Experience the Journey of Love

California based Kirtaniyas are a global collective of energetic, multi-talented artists. These twenty-somethings grew up in a Vedic culture of song, dance, philosophy and devotion between ashrams and temples both in India and the western world.

Vijay Krsna, band leader, studied devotional Indian folk music known as 'kirtan' in the sacred village of Vrindavana, India. This rare traditional art form is an ancient call-and-response mantra chanting practice, that originated in the Indian subcontinent over 5000 years ago. Joined together with the musically gifted Sarasvati, soulful vocalist Rasika and drummer Nitai, Vijay formed the Kirtaniyas in 2009. They have since travelled the world to over 15 countries infusing new life to these ancient chants with youthful spirit and energy.

The ancient sages said that music is the language of God. That’s why it has no boundaries, linguistic, cultural or otherwise. Sati's Ethnica program is a symbiosis of ancient Sanskrit mantras and Caucasian, Slavic, Oriental motifs taken from old, almost forgotten music. Her music flows from heart to heart, inviting the listener to experience the sacred within. For a truly mystical experience, you won't want to miss her soulful, clear and flying voice framed by cosmic electronic sounds and musical instruments from around the world, including the mysterious hang-drum, harp, cello and flute.

Sati is a popular Russian singer and actress who performs with unique musicians from around the world who are also fond of ethnic music. She is accompanied by Ildar 'Giridhari' who composes and plays ethnic music on the youngest instrument in the world, the hang drum. Ildar’s creative works give us the opportunity to feel the sacrament of the Eastern musical culture, the deep sounds of Armenian duduk and the melodious sounds of the Arab lute – oud.

Karthiegasen Pillay is the leading Carnatic musician (South Indian classical music) on the African continent. He has been performing music for 40 years and today, he is the only South African musician to have occupied the top slot in the Chennai Music Festival. Karthiegasen belongs to a family of musical connoisseurs. His first concert was at the tender age of 2 and since then there has been no looking back. He travels widely in South Africa, India and abroad and has received numerous awards and titles.

He is joined by his son, Kirthan Pillay who is one of the most talented tabla players of his generation in the world.

Tarana is a Croatian kirtan artist whose love of spirituality and music blossomed in childhood. As a teenager, he lived in a bhakti yoga ashram as a monk. Later he was engaged in the 'Yoga is Music' project which promoted kirtan and spiritual music.

In 2012, he recorded a live album with his friends called, 'Love in Action'. The Maha Mantra from that album went viral with nearly 8,000,000 hits on YouTube. Tarana travels the world spreading love through kirtan. A new album is in the works and will be released soon.

‘Aradhana’ is Sanskrit for adoration and worship. These UK artists have a profound ability to deliver music suffused with rich creativity and intense energy. Every performance is done as an offering of love and devotion to the Divine. Their music blends Indian melodies and chants with a cutting western groove. The mrdanga beats combined with guitar, flute and soaring vocals provide a rocking, soulful sound, all of which captures the heart and delivers the highest worship. Bhavani, Mayuran, Sujatha, Nilambaradas and Firuza are all talented musicians in their own rights, but together they stir the heart and elevate the listener to the realm of devotion.

The Madhavas is a devotional band whose high energy performances are influenced by their early rock music beginnings. With a preference for standing during their kirtans, the band’s music inspires the audience to get to their feet to sing and dance along with them. 

This award-winning band won third place in India’s Got Talent - Season 3, a Best Composition award from Shankar Ehsaan Loy, and the band leader, and guitarist, Nirdosh, was a winner on MTV Rock in 2010. The band plays many Rath Yatras, Janamashtami Festivals Vyas pujas, house programmes and devotee’s wedding ceremonies.

Mantras Con Amor is a devotional duet whose music personifies the ecstatic joy of bhakti (devotion). This musical couple strings together the guitar and ukulele with English and Spanish verses, and Sanskrit mantras to express their love of the Lord and life Itself.

