Today we’d like to introduce you to Ippi Roy.
Hi Ippi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I moved to Texas in 2018 to pursue my second bachelor’s in jazz studies. I grew up in New Delhi, India, and spent 30 years of my life there I completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Sociology, but I soon left academia and career prospects to become a full-time musician. I built a well-established career as jazz singer, performer, educator in India before relocating. I had performed at all major music festivals in India, nominated for awards, and had acquired a decent fan following. At a point, I felt stuck in my musicianship, and I wanted to go a good Jazz school to grow my skills and knowledge, which had been a dream of mine since I was 16. However due to financial reasons, I never had the courage to even apply for a good school. The year I turned 30, I made it a point to make all my dreams come true and I applied to one of the best jazz programs in the country, University of North Texas, Denton. Many of the musicians I inspired from went to this prestigious institution, for instance, Norah Jones and nearly the whole present lineup of Snarky Puppy. So, I applied, and I was pleasantly surprised when the head of the department sent me an email and said she wanted to interview and audition me over skype to see if I would be a good fit the next thing, I know is I am in DFW chasing my dreams at the age of 30. I was in a class with all my peers who were fresh out of high school of age 17-18, but none of that affected me because I was ready to make my dreams come true.
I graduated in 2022 with a GPA of 3.8 at one of the hardest Jazz programs in the country. I am now a full-time Jazz musician, composer, performer, and educator in Dallas and DFW area and I absolutely love every moment of it. In August 2023, I received my O-1 artist visa, which is one of the hardest work visas to get, from the US government, which recognized all the my achievements and contributions in arts I had built over the last 10 years in India. I currently perform at Jazz clubs, universities, private events all across DFW, and since 2022 I started recording and releasing my music in the US which I am very proud of. During the day I teach private voice and piano lessons and by night I am a performer.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road is never smooth. I believe no matter what path we choose; we are always met with some kind of struggles. For me, struggles were firstly as an international student with limited financial sources. Relocating to a new country where I knew absolutely nobody was one of the biggest challenges I ever faced, coupled with limited financial resources. I had to take a lot of loans to fund my education despite having a scholarship. As an international student, I could not seek for part-time employment outside campus, which only paid us minimum wage and we could only work less than 20 hours a week. Finally, after graduation, applying for my work visa was a huge challenge which had to be applied through a lawyer. I had to hire two lawyers because my first lawyer was incompetent and completely filed my case wrong. I had to hire a second lawyer who was very good but very expensive, then going through the whole US work visa process. Then, finding students to build a stable studio, to getting my music out there in the world. Struggles are always there, but I have overcome, and I continue to overcome all these hard challenges. I am still building a network and creating opportunities for myself.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Ippi is a versatile Jazz, Blues vocalist, songwriter, and composer. Currently based out of Dallas she graduated from the prestigious University of North Texas in Jazz Studies where she was awarded the Paris Rutherford Jazz leadership award and the College of Music Merit scholarship. She is currently an active member of the DFW jazz scene. After successfully building her music and fan base in India, she seeks to take it to a global audience. Ippi is currently working on her second studio album with New York-based arranger and saxophonist Keith Daniels. The two released their latest original single “Heart of Gold” from their upcoming album.
Two Eps, 10 singles
Over 250 live performances
Toured more than 10 cities across the world, including cities in India, Macau (China), Australia, and the US.
Ippi also has her private studio, where she teaches piano, voice, and songwriting.
Ippi also has Dallas’ only party Bollywood bands available for booking for all weddings, private events, and parties.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
In my opinion, the definition of success changes with every phase of life. Being able to realize one’s long-term and short-term dreams is success. For a musician such as me, being able to talk about my music performing in a completely new city where people appreciate and like my music, is success. As an international artist, being approved and acquiring my O1 artist visa is success. As a foreigner, being able to build a comfortable life and social network from scratch in a completely new country without any family or friends or even familiar culture is success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ippimusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ippi.music/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ippi.roy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ippimusic
Image Credits
yeashuyuvraj
diannevaz
