Berlin-based emotive songwriter Ditty’s first album in nearly six years, ‘Kali’ on the German label, Clouds Hill recordings. The 10-track bilingual album can be described as a ‘collection of songs exploring Ditty’s migrant past, race, gender, spirituality and the future – blending her signature songwriting with influences across the two continents she hops between’.

The New Delhi-born artist, who now calls Berlin home, pays homage to her roots and ancestry via the album’s title ‘Kali’. In Hindi,Kalitranslates to several meanings including darkness, black woman and the goddess Kali, worshipped as mother of the universe.

In the album, Ditty draws from her experiences with racism and colourism and writes about the climate catastrophes of the times that we live in, singing in praise of the natural world. “I was called kālī all my childhood for having dark skin, something I internalised and want to speak about, because I am ready,” she states.

Ditty’s music combines personal reflection with social themes particularly her commitment to environmental and climate advocacy – giving her artistry authenticity and meaning. She dresses her songs in sparse, haunting arrangements – an unplugged style full of rolling piano riffs, handclaps, chimes of a tambourine that embrace the sounds of nature like bird song and chirping crickets. At its heart, Kaliis a testament to Ditty’s artistry her versatility, musicianship, and fearless songwriting. ‘Kali’is both intimate and bold, a record that does not shy away from difficult truths while still holding space for beauty and resilience.

The lead single, So Real, from the album is an intimate love song, and was released earlier in February to a great response from fans. ‘Kali’also includes songs from her 2024-released EP Skin like Hold Me, Money, Mamma, Home in my Skin and Wonder.

Created with some of the finest musicians across continents, ‘Kali’is a bold artistic statement. The record features long-time collaborator and producer Bowls, known for his work with the world-touring Indian indie band, Peter Cat Recording Co, alongside Andi Haberl, the drummer of Germany’s legendary indie-electronica band The Notwist, among others.

Some of the songs on the album like AZADI and Money were recorded outdoors. The album is a whimsical amalgamation of live music and poetry and blurs the lines between music and nature whilst artistically archiving Ditty’s personal transformation, influenced by life changes such as loss, sickness, migration and marriage.

“I always dreamed of producing outdoors,” she says, adding, “For ‘AZADI’, we recorded my voice and guitars in the Aravalli forest. The birds and the forest sang along and are also recorded LIVE on the track. All other instruments – cello, guitars and synths were overdubbed.”

‘Kali’is an audio-visual record on which Ditty collaborates with several musicians, movement artists, filmmakers, visual artists, photographers and sound engineers. The video for Hold Me is a cinematographic delight, directed by ShrutimanDeori was nominated for the TIMD Best Music Video award. The video for Mamma shot by Venus Maku, is currently airing on MTV Alternative Nation and MTV UK. Following a successful tour across India, where she captivated audiences with her intimate live performances, she is now set to embark on her first major tour across Germany, starting at the end of March. Her inclusion in Spotify’s prestigious Fresh Finds Indie global playlist confirms her status as an ‘artist to watch’ and her song Mamma is currently on rotation on MTV’s Alternative Nation in Germany, underscores Ditty's growing international relevance and positions her as a rising global voice in indie music.

Up next for Ditty is a feature on MTV UK’s indie show Gonzo, hosted by Jack Saunders (MTV and BBC Radio 1 presenter) which will air across Europe, accentuating Ditty’s rise as an indie artist.

‘Kali’was released on 7^th March across all streaming platforms and will also be as a limited edition 100 per cent recycled vinyl.