TUMKEN Turns a Difficult Conversation Into “Little Paradise”

Someone close to TUMKEN was talking about feeling lost, but still believing there was a better part of themselves waiting to be found. The thought stayed with him, eventually becoming the starting point for "Little Paradise."

TUMKEN, whose real name is Tumken Siram, recognised something of his own experience in that conversation. He has spoken about his experiences with addiction and depression, and it was during rehabilitation that he decided to pursue music full-time. Originally from Arunachal Pradesh and now based in Bengaluru, he had always been drawn to music and songwriting. His first demo appeared on Spotify back in 2021. Since then, he has continued to build an independent practice that lets him take a song from its first idea all the way through to the final mix.

In "Little Paradise," he sings about a place somewhere in his mind, then admits he is stranded far away from it. The lyrics move from the possibility of finding that paradise to the feeling of being cut off from it.

TUMKEN wrote and produced the track in his bedroom studio, with drummer Jake Naugle from the United States recording the drums and Argentine bassist Pablo Vilches contributing the bass. He handled the final mix and master himself. The whole process, from writing and arranging to finishing the track, took about a month. He listens widely, but prefers to let each song find its own direction rather than set out to recreate another artist's sound. "Little Paradise" was released on September 25, followed by its official music video on October 13.

A line by Maya Angelou stayed with TUMKEN during rehabilitation: “The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind.” He said it made him reflect on the life he was living and the one he wanted instead. That desire for change eventually led him to pursue music full-time, and it remains part of the story behind “Little Paradise.”