Anika Joshi – Radiance (2025)
Daubing her sonic palette with shimmering bursts of R&B, pop, soul and jazz, singer-songwriter Anika Joshi paints glittering pictures all bound in the soothing sweep of her moving melodies. We came across Joshi earlier this year with her pop singles ‘Losing My Mind’ and ‘Running Out Of Time’. Today, she sends us another treat in the form of her debut EP, Radiance. So, make yourself a cup of tea, get the chocolate biscuits, and sit down to experience Joshi’s six-track feast.
Opening with the R&B track ‘Vision’, Joshi begins by tapping into her inner Alicia Keys with the soothing brush of 90s R&B. Produced with Sean Carey, the toe-tapping track binds a moving piano with an anchoring drumbeat pulsating with a steady, almost heartbeat-esque pace. Heading into ‘Running Out Of Time’, Joshi continues to breathe life into whispers of yesteryear’s R&B, but with the lilt of commercial pop slicing through the melody. The shimmering synths sweep the background, while that steady drum continues to pulsate amidst a soaring guitar and dynamic keyboard.
While the tempo picked up in ‘Running Out Of Time’, Joshi slows things down in ‘Losing My Mind’ with a stripped-down pop ballad. The track is piano-driven, and simplistically so, or at least that’s what she wants you to believe. Showcasing the beauty of an acoustic piano. she takes you on a rollercoaster ride. The peeps of percussion twinkles from the background, adding a fairy-like shimmer; however, it mostly highlights the diversity of a piano, shifting from soft and gentle to full-bodied and fierce.
Continuing the line of acoustic ballads, ‘Losing My Mind’ is followed by ‘I Don’t Remember’. For me, this might be the best of the EP. It broods with warmth and tenderness with its piano and vocals’ barebones appearance; but, as much as the single is sparse, it is kaleidoscopic and brims with a rich, bold fullness. It’s weighty and powerful, but without being overwhelming.
Ending the EP, we have ‘Magnetic Glow’ and ‘Orion’s Belt’. Joshi saunters into old-school soul meets jazz vibes, ending Radiance with the sultry silkiness of Sade, as well as a more contemporary breath of neo-soul, making it appeal to audiences from yesteryear and today.
One aspect I find constant throughout the six tracks is not how Carey’s magical production wand keeps everything sophisticated and elegant; rather, it is Joshi’s attitude, aura, and powerful vocals. Each track has a calming tune, but it is the rich vocals that navigate each song, holding out her hand with a big smile before reaching the end with a hug from an old friend. After hearing the singles ‘Running Out Of Time’ and ‘Losing My Mind’, I hoped to hear great things from Joshi; Radiance merely proves my point that Joshi is one to watch.
Find out more about Anika Joshi on her official website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Spotify.
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