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Inspired by the deep devotional mood
of Indian singing and music, Jaya Lakshmi began leading
kirtan with harmonium and 12 string
guitar and writing her own devotional songs in the early
1990's on the island of Hawaii, shortly after receiving
harinam initiation from Srila
Govinda Maharaj, a great Vaisnava saint from
West Bengal, India, who graciously bestowed on her the
name "Jaya Lakshmi", which means "victory to the goddess
Lakshmi", the Hindu goddess of fortune and spiritual wealth.
(Go to About Kirtan
for glossary of italicized words)
Her ecstatic singing and kirtan leading, often accompanied
by master musician Deva
Priyo on sarod and Spanish guitar, and other
talented artists, has had a powerful effect amongst various
communities in the islands of Hawaii, the West Coast,
and Europe, always creating a deep sense of intimacy with
the divine. She has a unique style that blends beauty,
power and purity to create a truly transcendental sound
driven by her fiery devotion and love for God. Singing
mostly original and some traditional Vaisnava chants and
songs in Sanskrit in the Gaudiya Vaisnava
tradition of ‘harinam sankirtan’ (call and response
congregational chanting of the Holy Names), she often
includes chants from other Vedic traditions in
her kirtans as well. She also performs many original songs
in which Sanskrit is woven in with English lyrics. Because
of her pure mood, deep sincerity, passion for the Divine
and great musical talent, Jaya Lakshmi is rapidly becoming
well known and loved as one of the few touring female
kirtan leaders in the West.
Jaya Lakshmi is also well known as the lead singer and
songwriter for the band 'Lost at Last' (renamed 'One at
Last' in 2004), a popular high energy electronica tribal
trance experience that has extensively toured the western
US from 1997 - 2005. In One at Last, Jaya Lakshmi expresses
many singing styles and honors diverse spiritual traditions,
singing prayers in several languages, including Native
American, Arabic, and Sanskrit. Under the name Lost at
Last, the band created 2 CDs: "Lost at Last 1" (1997,
independent ) and "Lost at Last 2" (2001, RCA Windham
Hill). In September 2006, One at Last released "Are You
Dreaming?" on Sounds True Records. One at Last is currently
no longer performing, as the members have become more
dedicated to their solo careers.
Her three solo CDs ‘Ocean
of Mercy’ (2003), ‘Jewel
of Hari’ (2004) and
'Sublime' (2008) are available on Sequoia Records,
all magnificently embellished by the fine guitar and sarod
work of Deva
Priyo and tabla master Daniel
Paul. 'Sublime' also features Manose
on bansuri flute, Ananta
on violin, Yoko Silk on cello, and Luna
Marcus on support vocals. 'Sublime' is an enhanced
CD, with 2 videos and 2 bonus tracks. All CDs are also
available on her website.
As a vocal artist she is featured on Steve Gordon’s “Drum Prayer” (2002, Sequoia Records) and William Ackerman's "Hearing Voices" (2001, RCA/Windham Hill records).
At present she is working on her fourth studio CD which
is due for release February 2009), and continuing to explore
her vision of uniting the devotional mood with electronic
dance music. Jaya Lakshmi currently lives in Eugene, Oregon
with her family.
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