photos courtesy of Joelle Charan and Sonnet Music

written by Alysa S.

Meet Joelle Charan. Daughter, singer, artist, Indo-Caribbean, and European. Joelle is an up and coming artist of Surinamese descent who was raised in Amsterdam and resides in the United Kingdom. Charan’s 2020 EP “Ashira” blends modern pop with classical Indian influences from her Indo-Caribbean heritage.  

Coming from a family with an affinity for music and with a rather unique background, Joelle is the daughter of a Catholic mother and a Hindu father. Growing up wasn’t easy for an Indo-Caribbean girl in Amerstdam. Joelle faced frequent bullying from her classmates. Her skin was darker than theirs and she didn’t eat beef like her Hindu father. Music became the young artist’s therapy and outlet.

Joelle’s father was a talented pianist who played Chopin and was always at his piano in his free time. She was encouraged to sing from an early age by her parents, as well as school choir instructors. Joelle’s music education did not stop there. She continued with piano and singing lessons from classic jazz instructors throughout her youth. After graduating high school, she was accepted into the Conservatory of Amsterdam where she continued to study jazz. Joelle went on to attend the New School  School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City and found inspiration from the melting pot. 

Indian musicians across New York blended their sounds with cultures from across the world and introduced Joelle to new forms of genre blending. Some of her favorites were Latin Caribbean music from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic blended with Surinamese music. Elements of classical Indian music found their way into Joelle’s music and helped ground her in her Surinamese roots.

Joelle’s experiences with racism also help fuel her commitment to sharing her heritage with the world through music in hopes of inspiring others. Joelle recounts on a stop at Denver International Airport, she was required to go through more security than her white counterparts, making the artist feel singled-out.

“You can’t tell me that it was any other reason than the fact that I have a last name which seems a bit Arabic.”

Despite discrimination she uses her music to share stories from one generation to the next, much like the stories handed down to her from her parents and theirs. Her paternal grandparents emigrated from Punjab to Suriname as indentured laborers. Like many Indo-Caribbeans, after years of coerced servitude, her grandparents left the Caribbean. Upon arriving in Amsterdam from Paramaribo, Suriname, her family’s original last name, “’Goercharan,” was misspelled by an official as “Goercharn.” Joelle has reclaimed the surname “Charan,” which means feet of the Lord. She celebrates the name as part of her heritage and music. The stories of hardship and perseverance that followed Joelle’s family to Amerstadam, as well as through the generations, have found themselves being shared today in her music.

Her EP “Ashira” is a testament to Joelle’s storytelling, as Joelle shares moments of her life from her upbringing to her travels through her songs. “Man In A Towncar,” is inspired by an experience many immigrant children can relate to. It’s the story about a workaholic man who does everything to provide for his family. Some of the lyrics read:

“You’re out on the road, with no destination or desire. At the end of the line, in the city of blinding lights.”