Mantras Con Amor began in 2014 in the city of Corfu, Greece. Inspired by the vibrant atmosphere of some of the most well-known kirtan artists, Mantras Con Amor felt that it was this atmosphere of openness and joy that they wanted to live their lives, and thus, the band was founded. Just this year their newest album was released, entitled, 'Love Is.' The album features over fifteen tracks which embody the expression of love, light, and happiness.

The Saha brothers, Akshay Gopal and Parthsarthi, come from devotional family of musicians in Sri Vrindavan Dham, India. Akshay Gopal Saha is a Hindustani classical music vocalist with a music style influenced by Braj folk music, bhajans and kirtan, he has been performing for 18 years.

His younger brother, Parthsarthi Saha is an Indian Khol (mridanga) player who performs devotional music bhajan and fusion music strongly influenced by kirtan. He has been studying the drum since he was five years old.

Chandra (aka Cyril Wohrer) grew up between Mexico City, Paris, and West Hollywood, listening to Bob Marley, Supertramp, and Lenny Kravitz. At age 20, he discovered the Bhagavad-Gita. He dropped out of Cornell University and shaved his head to become a monk. For three years he traveled most of the globe as the executive assistant to his guru. He was the lead singer of the activist bhakti reggae band '18 Days,' touring in Poland for six summers. Returning to academia, he earned a Masters in Theology (Oxford University).

Cyril’s raison d’être since then has been to mainstream bhakti-yoga into modern society. His first solo album, 'Summer Krishna,' as well as his upcoming book 'Gita 101: Understanding and Living the Bhagavad-Gita,' are a testimony to his spiritual drive.

Simha, is a Hiphop/Dancehall Rapper and poet. He started out as a DJ playing Drum ‘n’ Bass music on vinyl in South Africa and London in the 90’s before he recorded a few Hiphop tracks. He later moved to Mayapur, India to focus on his spiritual life and started writing spiritually conscious lyrics. He is now working with artists from Australia, USA, India and Russia on a variety of projects and will soon release two new albums.

Native of Italy and resident of New York since 2000, Ameyatma Das (Cristiano Tiozzo) has performed as a classical in­terpreter, improviser, conductor and music direc­tor in venues such as the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Carnegie Hall in New York, the E.Brito Theater in Santo Domingo and Komitas Hall in Yerevan, among many others.After years of regular meditation practice, spiritual search and training, and experience as facilitator of family and multidimensional constellation therapy, today he offers unique forms of inner reorganization, which are revealing to be of extraordinary help, both in situations of apparently incurable illness and of physical, emotional, mental, social or spiritual trauma and disfunction, and in the path of personal and spiritual realization. 

The noteworthy effect of his healing music on all brainwave frequency bands is proven by studies and EEG measures that indicate an extraordinary intensi­fication of all natural self-healing processes and access to states of conscious­ness and self-awareness of unusual depth.

Gadadhar is truly a pioneer in the western kirtan movement. By blending the powerful style of rock 'n’ roll with traditional bhakti bhajans, their mission is to 'Rock for the Lord' like never before. The name ‘Gadadhar’ means ‘associate of the Lord’ and it is through this association with the Divine Names that the band intends to set a new standard for the world of kirtan music.

With their first album just recently recorded, Gadadhar has given ‘Divine Intervention’ a new definition, since momentum is picking up quick for this up-and-coming bhajan band. Only time stands between the shredding guitar solos and crashing of cymbals as Gadadhar will be one of the most talked about bands at the Just Love Festival and future spiritual festivals to come.

Ever since she began singing, Sujatha's journey through voice has been her spiritual path, allowing her to connect with herself and the others on a heart level. Deep inside she feels that the most important thing in her music is the heartfelt intention of performing for the Divine, regardless of the musical genre and circumstances. Her captivating performance is a colourful fusion of various styles: soul, funk and jazz with a hint of ethno and world, and a huge dose of bhakti and devotion from the heart.

