Joi Barua Collaborates with Creators Susan Lim and Christina Teenz Tan for NASA’s COSI Mission

Guwahati: An Acclaimed Indian composer, singer and songwriter Joi Barua is part of a groundbreaking international collaboration that brings together NASA astrophysics and the performing arts through the global project Cosmic Rhapsody. The initiative connects with NASA’s COSI mission, the Compton Spectrometer and Imager, led by Principal Investigator Dr John Tomsick at the University of California, Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory.

·  "Star Among the Cosmic Clouds": Composed by Joi Barua, featuring lyrics by Susan Lim, arranged and orchestrated by Manu Martin.

·  "Confetti Star-Ion" (and its original predecessor "Confetti Storm"): Written and conceived by Susan Lim, with "Confetti Star-Ion" co-composed by Joi Barua and Manu Martin, and arranged and orchestrated by Manu Martin.

 Created by storytelling and songwriting duo Dr Susan Lim and Dr Christina Teenz Tan, Cosmic Rhapsody is an immersive performing arts experience combining live symphonic scoring, cinematic animation and pop songs. French composer Manu Martin serves as the chief composer, orchestrator and arranger for the full orchestral work. The story follows a fictional partnership between a Human and an AI travelling into space in search of planetary solutions to Earth’s environmental crisis.

During a visit to UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory, the creators discovered a scientific connection between the project’s narrative climax and NASA’s COSI mission. The climax, involving a dying star exploding and showering stardust back towards Earth, is reflected in Star Among the Cosmic Clouds and Confetti Storm. COSI investigates soft gamma rays to map how supernovae synthesise the chemical elements of life.

Barua composed both songs to lyrics by Susan Lim. Star Among the Cosmic Clouds features lyrics by Lim, music by Barua, and arrangement and orchestration by Martin. Confetti Star-Ion, which evolved from its original predecessor Confetti Storm, was written and conceived by Lim, co-composed by Barua and Martin, and arranged and orchestrated by Martin. Confetti Storm features Lim’s lyrics and story concept, Barua’s composition and Martin’s orchestration and arrangement.

Barua described the collaborative structure as an extraordinary global creative journey. He said Lim and Tan created the overall project, while Martin served as chief composer, orchestrator and arranger. His specific contribution involved composing the melodies for Star Among the Cosmic Clouds and Confetti Storm, as well as co-composing Confetti Star-Ion with Martin.

The project also has a significant Assam connection through animator and director Samudra Kajal Saikia, who is responsible for the visual elements. Like Barua, Saikia is from Assam. Barua said having two artists from the state shape the auditory and visual dimensions of a global, NASA-aligned project was particularly meaningful. While he developed melodic arcs around the exploding star, Saikia translated the musical dynamics frame by frame into vivid, swirling visuals of cosmic stardust. Barua described the collaboration as a cultural milestone for Assam on the international stage.

Barua said Lim’s lyrics provided the emotional foundation for the songs. Her writing explores the idea that a star sacrifices its existence in a supernova, scattering elements that can help seed new worlds. The imagery of stardust falling like celebratory confetti inspired Barua to portray the explosion not as a tragedy, but as an euphoric act of creation.

The creators’ visit to UC Berkeley further connected the artistic narrative with real astrophysics. According to Barua, Dr Tomsick and the COSI team are preparing to launch a space telescope to trace soft gamma rays and map stellar factories where elements such as iron and aluminium are formed. He said the alignment between the songs, which originated in emotion and poetry, and the science of nucleosynthesis validated the collaboration.

Barua also described co-composing Confetti Star-Ion with Martin as a musical fusion. While Barua focused on melodic contours and rhythmic pulse, Martin developed the broader orchestration and arrangement, creating a sonic transition from authentic mission-control transmissions to an explosive symphonic-pop climax representing an ionised cosmic shockwave.

• Star Among the Cosmic Clouds

  • Lyrics & Story Concept: Susan Lim

  • Music Composition: Joi Barua

  • Orchestration & Arrangement: Manu Martin

• Confetti Storm

  • Lyrics & Story Concept: Susan Lim

  • Music Composition: Joi Barua

  • Orchestration & Arrangement: Manu Martin

• Confetti Star-Ion

  • Lyrics & Story Concept: Susan Lim

  • Music Composition: Joi Barua & Manu Martin

  • Orchestration & Arrangement: Manu Martin

• Cosmic Rhapsody

  • Created by: Susan Lim & Christina Teenz Tan

  • Chief Composer: Manu Martin

  • Orchestration & Arrangement: Manu Martin

Barua reveals contributing as an Indian composer to a project connected with NASA’s COSI mission was humbling. He highlighted India’s cultural reverence for the cosmos and music, as well as its scientific achievements through ISRO, and said the project demonstrates that logic and imagination can work together.

The collaboration is set to reach two major milestones. The US premiere of Cosmic Rhapsody is scheduled for 27^th July , 2027, at the Hollywood Bowl, presented with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and featuring acclaimed pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. This will be followed by the orbital launch of NASA’s COSI mission from Cape Canaveral.

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