Jai Uttal: Mantra Sounds Into Silence
Liane Buck: Oh, my God. I am, too. That is really beautiful. Jai, you are known to be one of the pioneers of the world devotional music; especially here in the United States, but you travel everywhere for this fantastic celebration of pure divine love. How difficult was for you to start this trend? Your personal journey?
Jai Uttal: Yeah. Well, I wanted, and it wasn’t difficult at all because it’s the only thing I knew how to do. [laughter] And I had no choice. So, as I continued, and still continue to study and expand my, my musical growth, the devotional side, and the spiritual side has always been hand in hand with the artistic side, and really I have no other skills…
Liane Buck: Oh, come on.
Jai Uttal: On that, well, my only other thing that I hope I’m good at is being a father to my son. But, but so in that sense, it wasn’t hard at all because I never had to make a choice, but you see, I’m a Gemini, so everything, every answer I have has two sides.
Liane Buck: Oh, I see.
Jai Uttal: But on, on the other hand, when I started doing this, nobody was doing it, in America. You know, like in India, this is an Ancient art. But in America, and so, there were times when I just felt like I was just completely beating my head against the wall. Sometimes, I felt I had to push and push and push, and then I would realize, no. It’s not for me to push. It’s if this is in God’s hands, let God do with me what he wants, but then, you know, I had to make money and support my family and then, sometimes I get so frustrated and sometimes I would think, “Oh, my God. Nobody cares about what I’m doing. Why am I even doing it?”
But then, as I said, I had nothing else that I knew how to do, so I kept doing it, and, and gradually, but we have a wonderful life. So, that’s a; that’s a whole other interesting story. That God has blessed us. We live such a beautiful life and have no money in the bank.
Liane Buck: Oh, I know exactly the feeling. I understand in this also, as the destiny of the trailblazers.
Jai Uttal: Yeah.
Liane Buck: It’s a pure grace, the pure light, and that, that’s what I really know about, and that’s the reason I’m so thrilled to be interviewing you. Thank you so much.
Jai Uttal: Liane, I had a great experience. It was, I think it was 1999. I was invited to come to India to sing at the Miss India beauty pageant. Now, that is like, such a bizarre, even the thought of me singing at the beauty pageant. It makes no sense, really, but I was interested, I wanted to go to India at that time. I was ready for another trip.
So, I went, and, it turned out that, that my music had been being used a lot in the fashion industry. And I had no idea of this, and that’s, that’s why they invited me. But the amazing part was after my performance; there was this big gathering.
There were 7000 people there, and all the big Indian VIPs and stuff, but so many people were coming to me, the young people who were working behind the scenes, almost punk looking young people to a super-rich industrialist and stuff.
And they were all coming to me thanking me, and saying, you know, we have moved away from our tradition, and, and almost left behind, but listening to you sing and listening to the, to the way you interpret our ancient prayers has reconnected us with our own heritage and our own spiritual heritage, I should say and made us want to say these prayers again.
And it was repeated in so many different ways by so many different people, and it was such an affirmation for me. And at that time, I really needed one because it was one of that moment, I guess when I was just feeling like, wow, giving up almost. But then, hearing this affirmation renewed me. I don’t know; I was once again on my path.
