AUSTIN, Texas — Glamour, bright lights and fame. There’s a reason why thousands of aspiring artists flock to Los Angeles for their big break. When a then-19-year-old Sriyam Joshi stepped foot in the City of Angels last July after Encore Recordings flew her out, the label presented her with a record deal. The teenager declined.
“It was a million choices that got me to that point,” Joshi said, sitting inside the Union on 24th apartment lobby.
In the fall, she returned to The University of Texas at Austin for her junior year. The French major with plans for a career in Swiss healthcare hit the ground running.
Music permeated the Nepali singer’s life from early on. After the Joshi family moved across the globe from border town Nepalgunj to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the older of two children found community through choir and orchestra. In elementary school, she formed playful rivalries with her music-obsessed friends and bragged about finding the nichest songs on Spotify.
“They would just sing outside at recess, having music-offs on the playground,” childhood friend and current roommate Joanna Du recounted.
The budding artist developed her writing chops in part thanks to her father, a former journalist who assigned her to come up with a story every day.
“I wanted her language to be more creative, to be more poetic and more beautiful,” Bal Joshi said about his daughter.
Even though she spent hours emulating the voices of pop stars and learning how to play instruments from YouTube, the teenage Joshi couldn’t shake her fear of releasing music.
“I was always writing songs. I was always playing guitar,” she said. “But I never showed anyone.”
Things changed in college. After a year at UT Tyler, Joshi rode the CAP program straight to Austin. With just a few releases on her discography, she posted a TikTok of a demo of “Humbling,” an Olivia Rodrigo-esque anthem she wrote in 15 minutes. It blew up.
In just two days, the 40-second video climbed to 20,000 likes.
“It was strange because everything on my phone was changing,” she said. “I knew it was a new era, a new chapter.”
The rapid success led to messages from labels which turned into a contract offer from Encore. The manager of bedroom pop standout Malcolm Todd even flew out to Austin to get lunch with her.
“I have these offers, but I don't even know my sound,” she said, thinking back. “I don't know what I want to do in music. I saw myself doing so much better if I started from square one.”
After turning the offer down, Joshi came back to the Live Music Capital of the World with newfound momentum.
The Wampus Music Industry
Guitars hang on the walls, a drum kit crams into the corner of the room and a microphone stand towers inside the wooden cabin. It’s rehearsal time for Sriyam Joshi and her band.
On a muggy April evening, the quartet practices originals and covers at The Lodge, a Pearl St. residence owned by UT students, all musicians.
“I get home. My roommate’s outside smoking a cig, writing a song,” UT junior Anna Buendia described. “I go to the kitchen and someone brings out the keys. It’s just music all the time.”
The West Campus Music Industry, as Joshi calls it, is more alive than ever. Artists around UT regularly spend their evenings supporting each other at co-op and fraternity gigs.
The rookie performed her third ever show at one of Austin’s most revered venues, Mohawk. In October, a capacity crowd packed the intimate room to listen to an all-star cast of UT student singers. Dream-pop act Lynndigo went first. Then, Joshi took the stage. Folk vocalist Audrey Price rounded out the night.
“It's really inspiring,” opener Kaylie Lynn said about Joshi. “Truthfully, it just makes me want to do better. She knows she belongs where she’s at and she definitely does.”
Following a successful first semester, Joshi hinted at the release of a debut single. On Valentine’s Day, “Chapstick” dropped.
“That’s my child,” she gushed about her pop-rock ballad. “Every ounce of my body for those six months was put in that song.”
While Joshi belts out “What does your chapstick taste like” on the hook, harmonizers intertwine with her delicate, soulful vocals. Produced by her lead guitarist and best friend, AB Brown, the track channels 2000s rock with a fresh, ear-candy edge.
“I think we are just super similar but in ways that don't clash,” Brown answered about her and Joshi’s bond. “Chapstick may be the best thing I’ve ever produced, and I couldn't have gone to that level without her ideas.”
As rehearsal wraps up, Brown riffs on a solo from Pinegrove’s “Old Friends.” Brandishing her electric blue Fender Stratocaster, the rockstar who idolizes John Mayer looks over at the lead vocalist with a grin.
Rounding out the band, Gisela Figuerola and Anna Buendia alternate on the bass and drums.
“My goal for my whole life has been an all-girl band. Because magic can be made,” Joshi said.
Srichella, Live at Zeta Psi
It was déjà vu for Sriyam Joshi. In a full-circle moment on April 25, she delivered her biggest show yet on the same fraternity steps where she made her live music debut back in the fall. This time, though, it was a different story at the Zeta Psi house.
In September, Joshi sang three songs in front of a small crowd, mostly her friends. Seven months later, she organized and headlined a five-act fundraising show, with UT band Study Break on the bill. Students filled the frat lawn, most staying well into the night to hear the up-and-coming star perform a versatile setlist that included her biggest hit, “Humbling,” which she sang from atop the house roof.
Just like the life of a student-musician, the buildup to Joshi’s ambitious show brought its share of setbacks. She originally planned to hold the event at the House of Commons co-op, but it fell through just days before the original date. Then, after quickly finding a new venue, the vocalist known for her precise pitch came down with bronchitis. Still, the show went on.
“There wasn’t even a consideration of pulling out or canceling,” she said. “No one even brought that up to me because they knew that’s not an option.”
Srichella, as some fans dubbed the show, also gave the frontwoman a chance to preview new music. A debut album is already in the works. While she couldn’t reveal much about the anticipated LP, Joshi promised a continuation of her signature style.
“Every time I’m sitting in the studio, I want the song to sound sparkly,” she said. “I want it to be rock with synths and some cool, modern EDM type beats. Sparkly rock, that’s my genre. Hopefully one day that'll catch on.”
Sparkly Rock in New York, New York
It’s hard to find a blank space on Joshi’s Google Calendar. In the past few weeks, she performed at Tejas Club, appeared on KVRX’s Local Live and played the Longhorn LateNight finale.
Now, the rising senior and her band have their sights set on the Big Apple.
“I’m excited, but I’m also really scared,” Figuerola admitted about the upcoming New York tour. “Playing with Sri is just amazing. I feel this immense sense of pride knowing that I'm putting out this amazing piece of art into the world.”
Expanding beyond the Austin bubble for the first time, Joshi will headline NYC’s Mercury Lounge next month. The iconic Lower East Side venue gave alt-rock mainstay The Strokes their start and served as a pivotal stop for Arcade Fire, Interpol and Lana Del Rey early in their careers. More details on the summer tour are expected in the coming weeks, as the Texas-based artist looks to take her sound to new audiences.
“I'm definitely not going to be shying away from showing people everything that we're up to,” she said.
A chance to feature at one of the country’s biggest live music festivals might also be in the cards. Joshi revealed that she’s been in talks with music rights organization BMI about playing a set on its stage at ACL in 2027.
It’s only been a single school year since the 20-year-old’s music career started to take off. With so much uncertainty in the future, she reminds herself to stay grounded in the present.
“As long as I can guarantee myself that I’m doing it in the right way, I don’t think I’m gonna have any problems,” she said. “I’ll let myself fantasize, and I’ll let myself plan, but I won’t let myself get too attached to anything, because things change so quickly.”
“I just have to trust that because I’m locked in, something good is bound to happen. I just can’t control it.”
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