Listen To Michael Beharie’s “Ambarsariya Feels” Ahead Of Queens Festival
He’s just one of the artists performing at Becoming New Objects, a new festival organized by Queens Museum and Trans-Pecos in the New York borough.
Photo by Marisa Beltramini
Festival season is in full swing, but if you can't afford to fly out for Coachella et al, don't worry: the New York borough of Queens has got you covered. The Queens Museum has teamed up with local venue Trans-Pecos to put on a series of events under the name Becoming New Objects. With performances running from now to July 31—including NON Records's Chino Amobi and local DJ/promoter Tygapaw—the festival will shine a light on artists from and/or linked to Queens, festival organizer Sam Hillmer told The FADER over email. "With a focus on musicians from Queens, and musicians whose backgrounds resonate with the prominent demographics in Queens, Becoming New Objects presents musicians preoccupied by possible future spaces musically, aesthetically, and socially."
One artist on the lineup is musician and producer Michael Beharie. Fingers crossed his danceable new track "Ambarsariya Feels" makes his set. "The track uses vocals from the film Ambarsariya by Ram Sampath and Munna Dhiman and sung by Sona Mohapatra," he told The FADER over email. "In the song, a young woman sings to a man named Ambarsariya who is described as 'furkey'—meaning 'slacker' or 'worthless' in Hindi/Punjabi. The lyrics used in the track translate roughly as: He wanders up and down the alley/ Trying to come closer/ Sometimes you look at my eyes/ Sometimes you watch the way I walk/ Don’t pick flowers yet to blossom/ Your mum's spoken harshly of us, Ambarsariya."
Beharie's solo album Ray Like Morning will be out this spring on Astro Nautico. In the meantime, check out the Becoming New Objects flyer below and grab your tickets here.
