About Us

Tropical Fish Music was born out of one person's belief in the remarkable talent of another. Label founder Grishma Jashapara's initial foray into the music industry was a direct result of the impact Malay's music had  on her when she was first privileged to hear him play acoustic guitar and sing a few songs in the front room of a mutual friend.  Nestled amongst the beautifully sung Bob Marley and Sly Stone covers, were a couple of Malay's own songs... Grishma was immediately compelled to become involved and the two quickly became great friends.

Over the period that followed, she booked and promoted MALAY on the London gigging circuit, organised projects with various producers, and facilitated the recording of Malay's demo album Damaged Soul.

Malay's talents and charisma were quickly picked up on by the media, generating a number of television appearances and radio interviews on the strength of just the demo album.

By now accustomed to the freedom of being able to do things their own way, and reluctant to relinquish it by signing to a major record company, in 1999 Grishma set up her own label Tropical Fish Music and signed Malay to it. They recorded Malay's first single, Your Hate Gets Stronger, and  presented it along with a promo video to radio and television.

The response was phenomenal. The single was playlisted on radio stations up and down the country and the band commanded numerous television appearances on both digital and terrestrial networks.  The follow up singles Star and Sandalwood Breeze both built on this media interest, and the release in April 2001 of the debut album  Spitmarks on the Mirror received outstanding reviews. 

Tropical Fish Music  has already succeeded in winning support for both the label and its future output from key tastemakers. An artist led label whose only ambition is to give some respect back to music, the company's vision remains simple - to do it our way...