The Broadway star’s slowed-down approach to beauty, new motherhood and her debut album, ‘Soft Hours.’
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If you’ve seen Aladdin on Broadway, you may know Shoba Narayan as the first South Asian actress to play Princess Jasmine. Animation fans know her voice as Emily in A24’s Hazbin Hotel. Between stage, screen and a voice that can hold a theater still, she’s become a quiet style and beauty muse—whether you’re after her luminous skin, her glossy hair or her calm-in-the-chaos energy.
What fans may not know, however, is that her latest project is also a self-care tool. Her debut album, Soft Hours, began as songs for her daughter, Leela, and grew into a gentle mix of Broadway standards, Indian melodies and original lullabies. In a recent interview , she opened up about how motherhood reshaped her routine. Ahead: the serum she can’t keep in stock, the South Asian rituals she still practices, her Broadway-proof skin basics—and why doing less became her biggest beauty upgrade.
How does music double as self-care for her?
Narayan told NewBeauty that music helps regulate her during the overstimulated, exhausted moments of early motherhood—not by erasing those feelings, but by helping her move through them more gently. Her favorite ritual is simple: before the day starts, she puts her phone away, listens to one or two songs (often classical) and takes a few deep breaths. She says it changes how the rest of her day unfolds.
Try it: Swap your first scroll of the morning for one full song, with no multitasking.
How did becoming a mom change the way she sees beauty?
As a performer, she always appreciated what her body could do, but pregnancy and motherhood made that feeling stronger. Her focus shifted from aesthetics to strength and resilience: carrying her daughter, pushing a stroller around New York City and getting through long show days on interrupted sleep. She still cares about looking her best—it’s a visual industry, after all—but now it comes from a more compassionate place, tied to feeling healthy and capable.
What does her day-to-day self-care look like?
Mostly maintenance and recovery. Sleep is the big one, even if it’s just ten quiet minutes with her eyes closed. She takes vocal rest seriously, stays hydrated and always warms up before anything demanding. Walks, herbal tea, journaling, a call with a friend or a massage all help her reset. She also writes in The Gratitude Journal, whose prompts help her check in on what she needs that day.
Her skin-care routine is multi-step but efficient. At night, once the baby is asleep, it becomes a small luxury that’s just for her.
Her skin is quite literally glowing—so which South Asian rituals does she still swear by?
Growing up with Indian immigrant parents, Narayan was raised on wellness rooted in nourishment and ritual. Warm, home-cooked meals with turmeric, ginger and spices were part of everyday life. Two beauty traditions stuck: she still oils her hair, and she loves sandalwood face masks. She says they leave her skin soft and luminous, and their scent brings back childhood memories.
Why it works: Hair oiling coats strands to reduce dryness and breakage. Sandalwood has long been prized in Ayurvedic beauty for its soothing feel and calming scent.
What’s in her Broadway-proof skin routine?
Consistency beats intensity, she said. Her basics are foundational: cleanse well, hydrate, moisturize consistently and never skip SPF. She reaches for rich moisturizers and gentle formulas that calm her skin after long days in stage makeup.
Her non-negotiable is a thorough double cleanse after a full face of makeup. Her hero product is the La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum ($43; prices at time of writing), which she says leaves her skin plump and glowy. “I go through those bottles very quickly,” she told NewBeauty.
Post-baby, she’s also hooked on Megaformer Pilates for strength and energy, balanced with rest days and massages.
Why it works: Hyaluronic acid pulls water into the skin, and vitamin B5 supports the barrier. That makes the pair ideal after makeup-heavy days.
A personal fascination of ours: what does “feeling held” mean to her?
It’s the small things: someone noticing she’s tired and bringing her a coffee, a friend texting a new mom that she’s doing great, permission to rest without guilt. For her, it also looks like a cozy blanket, music on, phone off for twenty minutes, or lying beside her daughter as she falls asleep. That feeling is exactly what she wanted Soft Hours to capture: an exhale at the end of a long day.
