Jaya Khoobsurat — Artist Biography
Jaya Khoobsurat is an Australian singer, songwriter, filmmaker, educator and storyteller whose creative work has long been shaped by a deep curiosity about people, place and the world we leave behind.
Music entered Jaya's life in her teenage years, when she began singing and playing guitar, dulcimer and electric piano. Following the death of her father, the fragility of life became impossible to ignore. Rather than continuing to postpone a long-held dream, she committed herself to creating an independent album of original music.
That dream became Coloured Wings, released in 1998.
Featuring Jaya's distinctive, clear vocals alongside accomplished Australian musicians, Coloured Wings is an eclectic collection of twelve original compositions moving between intimate reflection and larger questions about humanity, nature, hope and responsibility.
Several of its themes have become more relevant with time. Seven Generations and Rhapsody Blue ask what kind of world we are creating for those who come after us. Land of Hope celebrates Australia's extraordinary natural environment and asks young people to recognise the value of the land and its unique life. Sailing offers a quieter space of beauty and solace, while the closing piece, Gypsy Nada, moves beyond conventional lyrics altogether, exploring the human voice as pure sound and emotional expression.
Following the release of Coloured Wings, Jaya performed live for approximately a decade, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. In 2010, she was invited to perform an original work in concert with the Gold Coast Youth Orchestra, further exploring an idea that has remained important throughout her musical life: the voice as an instrument in its own right.
Her creative path subsequently expanded deeply into film, photography, writing and education, taking her across Australia and internationally. Music, however, has remained part of the same larger story.
Now, more than twenty-five years after its original release, Jaya is bringing Coloured Wings forward again for a new digital audience. She has chosen not to remake the recording or disguise the era in which it was created. Instead, she is allowing the original work to stand as it is — a record of a particular creative moment and of questions about humanity, compassion, courage and our relationship with the Earth that continue to resonate today.
For Jaya, music has never been simply about performance. It is another form of storytelling — another way of asking us to listen, to feel, and perhaps to see the world a little differently.
