Singer-songwriter Sharmila is using music to tell a deeply personal story involving motherhood, artistic expression, institutional treatment and the loss of her daughter, Tanisha. Through her latest releases, she raises difficult questions about human rights, accountability and whether artists are adequately protected in the Netherlands.
At the heart of Sharmila’s message is a provocative question: Does a society deserve to be entertained by artists when, according to those artists, it has failed to respect their human, creative and intellectual property rights?
For Sharmila, this is not merely a philosophical debate. It is connected to experiences that she says have shaped more than a decade of her life.
From Social Work to Seeking Refuge
Before becoming publicly known for her music and advocacy, Sharmila studied social work and worked in children’s homes, women’s shelters and services supporting refugees. Her professional background placed her inside the same social-care sector that she would later publicly criticize.
In 2013, Sharmila and her daughter stayed at a women’s shelter in Rotterdam. Sharmila says that after publicly identifying herself as an artist and posting material on YouTube, she and Tanisha became involved with social-work and youth-care organizations under circumstances that caused them lasting harm.
According to Sharmila, she and her daughter were separated, confined and mistreated. She alleges that Tanisha was placed at the JJC Schakenbosch youth-care facility near The Hague during 2013 and 2014, where her daughter experienced abuse.
These are serious allegations presented as Sharmila’s personal account and have not been independently verified in this article. Nevertheless, they form the emotional and ethical foundation of her music and public advocacy.
Sharmila describes the situation through a painful contradiction: although she had previously worked with vulnerable children, women and refugees, she and Tanisha eventually felt as though they had become refugees themselves within the Netherlands.
A Decade of Alleged Censorship and Isolation
Sharmila says that she has experienced censorship, discrimination, confinement and restrictions on her artistic identity for approximately ten years. She also claims that she was prevented from reporting her experiences freely to the police and subjected to pressure and blackmail beginning in 2013.
She further alleges that organizations connected to social work and youth care continued taking action against her and Tanisha until her daughter died in 2021.
Sharmila says that she continues to live with physical injuries and emotional consequences connected to the events she describes.
Her previous experience as a social worker adds another complicated dimension to her account. Sharmila says that an organization involved in confining her does not know that she was once its employee. She also believes that various organizations have merged or become connected through larger institutional structures, making individual responsibility difficult to identify.
A feature published by Lyrical Weekly similarly presents Sharmila as a
singer-songwriter, performer and former social worker who is using music and advocacy to call for awareness, dialogue and accountability.
Tanisha’s Own Artistic Voice
Tanisha was not only Sharmila’s daughter. She was also an artist with her own creative abilities and ambitions.
According to Sharmila, Tanisha wrote original songs and composed her own music on the keyboard. She had grown up around recording studios and performances, learning about music and developing an artistic identity of her own.
Her death in 2021 became a defining moment in Sharmila’s personal life and artistic journey. Sharmila now works to preserve Tanisha’s memory while drawing attention to what she believes happened to them.
By speaking about Tanisha as a songwriter and composer, Sharmila also raises the issue of artistic and intellectual property rights. Her advocacy asks audiences to recognize Tanisha not only as a victim in her mother’s account, but also as a young creative person whose work, voice and potential deserved protection.
“Golden Heart”: A Mother’s Tribute
Sharmila wrote “Golden Heart” for Tanisha as a tribute to her character and memory. The title reflects the way she remembers her daughter: as someone who always had a golden heart.
The song transforms private grief into a public act of remembrance. Rather than allowing Tanisha’s identity to be defined entirely by institutional records or the circumstances surrounding her death, Sharmila uses music to preserve the qualities she valued most in her daughter.
Listeners can explore one of Sharmila’s releases through her first Spotify link and discover additional music through her second Spotify release.
Examining Ethics Through “Right And Wrong”
Another important release, “Right And Wrong,” addresses the basic moral distinction between good and bad. The song focuses on ethics, institutional racism and the alleged mistreatment that Sharmila says she and Tanisha experienced.
Its theme asks a fundamental question: What happens when organizations created to protect vulnerable people are accused of causing harm?
Through the song, Sharmila challenges listeners to consider the difference between institutional authority and moral responsibility. An action may be carried out by an official organization, but institutional status alone does not automatically make that action fair, ethical or humane.
“Right And Wrong” therefore operates as more than personal testimony. It becomes a broader reflection on power, accountability and the treatment of women, children and artists within public and social-care systems.
Four Songs With a Shared Purpose
On August 28, Sharmila released four songs:
- “Golden Heart”
- “Right And Wrong”
- “Human Race”
- “No Music On Mars”
Although the songs explore different ideas, they are connected by themes of humanity, ethics, identity, grief and the importance of creative freedom.
“Golden Heart” remembers Tanisha. “Right And Wrong” confronts ethical and institutional questions. “Human Race” expands the conversation toward shared human dignity, while “No Music On Mars” emphasizes the importance of music and artistic expression in human life.
Sharmila’s work can also be experienced through her two YouTube videos: watch the first video and watch the second video.
Can Art Survive Without Artistic Freedom?
Sharmila’s story brings together several identities: mother, artist, singer-songwriter, former social worker and advocate. Her music cannot be separated from her grief or from the institutional allegations she continues to raise.
Her central message is that artists must be free to create, identify themselves publicly and retain control over their intellectual property without fear of punishment, censorship or discrimination. She also believes that organizations entrusted with
vulnerable people must be transparent and accountable when allegations of mistreatment arise.
Through “Golden Heart,” “Right And Wrong,” “Human Race” and “No Music On Mars,” Sharmila seeks to ensure that Tanisha’s name, talent and memory are not forgotten. Her songs invite listeners in the Netherlands and beyond to engage with questions that extend beyond entertainment: Who protects vulnerable artists? Who is accountable when institutions are accused of causing harm? And what responsibility does society carry toward voices that say they have been silenced?
For Sharmila, music is no longer simply a form of entertainment. It is remembrance, resistance and a demand to be heard.
