Seema Farswani On the Making Of “Season Of Gratitude”
Punk Head: You describe this year as full of quiet wins and unexpected gifts. The return of someone important played a role in this work. How did those experiences shape the emotional tone of the piece?
Seema Farswani: This year quietly reshaped me. For nearly two years, life’s fragility unfolded close to home, reshaping my inner world, altering relationships, and revealing light in unexpected places.
Amid that, the year brought meaningful milestones—from my first radio interview with Express FM, to the ICMA Award for Best Vocalist for Got My Mojo, to receiving a Berklee scholarship that broadened my musical understanding. Collaborating with talented, grounded artists who push you to give your best was both affirming and humbling. More recently, seeing Sketches on the Walls receive radio play across the UK, US, Spain, and France felt like another unexpected gift.
Yet beyond professional achievements - The universe conspired to turn that period of uncertainty into a gift—its resolution became the highest win, transforming me from within and reframed what success, gratitude, and presence truly mean.
During that time, I turned inward—journaling, listening only to positive voices, and grounding myself in simple pleasures: nature, shared meals, familiar voices, movement, and quiet moments with loved ones.
Season of Gratitude grew from that space. It’s a quiet, reflective narrative—an invitation to recognise that presence, connection, and simple joys are far more precious than any material reward.
Punk Head: How did that reconnection influence the music without becoming literal or autobiographical?
Seema Farswani: There was pain tied to that reconnection, and writing the song carried me through memories of family, loss, and the tribe that supports me today.
Rather than telling a literal story, I focused on translating emotion. The music holds uncertainty, acceptance, and renewal without spelling them out, leaving space for listeners to find their own reflections.
Punk Head: This is your first jazz composition. What initially drew you toward jazz as a language for this story?
Seema Farswani: Jazz was both a challenge and a calling. I realised it was where I needed to grow—rhythmically and emotionally. Jazz offers one of the most open forms of storytelling in music.
My summer at Berklee and meeting talented jazz artists shifted my perspective. Inspired by classics and artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, and Sarah Vaughan, Season of Gratitude became a tribute to my tribe, the people who’ve been a constant source of strength and grounding.
Punk Head: Do you see “Season of Gratitude” as a one-off jazz exploration, or the beginning of a deeper relationship with the genre?
Seema Farswani: I see it as the start of a deeper relationship. Jazz has taught me vulnerability, space, and restraint. While I won’t limit myself to one genre, jazz has opened a new emotional language I’d love to continue exploring while staying true to my voice.
Punk Head: How do you personally define the “season” in “Season of Gratitude?” Is it tied to winter, a life chapter, or something more internal?
Seema Farswani: It’s all three.
Literally, winter memories—from Chicago to Whistler and Vancouver—carry family moments, reunion, and reflection amidst the cold.
It’s also about life chapters—celebrating love, growth, belonging, and finding moments of hope when life feels grim.
And internally, it’s a season of reflection and renewal—finding where you belong, even through life’s blizzards, and recognising home in people rather than places.
Punk Head: If “Season of Gratitude” were a letter, who would it be written to?
Seema Farswani: It would be written to everyone who has inspired, supported, challenged, and believed in me—both in life and in my music journey.
To those who stood by me when the tides were tough, and to mentors who pushed me to become better. I say this with humility—I’m still learning, evolving, and discovering new seasons within myself.
