On November 10th, The Music Room will host Ms. Worldwide, a house show that highlights underrepresented voices in Nashville. I had the privilege to sit down with performers Jyoti Laverack and Soumya Vytla who gave me the inside scoop about the upcoming show. 

Jyoti Laverack – @jyotiigl on Instagram

As a member of The Music Room, Jyoti has been hoping to organize an event like Ms. Worldwide for years. She first started playing the guitar and writing songs during COVID about feeling conflicted in her identity as someone who is half Indian and half white. Jyoti came to Nashville to continue her music pursuits, and quickly realized the indie scene is dominated by white artists. Performing live is one of the most important ways to gain a following as an up-and-coming artist; it’s incredibly difficult to join that community as a POC. 

This sparked the idea to create a house show like Ms. Worldwide. The idea behind this show is to give POC artists a platform to showcase their talents in a house show. However, Jyoti said this is not just a diversity show; she specifically chose this setting to welcome everyone from all communities. For example, if this house show was held at the multi-cultural center or on Greek row, Ms. Worldwide wouldn’t be as open for everyone to attend. Ms. Worldwide will be Jyoti’s first live performance! 

 

Soumya Vytla – @soumya_vytla on Instagram and @soumyavytla on TikTok

Soumya started songwriting and performing in the pop and R&B genres at 16 years old. She’s signed with Outer Voice Records, the South Asian American label founded by Jam and Philly that creates a community for South Asian Americans in the entertainment industry. Her new song “I’m So Done” is about her experiences growing up as a South Asian American facing Eurocentric beauty standards. TikTok also particularly inspired Soumya when writing her new song and creating its music video, as social media apps are also dominated by white creators. Darker skin is often not well-represented in the media, and it’s increasingly more difficult for POC creators to get views and attract an audience. Don’t miss the debut of her new music video at Ms. Worldwide!

Come See Ms. Worldwide on Friday!

Jyoti and Soumya hope that Ms. Worldwide is the beginning of more representation and collaboration in the indie music community in Nashville, as well as opening the door for these outstanding performers to showcase their talents in house shows more often. 

Ms. Worldwide will be held on November 10th at 128 Marshall Court right here in Nashville. Stop by to listen to performances by Savi Smith, Jyoti Laverack, Lexi Anand, Isabella Montero, and Soumya Vytla. The show starts at 9:30 PM and will feature hot chocolate and fire pits!