TRISHES is a Los Angeles-based Trinidadian-American multidisciplinary artist and activist. Her work – a crossing of tech, music, and visual art – reflects on socio-economic struggles and the human psyche. Taking from Freudian psychology, TRISHES reflects on the internal self and the societal structures we inhabit.
I created TRISHES as a way to work through my inner conflicts. I did so within the framework of the Freudian constructs of self (the Id, Ego and SuperEgo,) because it’s such a deep part of our cultural mythology. My debut EP Ego centered around structures, like government and money, that were created to separate the conscious self from the primal self, but have also inadvertently separated us from our spiritual selves too.
TRISHES interviewed for the Rolling Stones India
As a conceptual alternative pop artist, she brings energy and creativity to her practice with her use of live looping and spoken word. As an original songwriter, she doesn’t shy away from calling out inequality in its many different forms. Thoughts, morals, and finance intertwine together and consistently show up in her work. Take her earlier song “Day Jobs” (2017), where she reflects on the financial and class divide between the poor and rich. With a strong element of storytelling, she highlights the contrast between the lives of individuals who work minimum wage and the wealthy. She sings, “I’m rearing their children and clearing their conscience.” Or, in the song “Money” with a sweet voice, she calls out “stay in jail Big Bill, your poverty is a crime.”
She has attained international popularity with her original songwriting, spoken word, and music. TRISHES has been featured on NPR, Billboard, Rolling Stone India, MTV India, and VH1 India. She’s also made many international appearances, performing at festivals like SXSW, CMW, Women’s Redrock Festival, Tune In Tel Aviv, Linda Perry’s Rock N Relief, Pyramid Yoga Festival, and more to come.
In her evolution as a musician, one thing has stayed constant, she sings about representation and lack-of representation of people. That’s why her work in her community also ties into her life as an artist. In Los Angeles, she helps immigrants resettle into a new life and she works with the homeless.
Her music practice is also laced with her visual art. The South Asian Film Festival nominated her for Best Music Video twice — one nomination was for her directorial debut of “Gaslight”. Her latest single Instant Gratification warrants a visual analysis in itself. This video is part of her debut album “The Id.” She’s also created original art for the Adidas “Nite Jogger” campaign.
She has demonstrated her potentiality as a thoughtful creator, by creating a variety of distinct works in different media. We can’t wait to hear TRISHES share her thoughts in an upcoming talk at the TEDxDelthorneWomen.
Watch her hour-long chat with Ted Cohen to learn more about TRISHES’ practice and inspiration.
