Q&A: Chandra Makes Her Luminous Debut With ‘As The Dust Settles’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY SHEVON GREENE ☆
AT HER NEW YORK RELEASE SHOW — the crowd’s voices rose to meet Chandra’s. When the bridge of “Liquid in My Feet” hit, everyone sang it back to her; a song she once considered minor had become a fan favorite. The 22-year-old artist, raised in the Chicago suburbs and now based in New York, has always believed music is about connection.
Her debut EP, As the Dust Settles, focuses even more on that energy. Inspired by influences like Erykah Badu, Raveena, and Asha Puthli, Chandra blends R&B, neo-soul, and folk into a sonic exploration of trust, cycles, and karmic love. It’s music that feels like a grounding breath and explores guilt and surrender, eventually landing in alignment and peace. Tracks like “Dull Pink” and “Second Time Around” showcase her gift for making the heavy feel gentle.
We chatted with Chandra about building As the Dust Settles, writing as a practice of alignment, and translating stillness into live energy. Read on for more.
LUNA: Your EP is so lovely, and I’m excited to ask you a few questions about it and your upcoming plans. As the Dust Settles feels like both a sonic meditation and a journal of emotional cycles. What did grounding yourself in themes of trust, surrender, and karmic love teach you while making the project?
CHANDRA: Rather than learning those themes and then writing about them, I feel like I learned through the project itself. My philosophy in writing has always been to understand my life through music. I found clarity and peace in the songs, and they ended up being about those themes because they’ve always been on my mind. It’s like kneading bread—constant, hands-on, necessary.
LUNA: I love that analogy. The EP begins with “Intro,” where you step outside with your hands in soil. Why was it important to root the listener in nature from the very first track?
CHANDRA: That’s just what it’s all about to me. The lyrics came from an imagined scene, inspired by a night upstate with friends when I saw the Orion constellation under an orange moon. That image never left me. When I sat down to write, I imagined what I would do in that moment to feel peace. For me, I’ll always be reaching out to nature, to the stars, to whatever’s out there. Starting the project with that felt right—grounding my fists in the soil, gripping.
LUNA: “Liquid in My Feet” has already become a fan favorite, especially resonating with the Desi community. Did you anticipate that level of connection, and how has it felt watching the song take on a life of its own?
CHANDRA: I didn’t expect it at all. At first it wasn’t even one of my favorites, but after releasing it and seeing how people responded, I’ve found a new joy in performing it. That’s been one of the most beautiful surprises—the joy of seeing someone else find meaning in something I wrote. At my release show, when everyone sang the bridge with me, I couldn’t stop smiling. I wanted to be serious, talk about the themes, but I was just so happy.
LUNA: That must have been powerful. “Dull Pink” explores karmic patterns and guilt, while “Second Time Around” closes with alignment and peace. How intentional was that emotional arc?
CHANDRA: Very intentional, even though I didn’t originally plan for these songs to be released together. They were written over years in college, but when it came time to package them, the order made sense. “Second Time Around” was also the last song I wrote, so it fit naturally at the end. Even though the project grapples with guilt and confusion, I wanted it to end in celebration of where you are and who you are with. Ending on “Second Time Around” felt perfect.
LUNA: When listeners reach the end of As the Dust Settles, what do you hope lingers with them?
CHANDRA: Warmth. Comfort. A feeling that no matter where they are, it’s all okay. I want them to feel rooted, but also light.
LUNA: When you’re writing, are you more led by imagery, melody, or feeling?
CHANDRA: It’s all feelings-driven. That translates into melody because I grew up as a singer, but those feelings are often tied to specific imagery—scenes from my life, dreams, memories. So it’s a mix, but at its core it starts with feeling.
LUNA: Your influences include Erykah Badu and Raveena, artists known for world-building. How do you approach building a sonic world that feels personal but also universal?
CHANDRA: Honestly, I don’t think about universality while writing. I just try to make something whole and complete for myself, and honor the artists I admire. If others connect with it, that’s a bonus. For me, it’s about making art for art’s sake. That said, the live side of things is where I focus on connection—performing is how I reach people and build community. So there’s the imaginative world of the music itself, and then there’s the very grounded act of performing it and seeing it resonate.
LUNA: Your music has been described as “music for alignment.” Do you see yourself making music for others to meditate with, or is it primarily about your own grounding?
CHANDRA: Up until now, it’s been a private practice for me. But I’d love to write with that purpose someday—to intentionally create something for people to meditate with or ground themselves in. That would be such a beautiful responsibility. I just haven’t done it yet.
LUNA: You’ve cultivated a really engaged following, especially within Brown and Desi communities. What has it meant to see your identity reflected back in your listeners?
CHANDRA: I love it. I want to sing and dance with my people, that’s what I grew up with. I hold a lot of pride in my identity, and I’m happy to see my community by my side.
LUNA: How do you balance making music that resonates with your roots without being boxed in by them?
CHANDRA: The space has changed a lot. I don’t feel boxed in anymore, and I think that’s because there are so many different approaches within South Asian artistry. I was trained in Carnatic singing, but the music I make is very emotional and less technical. I look up to the more technically driven artists and hope to learn from them. Someday I’d love to write something rooted in a raga, but for now I’m just excited to keep exploring my style.
LUNA: You’ve opened for J.I.D and AG Club, and you just played your own release show in New York. How do you translate the meditative stillness of your records into live energy?
CHANDRA: Performance has always felt natural to me. Growing up as a classical singer, dancer, and violinist, art was about creating energy in the room and holding people’s attention. That’s why the EP blends live and produced elements—I always want the music to live on stage. Performing is where I feel most at home.
LUNA: Speaking of, how was the release show? What was a highlight for you?
CHANDRA: It was so fun. The highlight was definitely people singing my songs back to me— “The Sun,” “Liquid [In My Feet],” everything. Seeing people move to the music and locking eyes with them in that intimate space was unforgettable. On a personal level, making and selling my own CDs was also huge. I burned them myself, printed the artwork, assembled the cases. Handing them out made it all feel so real.
LUNA: I love that. Taking the effort to make physical media feels important, especially for independent artists.
CHANDRA: Totally. Music has always been about the physical—the space, the sound, the tangible experience. Physical media is coming back because people are realizing how crucial it is.
LUNA: After this EP, what’s next for you?
CHANDRA: Some worlds from this project will definitely be fleshed out more in the coming months. Beyond that, I’m not sure. Finishing the EP took longer than expected with school and work, so right now I’m just excited to keep creating, meet more people in the community, and see where it all goes. My main goal is to have fun and make what feels good.
