Joy Paradox by Cephas Azariah

Indian-born British composer Cephas Azariah presents his highly anticipated debut album, a 12-track neo-classical LP ‘Joy Paradox’ to Reflections.

Cephas was always drawn to classical composition, he studied Music Theology and the Arts at Middlesex university and began composing soundtracks for film right away. He drew on the full spectrum of his influences to write his debut album, including neo-classical, ambient and cinematic, and wrote it in his home studio with a piano he bought off Facebook Marketplace. “I finished it all in Scotland in a cabin by the lochs,” he says. “It was a beautiful way to wrap it up.”

Every track on Cephas Azariah’s ‘Joy Paradox’ has a story, tending to resolve personal conflicts through music, with each piece acting as a gentle unravelling of inner unrest. ”This project is a summary of thirty years of life, and a realisation that you can't have good things without sacrifice,” Cephas says. “Achieving success takes a certain level of suffering, and that’s the paradox of joy.”

Throughout his life, Cephas has experienced this paradox first-hand. His parents moved to the UK from India when he was ten, and he grew up witnessing the challenges that came with leaving their culture behind and having to adapt to a new one. “Sometimes you have to put something down in order to pick something up,” Cephas says. “And you have to trust that you’re making the right decision.”

When listening to ‘Joy Paradox’, Cephas hopes people will be able to sit with and feel comfortable with conflicting emotions. “I want people to commit to their own journey in life, and not feel like they have to arrive already, or be at the start or the end,” he says. “I want people to recognise the things they’ve had to put down in order to enjoy the things they now have.”

Cephas’ artistry and philosophy blend into one another, and instead of accolades, money and material possessions, he’d prefer to be at peace. “That was always a goal beyond working with a big label or writing amazing music or owning a home,” he says.

“I can say now I’m totally at peace with myself,” he continues. “This project is all about these cultural intersections that repeatedly come up in life. I often find myself at a crossroads, unsure of who I am, and being at peace is difficult when you just don’t know where you fit. I’m brown, I live in the UK, I write a predominantly white genre of music. Then there’s family background, heritage, language - it all comes into it. Now I understand that I will constantly live at an intersection, and that’s okay.”

Cephas Azariah ‘Joy Paradox’ is out October 21st on Reflections.

Anjuna’s home for ambient, chillout and downtempo.

Anjunachill is an independent record label based in London and the third imprint within the Anjuna label family, founded by British trio Above & Beyond.

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