Born to Sing: Mallika Mehta

Mallika Mehta is considered the Adele of Mumbai and rightly so. One listen to her soul stirring tracks from Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball, or Rihana’s Umbrella, Rachel Platten’s Fight Song, or any of her two original tracks War Solo and Flame is Gone, and you know you are listening to a singer with an ability to sing with good intonation and someone who is blessed with great talent. A promising singer who has a faboulous voice.

India’s very own Louis

“Man! If you gotta ask, you’ll never know!” Louis Armstrong once opined in response to the age old question, “What is Jazz?” This is as apt an answer you are likely to get if you should ask this question. But then we thought, why not prod the best ambassador of the genre, the Godfather of Indian Jazz, Louiz Banks and see what he has to say.

Joy Giving Fiddler – Sunita Bhuyan

Sunita Khaund Bhuyan is an award winning violinist and a household name not only in Assam but all over the country. Her energetic and soulful live performances put you in a spell. Sunita is a recipient of the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for excellence in music. She enjoys experimenting with light classical and folk fusion to reach out to a diverse spectrum of audiences. Sunita is also the Ambassador for "Joy of Giving" for Mother Teresa’s campaign by Don Bosco.

Small Wonder - Lydian Nadhaswaram

12 year old child prodigy, Lydian Nadhaswaram is a Chennai based pianist to watch out for, and though his fingers are not big enough to reach the octaves, his piano-playing ability will leave you stumped, especially when you hear him play the fastest and the toughest western classical pieces. This is something we have never seen or heard before. A young Bach, Mozart or Debussy in the making, this young boy’s control and composure on the piano makes you wonder if he's on the same page with them.

The Indian face of Opera = Patricia Rozario

Award - winning Indian soprano singer Patricia Rozario, OBE went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and has performed at major venues all over the world. She also performed at Wembley stadium when PM Narendra Modi visited London. One of her most notable appearances was across Europe in The Marriage of Figaro conducted by Sir George Solti. She has also given concerts in the Royal Opera House in London, and performed when our very own Royal Opera House in Mumbai reopened last year. Rozario has made numerous recordings of the works of composer John Tavener. She is currently a professor at the Royal College of Music, where she is a member of the Vocal Faculty.

Cool Cats – Run Pussy Run

Our first brush with Gowri Jayakumar was when we saw her performing with her band at a music event earlier this year. Gowri has been around in the Indian indie scene for a while now, chucking a stable job as a journalist, for a career in music. And if you thought she made the wrong decision, going by her career graph, she certainly knows what she is doing.

The “GRAIN” project came about out of my personal desire to write songs: GRAIN

The Delhi based boys from Midival Punditz – aka Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj who laid the foundation for eclectic Indian electronica, have a 20-year-old roster boasting of performances with everyone from Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale to Alicia Keys and Norah Jones.

Simply The Blues: BLU

While we hear of many music competitions searching for pop and rock bands, very few look for the ultimate Blues bands. 2017 saw a battle of bands to unearth new and original Blues talent, which received an overwhelming response with entries from bands across the country. Two year old band BLU from Delhi, offered a fresh perspective on the Blues and alternative music and were declared winners at the Mahindra Blues Band Hunt 2017 which got them a chance to perform at the Mahindra Blues Festival 2017.

Gospel Truths – Sonam Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project

Given the kind of music on the contemporary gospel scene today, infused with rap, dance beats and rock, the soothing and angelic vocals of Sonam Kalra and The Sufi Gospel Project bring an interdenominational, intergenerational and a new musical expression to this vast landscape of music. As founder, and spiritual bellwether for the group, Sonam Kalra combines western gospel music with Indian classical sound in The Sufi Gospel Project.

Independent Woman - Shazneen Arethna

With an illustrious career and two new EPs released this month, Shazneen Arethna has a lot going for her at the moment, which makes it difficult to start a conversation with her. As a singer and a voice–over artist from a very young age, jamming with the best rock bands in India, to her Bollywood song 'I hate you like I love you', Shazneen is truly a gifted and multi-talented singer with an incredible voice.