Born on the 14th March 1965, as a teenager she formed the band Monsoon, and created a fusion of Western and Indian pop styles. She married Steve Coe, who became the band's producer, and along with Martin Smith, the band became a trio. They made a single album, Third Eye, in 1982, from which they had a surprise hit single "Ever So Lonely". However, resenting pressure from their record company over musical direction, Monsoon as a band dissolved and Coe and Smith set about promoting Chandra as a solo artist on an independent label.
Chandra went on to release a number of albums in the 1980s, experimenting with her voice as an instrument. In the 1990s she released three albums on Peter Gabriel's Real World label, although Martin Smith ceased to be actively involved.
In 1996 she provided vocals for a cover of Prodigy's hit "Smack My Bitch Up". In 2002 she performed the song "Breath of Life" with Howard Shore for the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers soundtrack.
She is no longer able to record, having developed "burned mouth syndrome" in 2010, which makes speech and singing so painful that she is effectively mute.
Speaking In Tongues II
Sheila Chandra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Speaking in tongues
Yabba dabba dabba da da
DaVoala.I'm killin this ... caca
Call up Lady Gaga.on my.on my
Telephone
Hella dome.yeah.my girl
Beats.no metronome
I buy her yellow stones.cause I
Like it when she got that yellow
On
So I'm a raptor.tearin it up like a
Tractor
Matter fact.I'm killin this
Track.you're a slacker
Sack like a sacker.hello Mr. Brady
Tell em leave his hair to the guy
Who sings "Baby"
Baby.come and try to save me
Lately.Ive been hearing these
Things that sound crazy
Like.Speaking in tongues
All right.alrite stop.drop and
Roll.Justin Bieber is on fire
Its time to realize its time to call
Me Young Sire
You're the seller.I'm the buyer
You're the teller.and I'm hired
I'm higher than the highest point
Yes.I am flyer
And I'm wired to the game.stay
Dry when it rains
I'm tired of the fame.are you
Proud of the pain
Yes.were the same.yes.I'm
Insane
And my mane hangs down.I'm a
Puppet.got strings
I murdered that.mayne.
Shawty Mane.Shawty Mane.what
You doin.Shawty Mane?
I'm Justin Bieber
You guys might know me as the
Guy you know who sings "Baby"
You know.uh.I'm a singer.pop
Singer
I'm white
But.um.you know.thats why I do
This
Just to prove that.you know
I got skills.on.on.on the rap
Game
So.yeah
What up JulKeyz? Yo.I killed that
All right.peace
The lyrics to Sheila Chandra's song Speaking In Tongues II are not related to the song of the same name by Talking Heads. The song opens with gibberish sounds, and then Justin Bieber takes over and raps about his skills, fame, and his identity. Bieber and Chandra go back and forth, with Chandra's spoken word verses emphasizing finding power through language and words, while Bieber's raps touch on his commercial success and his prowess as a white rapper.
The lyrics to Speaking In Tongues II can be seen as a celebration of the power of language and words, and how they can be used to assert one's identity or to communicate beyond language barriers. Chandra's verses reflect her interest in linguistic diversity and global communication. Meanwhile, Bieber's raps address criticisms of his musical career and suggests that he can rap just as well as he sings.
