Odisha's Jyotirmayee Heals Cancer Patients With Music Therapy, Shares Journey During Indian Idol Auditions
What if a song could ease pain? Or give courage to someone fighting for life? Jyotirmayee Nayak has done that - turned art into healing.
Published : October 27, 2025 at 10:57 PM IST
By Bikash Kumar Das
Bhubaneswar: In the sterile silence of a cancer recovery ward at a local health facility, Jyotirmayee Nayak usually breaks into a soothing song - as gentle as a prayer and powerful as hope. The 24-year-old music therapist and singer turns into a healer for those fighting with life. She not only performs for patients, she sings with them, helps them find strength in melody.
"I want to become the source of courage for cancer patients. My voice should not only soothe, but heal. For me music is not just an art, it is a service that has the capability to make people smile again," says the singer, who is currently participating in the famous reality show Indian Idol auditions at Mumbai. She has already made a place among the top 16 contestants.
It was during the first round of auditions that the judges - Vishal Shekhar, Shreya Ghoshal and Badshah, were filled with emotions when they heard from Jyotirmayee what she does as a part of her professional responsibilities and passion as well.
Though she is today a familiar name among Odia listeners, Jyotirmayee gets the maximum satisfaction from the people who wait for her in the hospital wards to render them a bhajan or a movie number. She has recorded devotional bhajans, songs for Odisha music industry and contemporary numbers but she performs in the medical facility as per the choice of her patients.
“When I hold a patient’s hand and sing for them, I feel their emotions. I also feel that after hearing to lilting music, their pain lessens, for, they smile and some cry ecstatically. Because hormones like dopamine and serotonin releases from their body. That is my biggest reward and remuneration. It gives me courage too,” she says.
She expresses how keen she was to pursue a career in music therapy. "The term music therapy fascinated me and I enrolled into Chennai School of Music Therapy, completing the course in 2023. I interned at a super specialty hospital where my job was to give palliative treatment through music therapy. It worked really well and gave me immense happiness when I saw the patients recovering with less pain," explains Jyotirmayee.
Determined to bring peace to those who need it most, Jyotirmayee started providing solace to many who were going through pain and depression. Her music offered them what medicine could not - emotional healing.
“When a cancer patient listens to music, their mind relaxes. Their heartbeat slows, their breathing eases. It gives them strength to fight,” says Jyotirmayee.
One of her patients, stated on condition of anonymity, “Her music feels like the best medicine. It fills my mind with peace and hope. After each session, I feel I can fight the entire process of treatment.”
Science too supports what Jyotirmayee practices - music therapy works wonders. It can ease anxiety, reduce pain, and improve the overall well-being of patients. Through her songs, she tries to connect on a deeply human level, offering hope where despair usually is the only emotion.
Born to Chakradhar and Gauri Nayak, Jyotirmayee grew up in Bhubaneswar’s Palasuni area. Her love for music blossomed early, while she was in Class 4. She is trained in Hindustani classical and light music. Her parents too wanted her to continue the art and nurtured it tenderly.
Earlier, Jyotirmayee tried getting through Indian Idol twice, once in Class 7 and again in Class 10. Both times, she fell short but that never dampened her spirits to pursue music. Now, that perseverance has paid off, as she competes with many other singers in the music reality show, representing Odisha on a national stage.
Jyotirmayee has already lent her voice to several Odia films and devotional albums like Charidham Bhitaru Gotie Dham, Pagala Bhai, Ama Gaon Jhia Khanti Gua Ghia, among others. "I wish to make a name in Bollywood and this national platform is the best route to be noticed and heard. I have been selected in top 16 of the contest. I would want to go till the finals with everyone's support. There are various stages in the competition and I hope to make my state proud," she states.
Ask her what success means to her, she says "Singing for music lovers and my patients."
Expressing her gratitude to her family, friends, and mentors who have stood firmly by her side, proud of the path she has chosen, Jyotirmayee says. “Whatever I am today is because of my parents, my guru, and the blessings of Lord Jagannath. I am sure, these will help me make a name in the Hindi film industry. Through my singing I also want to promote music therapy,” she says with folded hands.
Music, Jyotirmayee believes, is a bridge between pain and peace. "I will perform to the best of my ability in the show representing my state. But my singing will never stop for the patients who wait for me," says the healer and miracle worker.
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