What separates successful musicians from everyone else is not the amount of talent you’re born with, but the amount of grit and self-determination you’re willing to pour into your craft. British-Sri Lankan finger drummer and producer Gnarly knows this well, first by consistently posting her rigorous practice routines online for her followers to pick apart; and more recently, by challenging herself to 30 days at a time creating all-new, all-original beats. Her hard work has certainly paid off: with nearly 43,000 fans on Instagram alone, the musician has been able to take her passion full-time since the end of 2019.

Today, Gnarly regularly performs to crowds of adoring listeners, but that’s not to say she doesn’t have her moments of stage fright. But then, “you get into the flow of it and you realise you’re playing something that you really love,” she tells Sound of Life.

Watch the video to learn more about the intricacies of finger drumming, how she builds a myriad of melodies from scratch, and why it’s all about the little details in her line of work.

Part of Sound Makers, a series shining the spotlight on unique personalities shaping our everyday soundscapes: how they began their journey of creating sounds, what inspires and drives them, and the process behind bringing their magic to life.

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