New York, NY (Top40 Charts) SHUNIA, by Shunia, features the fusion of classical instruments from different countries, multiple styles of vocals, and the focusing energy of ancient chants to bring feelings of joy, hope, and awareness to Western culture at a crucial moment in time. The album is charted on Amazon's Top 20
Digital New Releases for New Age music this week, and is now available worldwide.
To create their self-titled album of transcendent music and melodic harmonies, Shunia -- music duo Lisa Reagan and Suzanne Jackson -- co-composed with Tony Award-winning producer Jamshied Sharifi. The album takes the listener through mantra melodies, energetic vocals, and dynamic compositions worthy of a feature film score. They are joined by renowned Moroccan artist Hassan Hakmoun, the godfather of Gnawa music, performing on two of the tracks.
On the making of SHUNIA, Lisa Reagan says, "As musicians whose lives have been enriched by chanting, we wanted to create a beautiful garden of sound where the chants could come alive. The mantras that we are chanting on this album have been chanted for thousands of years. We thought about the unique energy of each of these mantras and created music that would be in harmony with it. Our hope is that people will sing and dance along with this album because it profoundly moves them."
There is indeed a sense of deep focus present in each track on SHUNIA, which invites listening on dual levels. On one level, listeners are entertained by stunning compositions, virtuosic playing, and the duos' rich vocals. On another level, one can focus on the wisdom of each mantra and lyric as it is expressed with deep conviction and impressive clarity. A page on the Shunia website dedicated to "mantra" further explains the meaning of each track. Shunia's music is recommended for group classes or personal practice of yoga, and for simply gathering inspiration to move into a healthier and more enlightened future in 2021.
In advance of the full album debut, four tracks were released with inspiring videos, including "Akal" (June 2020); "Sa Re Sa Sa" (October 2020); "Breeze At Dawn" (November 2020); and "
Alleluia" (December 2020). The duo's high-quality, uplifting videos are available at this YouTube location: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVvsZECVFyfF5OFCS5VWJCw
Dick Metcalf, editor of Contemporary Fusion Reviews, has this to say about the album: "It stands apart from all the other 'chant' albums, particularly because it is very 'listenable'...Each song contains an element of surprise, but the one that impressed me the most, and therefore became my choice for favorite of the eight offered up is 'Ang Sang Wahe Guru'… vibrations that will help you realize purpose and meaning in your life. Even if you're not a devotee of 'chant' music, you will find this powerful performance rewarding and meaningful. I give Shunia a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating, with a (perfect) 'EQ' (energy quotient) score of 5.00…meaning that it also gets a 'PICK' from me for 'most empowering album.'"
SHUNIA is available globally on most platforms today. Physical CDs are available at https://shuniasound.com/ and Amazon.
Lisa Reagan, Suzanne Jackson, and Jamshied Sharifi are available for media interviews about the album, and for live guest segments on social media. Physical CDs and a digital Dropbox of the album are available upon request to Beth Hilton at
[email protected].
Radio airplay requests may be made to Max Horowitz of Crossover Media at
[email protected].
Shunia Album Track List
Sa Re Sa Sa (4:54)
Breeze At Dawn (4:12)
Alleluia (6:51)
Akal (6:48)
Har Hare Han Wahe Guru (6:21)
Ang Sang Wahe Guru (6:42)
Ong Namo (5:37)
Sa Ta Na Ma (8:27)
Shunia: https://shuniasound.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2zQv6X0oMSlC01mup2lJZ3?si=9mS_kdQCQfiyiDfrZxJP8Q
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shuniasound/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVvsZECVFyfF5OFCS5VWJCw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shuniasound/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shuniamusic
Lisa Reagan and Suzanne Jackson became friends while attending graduate school at University of Maryland. Both performed with the Washington
National Opera for 20 years while launching successful solo careers. The duo decided to meld their love for the power of chanting with their Western vocal prowess. This led them to form Shunia (pronounced SHOON-ya), choosing the Sanskrit word meaning "stillness and receptivity" as the name of their duo. Visit ShuniaSound.com for more information.
Jamshied Sharifi is a New York-based composer, producer, and keyboardist. He has composed the scores for feature films including Harriet The Spy, Down To Earth, Clockstoppers, and Rollerball, as well as contributing music to numerous television shows and independent films. He has produced and/or performed with Paula Cole, Ray Charles,
Dream Theater, Laurie Anderson, Hassan Hakmoun, Yungchen Lhamo, Mirabai Ceiba, and many others. He produced Snatam Kaur's album, Beloved, which was nominated for the 2019 Best New Age Album Grammy. Sharifi did some orchestrations for Sting's Broadway musical, The Last Ship. His orchestrations for The Band's Visit won the 2018 Tony Award.
