Born on the streets of India, with roots around the globe, Calico Soul is the debut album of Farafi. A nomadic duo, whose music is based on authentic vocals and percussive sound. Joy and Darlini have drawn inspiration from their travels to create an eclectic collection of sounds inspired by traditional African, Middle Eastern, Indian and Western contemporary music. Their songs vary from heartfelt to upbeat dancing styles. Farafi sing in their own language as well as several African languages, showcasing limitless ways of creating, to reach the depths of all humans.

Darlini: "We met in the state of Goa on the West coast of India, in a little town called Arambol. We first sang acapella, just the two of us. In Arambol, people meet easily and come to create spontaneously. Over time a vibrant platform of international artists joined in and brought their colours to the project." Joy: "The friends I made in this magical place are still very close to me. In fact, many of them are featured on this album and continue to support us throughout this adventure."

Darlini Singh Kaul and Joy Tyson were raised by musical families. Right from their childhood, they were keen on visiting unfamiliar worlds both in real life and their imagination. Darlini was born in London, with Indian-French roots. She went to a French conservatoire, later on, she studied theatre and dance in the UK. Joy, whose family comes from Eastern Europe, grew up in Clearwater, Florida. When she was 17, she moved to the West Coast to raise dairy goats and study sustainable living in a community in California. The two women were united by their shared love for African music. From their early beginnings in Goa, they were surrounded by an enthusiastic community of musicians who explored different music traditions, such as Indian classical, Turkish and Arabic maqam. Of course, they were inspired by Western jazzcats as well. When it came to naming their band, the duo drew inspiration from the West African Bambara term ‘Farafina’, meaning the ‘land of the black skin.’ In addition to their own, wildly creative ‘farafish’ language, African vernaculars are key to Farafi’s way of singing.