Alma Naidu on making music that she loves and reflects her true self

Alma Naidu is emerging as one of the most promising singers on the German as well as global jazz scene. The 25-year-old award-winning singer, composer, and lyricist released a self-titled debut album ‘Alma’ in 2022, winning various prizes and awards. She has appeared in various musicals and opera productions.

Initially she wanted to study film music composition but Naidu found her way into jazz by accident. While exploring different musical genres as part of her studies, she became captivated by jazz’s improvisational freedom and complex harmonies. She realized jazz offered a unique creative space she hadn’t found elsewhere. 

“I have always been playing the piano, singing, and composing music. I went to the University of Music and Theatre Munich to study film music composition. There, I attended a guest study at the jazz department. I didn’t know anything about jazz until then,” she says. “I realized that it’s such a great genre because you can play music and also write music. That is what I loved most about it.” 

Jazz is renowned for its improvisational freedom. Entire sections of the music can be improvised together, with players interweaving their individual contributions into a seamless whole. It represents a kind of musical liberation—allowing performers to push their creative limits, explore new sounds, and interact in ways that are unique to the moment. 

Recognising this, Naidu’s love for the genre grew. She ultimately made the decision to study jazz instead of film music. “It gives you the freedom to express yourself and I can simply combine all of my expressions that come from different genres, like classical music, and even Metallica, which I used to listen to a lot,” she says. “I just combine all of these influences and jazz offers a place for that.”

Jazz, she adds, offers the possibility to make music in the moment, depending on who you’re playing with and what you feel like. The songwriting process in jazz can be both highly structured and incredibly fluid, depending on the subgenre, the individual musician, and the specific project. Naidu’s approach falls on the fluid side, creatively adapting as ideas develop. “Sometimes I start with the music, then add the melody and lyrics. But recently, I’ve been writing the lyrics first and then thinking about the music to go with it,” she says.

Naidu says that usually, once she has an idea, she starts producing pretty early in the writing process—creating demo versions just for herself. She will often add instruments and even draft a music sheet early on. However, she admits it always changes during the process of actually making music.

Being a musician, performing live is one of Naidu’s regular pursuits. For her, live performances aren’t just about sharing music but also about connecting with the audience. “I love playing live. It’s different every time because the audience is different. The audience here in Nepal is very different from European or German ones. That makes musicians also play differently at different live performances,” says Naidu. 

“Live performances also depend on how I, as a performer, am feeling that day. Stages and the surrounding environment contribute to the difference too,” she adds. 

With the rise of AI in songwriting programs, it can be scary for the music industry. Speaking on the matter, Naidu says, “I feel like live music is the only sector AI cannot replicate. There’s no way for it to because it’s based on human interactions. The audience’s energy is the most important part of live performances. I personally love when the audience sings along, and I really enjoy interacting with them afterwards.”

As a female jazz musician, Naidu highlights the challenge that women like herself face in the industry. “Jazz is still a very male dominated genre. It feels like it’s 50 years behind compared to development in terms of equality in other music genres, and broadly, in the world,” she says. When studying jazz, the young singer and songwriter was exposed to jazz bands worldwide, many of which were male dominated. She says there is a lack of female role models for her to look up to as an emerging artist.

“I feel like I have to prove myself because I’m a female artist. In my band, there are both men and women and it’s comfortable for everyone. Even the men in the band say the environment feels pleasant,” she adds. 

Naidu aspires to be a role model for girls who want to pursue music. She says no one should write and play music to prove themselves, especially to other musicians. That is something she notices at a lot of music schools–students often want to show others what they are capable of. That, she says, isn’t the point of music. “Creating music should be about expressing your authentic self without any obligations whatsoever.” 

Naidu stresses the importance of staying authentic to yourself as an artist and not trying to impress everyone. “I feel like it’s obvious when someone is producing music to please others, and not writing what they actually want to. I wish for young artists to forget conforming to randomly set norms.”

Naidu recently performed at Jazzmandu, Nepal’s premier jazz event, celebrated annually since 2002. Over the years, the festival has featured a diverse lineup of international and Nepali artists, fostering cultural exchange and promoting jazz education. In 2024, Jazzmandu celebrated its 20th edition from Oct 24 to 30. “The event was amazing. We had so many fun projects, learnt new things, and had a lot of great interactions. It’s my first time in Nepal and I really really like it here,” she says.