Gloria Ragesh has just had her solo project Wild Gloriosa announced for the Queenscliff Music Festival next month. She spoke to the Independent’s Matt Hewson about her music and the intention behind it.
On one hand, Gloria Ragesh is a humble instrumental music teacher, instructing singing students at North Geelong Secondary, the school she graduated from.
“(Instrumental teaching) is really rewarding, as opposed to a classroom; one-on-one and small group sessions are so much more intimate,” she said.
“I really like teaching that way because I get to know the students a bit more, what they’re truly interested in.
“Different students learn in different ways. So being able to adapt to the students’ needs, finding out what kind of musician they are, I really enjoy it, it’s my favourite aspect of teaching.”
On the other hand, recent reports of her vocal work in solo project Wild Gloriosa and band Jothi – which opened for Jessica Mauboy at Geelong Arts Centre’s reopening in August – refer to Gloria as “expansive and expressive, immersive and wondrous”, a “neo-soul goddess”.
Gloria, 23, said she was “stoked” to be informed Wild Gloriosa had been accepted to Queenscliff Music Festival, which takes place from November 23 to 26.
“It’s my favourite festival; I’ve been volunteering for as long as I can remember, so I was very, very excited to find out I could actually be on the line-up,” she said.
“I’m just so grateful. I can’t wait to do it, it’s going to be so fun. I go alone every year, it’s my favourite ‘me time’ thing to do.”
Born in Dandenong to parents of Southern Indian heritage, Gloria spent much of her early childhood in Singapore, surrounded by the Christian worship music of her family’s church, Bollywood tunes and her father’s favourite music, old school soul and R&B.
With her mother’s encouragement she began learning piano at age five, finding herself naturally singing along; “It was just something I really enjoyed and got the knack of pretty quickly”.
In 2013, after a brief stint in Perth, Gloria’s family moved to Geelong. She began attending North Geelong Secondary, where she involved herself in as much music as possible, be it school concerts, musicals or playing at parties.
After high school Gloria knew she wanted to study music, so she enrolled in a music performance degree at CollArts in Melbourne, where she met three of the people who would become members of Jothi.
“Jothi started out as a solo project, but it very quickly turned into a collaborative project where we all shared our ideas equally,” she said.
“That’s got more of a heavier rhythm, more groove-based. There are also a lot more hectic guitar solos, and it’s more pop-soul, I would say.
“I really enjoyed leaning into the collaboration aspect. All of us have incredibly different tastes in music, so it’s very interesting to see all of us throw ideas in to create this weird genre.
“Also, growing with them over the last five years… we’re still doing gigs together, and it’s nice to see how we’ve evolved over the years. The way we communicate as a band, the language around songwriting, is a very cool thing.”
Despite her enjoyment of Jothi, Gloria felt the need to explore her creativity in a more personal way. She began Wild Gloriosa mid-2022 and found the change of process challenging.
“I felt like a baby, a newborn baby; I found it a very surprising contrast between a collaborative and a solo project,” she said.
“It was a big change, but I’m glad that I did it. Being able to have this creative process, this flow, and see how people receive it has been beautiful.”
Gloria named the project after the gloriosa flower, or flame lily, the state flower of Tamil Nadu in South India where her ancestors are from.
She said her love of the beautiful flower connected with her intention to infuse her music with kindness and joy.
“I have to really feel influenced to be able to write (music), I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been able to do it another way,” Gloria said.
“And I think it pays off; when I just allow myself to feel and have a creative process in that way, I feel like my best songs are made.
“I like to write about messages that I want to share with people. Like, my newest single (Joy) is about spreading messages of joy and enjoying the simple things in life that bring you joy, because those small elements in life are what make a wholesome, fulfilling life, I think.”
Channelling influences such as Erykah Badu, Bill Withers and Lianne La Havas, Gloria’s music weaves her hypnotic vocals through and above chilled grooves and jazzy harmonies, which she composes alone at the piano.
For Gloria, genuine expression is far more important than chasing listens with formulaic pop tunes.
“It takes a lot of mindfulness to remind yourself to stay authentic and not fall for wanting approval from others,” she said.
“I find it very vulnerable, but I also think it’s beautiful and I hope encourages other people to feel the same way, that they can be like that.
“This project, Wild Gloriosa, is an extension of my soul. What you feel when you hear my songs is the feeling I get from my soul.
“So whatever you can feel through that, that’s the goal. And if that is achieved by being vulnerable and exposing myself in that way, I guess I’m happy.”
