Jaya Lakshmi

Jaya Lakshmi blends sensual and spiritual contemporary chant with tribal dance rhythms and flamenco guitar, producing a mystical backdrop suited to meditation, yoga sessions, or simple relaxation. Her musical path began early, when childhood piano instruction sparked an interest in guitar that prompted her to assemble a folk ensemble while still in high school at age fifteen. After receiving an anthropology degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1985, she headed to western Oregon to focus on singing and songwriting. Five years afterward, she and her two-year-old daughter settled in Hawaii, where an encounter with the West Bengalese spiritual leader Srila Govinda Maharaj bestowed her spiritual name, Jaya Lakshmi, meaning “the Hindu Goddess of prosperity.” The islands proved ideal for deepening her faith-centered pursuits, eventually guiding her to Maui, where she connected with Deva Priyo and Om and co-founded the group Lost at Last. Following a move to northern California, the band issued its self-titled debut album in August 2001. Demand for her voice grew, leading her to co-write two tracks on William Ackerman’s Grammy-nominated Hearing Voices and supply vocals for Steve Gordon’s Drum Prayer. Her own first solo effort, Ocean of Mercy, appeared on Sequoia Records in 2002 and was succeeded by Jewel of Hari in 2004.