Before focusing on spiritual music, Sujatha was widely involved in the Polish music scene. She performed as a back-up or lead vocalist with a variety of music styles in various circumstances, from small venues to local and sometimes nationwide TV programmes. Sujatha will be accompanied by Lucjan Wesolowski on sitar, Witold Janiak on keys, Kamil Miszewski on drums, Rafal Rozalski on bass, backing vocals: Justyna,Epiphany, Nick, Nilambara Das.

For Ujjvala singing is a pure love connection with God. She intuitively allows the Sanskrit Names of God to fill her ears and body and then allows it to pass through her lips to sing kirtan with a jazzy-folksy-blues-rock flair. For her, singing for Him, singing Him and letting Him to sing through her...is all that is...

There was no beginning to Ujjvala’s singing as music was always the greatest power and guidance in her life. She is a Slovakian Doula who ushers in new life by singing the Name of God during the homebirths. She contributed to the Journey to Love CD.

Bhakti Wave isn’t just a band, they are an inspiration. Taking an underground approach to promote conscious spirituality, their message challenges the mindset of a materialistic world and issues a call to action for all to embark on a journey to the Soul. Through their music, they preach about the power of meditation, yoga, knowing one’s true Self, and what it means to build a real relationship with the Divine.

Their independent rap style beats uniquely combine ancient Sanskrit texts with modern verses that reflect their own spiritual journey. The group collaborates with fellow kirtan artists to showcase a fresh approach to the world of spiritual music.

DJ Bhaveshananda kicks off the Holi celebration with a rockin' dance set. Breaking tradition, his dynamic sets combine traditional Indian kirtan with contemporary ‘electronic music’, showcasing how the power of the Divine Names isn't limited by any musical standard. His unique style fuses the Divine Names with the engaging beats of various electronic genres, ranging from trance to house, and over goa to techno. Known for his ever popular New Year’s Eve parties, DJ Bhaveshananda's ever-evolving style always brings new creations to the party.

Spiritual rapper Ramdee, aka Ramadas, makes each beat his own by spicing them up with spirituality. He gets the party started by combining kirtan phrases, Indian mantras, and his own technical lyrics, often dubbing over some of the most popular tracks in modern music. Known for his ‘Hanuman-Chalisa Rap’, this German loves to sing about the spiritual path and the way of bhakti yoga.

Sweet and crystal clear, Madhushri has the voice of the new pop-generation immersed in Bhakti. She is a singer songwriter whose devotional style marries Gospel and Pop to form her own unique sound. Her life-long passion for singing and playing piano started as a hobby and it turned into a calling when her Guru, Paramahamsa Vishwananda, encouraged her start writing songs and take the stage to sing during His 2017 German Darshan tour.

Madhushri lives in Köln and sang in a cover band with friends while in her teens. After losing the spirit for music for a few years, it was rekindled when she was asked to sing in her church choir which actually started her on the path of devotional singing.

Vrinda’s soulful voice, fashioned after her Soul Culture idols, Duffy, Amy Winehouse and Tina Turner, touches the heart and expresses her deep love of the Divine. She is a singer, songwriter from Austria, and adds the harmonium to her modern-western style which gives it an extra devotional touch.

In her youth, she received vocational training in classical western music and sang at the state theatre of Innsbruck. After searching for years to find her right musical path, it was revealed when she met her Guru, Paramahamsa Vishwananda, in 2015 at the tender age of 15. Since that time she has broadened her horizons and continues to dive deeper into the mysteries of music by adding Indian devotional music into her evolving style.

‘Music comes from the soul, and soul is in everything I do’, says Justine De Jongs. Mantra captured her heart and she uses it as medicine to heal the body, mind and spirit. She has a unique sound, a soft, round gospel voice spiced with a devotional funky flair.

Justine is a singer songwriter who was born in South Africa, but has lived in Holland most of her life. Although, fairly new to the devotional music scene, she has been performing in a funk bands and doing commercial work for many years.