Photographed by Taran Wilkhu at the Cutty Sark, recording artist and spiritual revolutionary NEO 10Y is featured in Pioneers: A Renaissance in South Asian Creativity – a series of portraits of South Asian creative individuals, on display at the National Maritime Museum.
The exhibition comes with a series of interviews with each artist, which are also quoted live at the exhibition itself. Below you can also read NEO 10Y’s interview, and read all of the interviews via rmg.co.uk – you can also learn more about NEO 10Y’s performance at the museum for Shine Your Light, here.
What does your work involve?
I’m NEO 10Y. I am a recording artist and spiritual revolutionary from London.
My soundscape is cinematic grunge meets industrial R&B-hybrid with pop architecture. I also play piano and guitar. My music videos are a hyper-reality series on YouTube.
My work has been featured by Billboard and the BBC, in magazines and newspapers including PAPER, COLORS, Rolling Stone, Dazed, the Evening Standard, GQ, gal-dem and Interview Magazine, plus on major Spotify and Apple playlists.
I love playing live and my soul belongs on stage. My shows are 360º immersive experiences, which have taken place everywhere from raves to the Roundhouse, at concert venues, art galleries and festivals in London, Europe and the USA. I also recently played the main stage at UK Black Pride.
What inspires you?
My inspiration is the conscious universe and my message is rooted in Vedic philosophies of peace, which translate into my lyricism and visual work. There are no artists like me, who are doing what I am doing, and that void in the entertainment landscape also inspired me to be a vessel for spiritual expansion through the medium of music.
What message would you give to the next generation?
Create with purpose, choose love, be vegan and consistent with your anti-oppression activism. You are the Universe and love is the shortcut to world peace.