Anmol Mohara on Across the Sea

Young percussionist and composer Anmol Mohara is bringing a fresh voice to the UK jazz scene and creating music through a unique cross-cultural lens, influenced by his current home of London and his Nepali heritage. With a musical sound shaped by the traditions of his homeland and refined through his recent studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he blends Eastern and Western musical languages and strikes a balance between tradition and innovation.

I spoke to Anmol about his upcoming debut release, Across the Sea, where we discussed the album’s themes of migration, home, and identity, the creative process of making the album, and the profound role his cultural heritage plays in his music.

What are your earliest memories of music?

I started off playing percussion when I was around five or six years old with my uncles. We have a lot of cultural events during the festival time in Nepal and it was during those festivals that I used to play. That's the earliest memory I have of being involved in music. I didn't have any training or anything at that point, but it just felt natural to play the drums - I really enjoyed it. 

The title of your debut seems significant. What does that phrase mean to you personally?

The album itself revolves around tradition and being between two worlds. I moved to the UK in 2015, which means it’s been a decade since I left my homeland. Living away has deepened my appreciation for my culture and traditions, while also exposing me to music from around the world, especially during my time at Guildhall. That experience inspired me to start composing my own music. 

This record feels like looking back at my homeland through a new lens. One of the songs, 'Migrant', is the heartbeat of the album. Its opening line: “You and me, we’re far across the sea” stayed with me as I searched for a title. I wanted something that felt warm and resonant, and Across The Sea felt just right. To me, it perfectly captures the themes of identity, migration, culture, tradition, and belonging that run through this record - while still leaving space for listeners to imagine their own journeys, wherever they may be.

You mention Guildhall – that’s when you wrote this album during your final year. How did that environment help with its creation?

The songs of this album are part of the first set of music I've ever written. I studied composition during third and fourth year at Guildhall; those lessons really inspired me to write the music, and I began to build confidence doing it. I was also studying a lot of music from different cultures at the time, and I would always relate those things back to Nepal. 

The album is a blend of traditional Nepali music with jazz sounds. How did you approach fusing these very different musical languages together?

As a musician I really enjoy listening to a lot of different music, and I'm very lucky to be able to play different styles of music with different artists. And when I write music, I don't specifically think of it in a way that I'm going to blend one style of music with another –  I let it happen naturally. The music that I’ve written in this album is very rooted to the tradition and culture from Nepal, but the musicians involved in the project all have the background of studying jazz. I also studied jazz, so in a way I use it as a sort of glue.

Speaking of the other musicians, how did you bring this group together?

The core people involved are from Guildhall and I've been playing with them for a few years now. I've worked in various settings with them: in my own projects, and in other people’s. But there are a few musicians who are from outside of Guildhall: there's a percussion player called Jansen Santana, who is featured on ‘A Rhythmic Guy’ and 'Mo:mo In My Mind’. He's from Brazil, and I've wanted to work with him for a long time. I also feature a sarangi player from Nepal called Prince Nepali and he's an amazing player, I'm very lucky to have him on this project. He played on ‘Interlude’, ‘End Credits’, and if people buy the CD, there's a bonus track called ‘Solstice’ where you can hear his beautiful solo.

Other important people involved in the making of this album include my co-producer and mixer of the album, James Knight. Robin Sutherand mastered the album and Asis Rai did all the artwork. I'm very visual, and quite particular about the aesthetic, and I just think he did an amazing job. 

You’ve included arrangements of traditional folk songs like 'Sakhiye Ho', 'Sorathi', and 'Silu'. What drew you to these particular pieces?

Well, just to give a bit of background, I was in a boarding music school when I was in Nepal. I studied at Nepal Music Center in Kathmandu for six years where I studied drums. I grew up playing the songs that are featured on this album in a traditional folk setting, and I found that they fit perfectly within the framework and story of this album.

The way that I've actually laid out the whole album is really intentional. It’s presented like a movie, with opening scenes and scenes in between pieces. I want listeners to listen to the whole thing, rather than one or two songs – it makes sense to listen to the whole thing, because it's like a story.

So including these traditional pieces just felt right in terms of the narrative of the album. I think that it’s very interesting for listeners to be exposed to traditional music that maybe they wouldn't have usually come across otherwise. Also, Nepali music isn't known for being easily accessible either – it's tough to find. So it's also interesting for the Nepali audience to listen to familiar songs in a completely different setting. 

‘A Rhythmic Guy’ stands out for its energy - how did this piece come about?

It's also one of my favourite songs! I’m generally quite an introverted guy and sometimes struggle to express myself with words, so I wanted to write a fun song about that introverted side of me. The chorus goes, “I wanna Dha Dha Te Te, Dha Dha Tin Na…,” which might sound like gibberish to most people, but it’s actually the language of the tabla. 

In this song, I also reference Panche Baaja, which is a traditional wedding ensemble from Nepal, and I’ve incorporated some of its rhythms. The song itself has a very upbeat, celebratory feel. I’ve always imagined people dancing to it which is why we decided to include a dance choreography in the music video. To really bring that energy to life, I used traditional Nepali instruments like the Tyamko and Jhyali, which are part of the Panche Baaja, alongside Brazilian percussion instruments like the Surdo, Surdo Virado, Timbal, and Bacurinha. Together, they create this joyful, rhythmic sound that I hope makes people want to get up and dance.

What would you say was the most challenging part of creating this album, and then also the most rewarding?

That's a great question. I was very fortunate to receive support from lots of organisations, but overall, because I'm self-managing the whole project, that took a lot of work. Securing all the support and organising recording dates, music videos and social media content – it’s tough. But I would say that it’s also good for me at this stage, so that I can learn a lot and can understand how things work for my future projects. The most rewarding thing is the outcome itself: the music that we've managed to create, and the quality of it.

What’s next for you?

Right now I’m focused on curating a special album launch show. Due to timings we’re aiming to do it at the end of February or around March next year, so that's my main focus. Other than that, I want to do a lot of live shows next year and in 2027 focus on some European tours and hopefully some festivals. It probably would be time to think about another album, which I hope will be along similar lines but with more production value and in-depth stories, as well as more traditional instruments and collaborations with other creatives.

Across the Sea is available on CD and Streaming & Download from Friday 10th October.