Photo: Grace Oh

Two years on from the release of the incredibly stunning and contemplative Everyone’s Children, Surya Botofasina is following it up with Ashram Sun, his much anticipated second album. On the new record, the keyboardist and vocalist, who is also the music director of the Sai Anantam Ashram Singers, and was mentored by Alice Coltrane during his upbringing in her Ashram in California, “delivers an inspiring meditation on the works and message of his mentor”, as the press release describes, “and takes us back to his grounding in the Sai Anantam Ashram”. He comments:

“The very core of my being resides and has been cultivated at the sacred grounds of Sai Anantam Ashram. Each value, aspect, place, memory, person, quality, feeling, bhajan, Satsang, energetic representation collectively composes this person.”

As with Surya’s debut album, Ashram Sun was also produced by Carlos Niño and features a stellar cast of guest contributors including his mother, acclaimed harpist and vocalist Radha Botofasina, multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid, Los Angeles saxophonist Randal Fisher, vocalist Mia Doi Todd, and vocalist MidnightRoba, among others.

Ashram Sun will see the light of day on October 18th through Spiritmuse Records and ahead of it Surya is offering the celestial and soothing first single, ‘(The Circle) of Compassion’, featuring UK based singer, songwriter and producer MidnightRoba. Surya had this to say about it:

“(The Circle) of Compassion is about aspects of growing up on the Ashram, where we experienced pure unbridled joy during our childhood. However, it is also saying and and acknowledging how important all of our inner eternally youthful selves are deserving of self-love and care. May we all be compassionate towards each other, and especially ourselves. Peace and joy.”

Listen to the single below.