Line by Line Meaning
Alrite.aha... yeah
Opening the song with a casual greeting and agreeing to speak in tongues
Speaking in tongues
Referring to the act of speaking in unknown languages
Yabba dabba dabba da da
Nonsensical words to exemplify the unique sounds of speaking in tongues
DaVoala.I'm killin this ... caca
Boasting about his skills in speaking in tongues, including a made-up, unknown word
Call up Lady Gaga.on my.on my Telephone
Expressing the desire to communicate with Lady Gaga (a musical artist) over the telephone
Hella dome.yeah.my girl Beats.no metronome
Describing the quality of his headphones and the absence of a metronome in the song
My new chick.she a yellowbone I buy her yellow stones.cause I Like it when she got that yellow On
Talking about his preference for a light-skinned woman with accompanying gifts and added embellishments
So I'm a raptor.tearin it up like a Tractor Matter fact.I'm killin this Track.you're a slacker Sack like a sacker.hello Mr. Brady Tell em leave his hair to the guy Who sings "Baby"
Continuing to boast about his abilities through provocative similes and pop-culture references
Baby.come and try to save me Lately.Ive been hearing these Things that sound crazy Like.Speaking in tongues
Suggesting that his behavior is erratic and unpredictable while continuing to speak in unknown languages
All right.alrite stop.drop and Roll.Justin Bieber is on fire Its time to realize its time to call Me Young Sire
Switching the subject to Justin Bieber and his success, claiming to be his mentor
You're the seller.I'm the buyer You're the teller.and I'm hired I'm higher than the highest point Yes.I am flyer
Expressing dominance and power over an unknown subject
And I'm wired to the game.stay Dry when it rains I'm tired of the fame.are you Proud of the pain Yes.were the same.yes.I'm Insane
Commenting on the intensity of his involvement in the game and questioning the worth of his fame and pain
And my mane hangs down.I'm a Puppet.got strings I murdered that.mayne.
Comparing himself to a puppet controlled by external forces, and asserting his domination over his rap game competitor
Shawty Mane.Shawty Mane.what You doin.Shawty Mane? I'm Justin Bieber You guys might know me as the Guy you know who sings "Baby"
Playing a persona named Shawty Mane and identifying that he is, in fact, Justin Bieber
You know.uh.I'm a singer.pop Singer I'm white But.um.you know.thats why I do This Just to prove that.you know I got skills.on.on.on the rap Game So.yeah
Reiterating his identity and purpose for his performance, aiming to challenge stereotypes about his race and music genre
What up JulKeyz? Yo.I killed that All right.peace
Acknowledging and thanking his collaborator JulKeyz before ending the song
Writer(s): Steve Coe, Sheila Chandra
Contributed by Mila R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@maaikegee
Speaking in tongues... I guess it's just the title ;-) Probably because ithe source of this beautiful piece stems from improvisation and inspiration, rather than a preset piece of music.
Interestingly, there's a whole area in linguistics that researches the sound systems of drum languages in various cultures: Indian pakhawaj (bols) and tabla (konnakol) for instance, or African drum languages (the latter are actually used for communication, even though they don't have words).
And what's remarkable is that drum languages show many similarities to spoken languages in their phonological system. That is, in describing pakhawaj sounds, there's a comparable sound-classification-system as in natural language (dha - ta corresponds to voiced - voiceless in hindi/sanskrit, and in different places of articulation on the drum). So true, there may be no meaning that's conveyed in bols or konnakol (and therefore, it's not a proper language), but the sound systems can be described in a phonological framework, making it a linguistics subject in its own right.
And you're right, there's a musical genre called scat. It has its origins in the very music that Ms. Chandra is singing here ;-)
@BarbaraJLitchfield
She is so beautiful and her voice is clear!
@viniciusramos9316
Clear message, clear structure, easy to understand, thank you
@user-ob1sd2lw5l
Pure art , its. amazing , thank you very much ❤❤❤
@annrenee3265
So beautiful.. This is the music I love & your voice is sublime Sheila
@gatgatfester
I'll always remember the first time I heard this. Just incredible. Thank you, Sheila and Real World for sharing this.
@adamXVI
Beautifully done Sheila✨❤️❤️❤️✨
@riccardomusiu510
Wooow!!! Sheila you're amaziiiiiing!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏😉✌💖💖💖👍👍👍😄😄🇮🇹🇮🇹
@helmutsecke3529
Oh aye, she’s grand and so she is now.
@damedecoeur6557
Pure Art , thank you !
@Vakubli
Flying on her voice.