Sravya — Softly

Sravya Vakkalanka is building a world, not just releasing songs.

The Bay Area–raised, New York–based artist—currently studying Music Business at NYU—has spent the last year quietly shaping a sound that feels both intimate and cinematic. Rooted in Indian classical training while pulling from alt-R&B and rock influences, her music balances emotional vulnerability with a strong sense of visual intention.

Her newest single, “Softly,” marks a clear shift forward. More than just another release, the track feels like the beginning of a more complete artistic vision—one where songwriting, visuals, performance, and atmosphere all exist as part of the same world.

Photo by @iframevia

A Song in Two Halves

“Softly” moves between two emotional perspectives. The first half of the song was written during Sravya’s sophomore spring, co-produced alongside her friend Matt in a dorm room. Slower and more melancholic, it captures the emotional confusion of wanting someone who does not fully want you back. “There’s a line that’s like, ‘I want to be yours, even if you don’t want me.’ That first half is that version of me—sad, delusional, ignoring the signs.”

Months later, during junior fall, the second half came together naturally. Sonically brighter and more upbeat, it also unintentionally shifted perspectives. “I wrote the second half basically in reverse perspective. At first someone did that to me, and then at some point I ended up doing that to someone else. I was writing from their perspective so that it would flow, and only later I realized what I’d done.” Rather than presenting a clean emotional resolution, “Softly” reflects the cycle of heartbreak itself—how people move through hurt, power, and contradiction. “Sometimes in life, you’re the Tom, and sometimes you’re the Summer—and sometimes you’re the Summer because you were once a Tom.”

Building a Visual Language

For Sravya, visuals are inseparable from the music itself. The inspiration behind the “Softly” music video comes from 500 Days of Summer—not aesthetically, but emotionally. The film’s shifting viewpoints and imbalance of expectations mirror the emotional structure of the song.

The first half of the video is presented through cyanotype imagery, filled with deep blues and washed-out whites that evoke nostalgia and distance. Sravya describes herself as a version of Tom, endlessly chasing someone who continues slipping away, while the second half reverses those roles. “The entire first half is going to be in cyanotype. I’m watching myself on a computer—me as Tom. In one version, I’m chasing someone. In the reverse, I’m running and they’re chasing me.”

That same cyanotype process extends into the cover art, reinforcing the idea that “Softly” is part of a larger visual universe rather than a standalone release. “There’s a difference between when I just like an artist on Spotify and when I like their whole world. I really love when there’s a strong, dreamy, nostalgic universe around the music. That’s what I’m trying to build.”

Late Nights and Creative Process

While the final product feels polished, the process behind “Softly” was built through improvisation and long nights. The mixing and mastering sessions often ran overnight, shaped around the unconventional schedule of the engineer she worked with. “He starts his sessions at midnight and goes until like 10 a.m. There were days where I’d come home and my roommates were leaving for class, and I hadn’t even gone to bed yet.”

The visual production remained intentionally intimate. Working with a small student crew, Sravya directed the music video herself while collaborating closely on filming and editing.

Softly, Live

Around the release of “Softly,” Sravya built a rollout centered around live experience and atmosphere. The weekend included a live radio station set, a release gathering built around whispered prompts inspired by the song’s lyrical themes, and a performance at Mercury Lounge in New York—a venue she had hoped to play for years. “I’ve always wanted to play there. It’s a 45-minute set, and I’ve been doing an Indian cover at each show. This time I want to find a rock one.”

Performing with a live band, she blends originals with carefully chosen covers from artists like Lana Del Rey and Rihanna while incorporating Indian music into every set. The result reflects the same duality that exists throughout her work: Western alt and R&B influences shaped through a South Asian lens.

Graphic by @roses4emily_

Being South Asian, Being Seen

At the center of Sravya’s work is a desire to create space—for herself and for other South Asian artists navigating creative industries that still lack representation. Raised in the Bay Area by Telugu parents, she grew up surrounded by both Indian classical music and Western media, constantly aware of how rarely artists who looked like her occupied the spaces she now wants to enter. “Being South Asian and pursuing something creative is different. Now that we are here, it’s time to pursue passion.”

With “Softly,” that intention becomes clearer—not through overt statements, but through the way the project centers emotional storytelling, visual authorship, and a South Asian artist occupying narratives she rarely saw reflected growing up.

Moving Forward

Less than a year after her first release, Sravya’s artistic growth is already evident. The songwriting is sharper, the production more intentional, and the visual identity more fully realized. Where earlier releases introduced her sound, “Softly” feels like the first complete glimpse into the world she’s building around it. “Over the past year, I’ve realized I want to take this more seriously—not just as something on the side. I want to build my own thing.”

With “Softly,” Sravya moves into a new phase of her artistry—one defined not just by sound, but by vision, atmosphere, and control over the world surrounding her music.

Check out more of Sravya’s work and visual world on Instagram at @sravya.vakkalanka and stream “Softly” on all streaming platforms.