The Lover and The Beloved

The Lover and The Beloved

I learned my first chant, Gananpati Om, six years ago at a friend and fellow musician, Dave Stringer's house. Saying those ancient words over and over again felt new and familiar at the same time. It was also that night that I first discovered the Harmonium and fell in love with it's droning sounds. I'd sing with Dave's Kirtan band in yoga centers and feel the power and peace of chanting mantra. More and more I began to incorporate chants into my pop songs while performing live. A version of Govinda Jaya Jaya I had recorded for my devotional CD In The Glow fell into Ajna Music's hands and they asked me to make an entire album of mantra. Making The Lover & The Beloved was the perfect opportunity for me to further explore the transcendent and meditative power of music. I didn't necessarily know how I was going to do it, but once I dove in, the process became effortless; the mantras I should sing came to me right away and the music just blossomed. This is the most personal and fluid CD I have ever made, and having my new baby girl Sofia in the studio with us sometimes lending her voice, only made the experience more magical. So, I invite you to begin your journey into mantra where I began mine: Ganapati Om… --Donna De Lory