in Christianity. She was even baptized in secret from her parents, because she was afraid of their misunderstanding and disapproval. However, Iolanta's relatives supported her. The girl stopped chanting mantras for a long time.
The beginning of a creative journey
Deva's creative path began quite late. The singer's nickname means "giving love" in Sanskrit. And Deva Premal received it from Osho, her spiritual mentor, when she was only 11 years old.
Iolanta's musical career began in 1991. After she met her creative partner in 1990 and life path- Mitena. Unlike Deva, at that time he already had experience in the musical field, namely a rock and roll past and a present performer of mantras. At that time, thousands of listeners came to his concerts. Iolanta, delighted with Miten, decided to spend more time with him, and therefore began to sing along with him on backing vocals.
Development of the duo Deva Premal and Miten
Having started collaborating with Miten, Deva was unsure of her abilities as a soloist, and therefore only helped him with backing vocals. But after hearing the long-familiar Gayatri Mantra and starting to sing along with it, Iolanta realized that she was ready to perform solo.
The mantra of Deva Premal and Mithena has become a companion for many people in meditation and self-knowledge. The combination of clear and easy music with the deep meaning of Sanskrit texts made their work more accessible and clear to listeners from different countries.
Deva Premal and Miten have been traveling around the world since 1992, giving concerts and singing lessons. They organize seminars, participate in meditations and meetings with spiritual teachers. Today the duo is one of the top three performers of mantras. After all, their beautiful music can reach the farthest corners of the listeners’ hearts.
Loading...