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Global IndianstoryRohan Solomon: How this Grammy-submitted artist tells stories musically

Indian Artists

Rohan Solomon: How this Grammy-submitted artist tells stories musically

Written by: Vikram Sharma

(December 23, 2021) Rohan Solomon could well have been a Taekwondo champ. Until 11, he was obsessed with Taekwondo. In fact, he participated and won every single state and national tournament. Rohan represented India in the junior league too, though he ended up losing in the semis to his South Korean opponent. Taekwondo then took a back seat as destiny gave him a new plan – a musical one that he has embellished and became a few Indian artists who are known globally.

When a relative taught him a few chords on the piano, it altered his career path completely. Self-taught, he not only figured out the rest of the chords, but he did so on the guitar too. By the time he turned 13 in October 1997, he had written his first song True Love about a girl he had a crush on. By 16, he was the frontman of alternative rock band Cyanide, which lasted 10 rocking years.

Rohan Solomon

That was then, but now the tune is different

Today, the 37-year-old is a singer-songwriter-composer-vocal coach and audio engineer. “I also have an MBA degree, and it feels good to have a degree to fall back on. I am also a huge squash enthusiast,” chuckles Rohan Solomon, in an exclusive interview with Global Indian. He is among few Indian artists and a global chart-topper is on a musical high after he got a Grammy submission for his much-talked-about release in 2021, We Demand Change — which led the song straight to the top 5 and top 20 spots on international radio charts.

Born and brought up in New Delhi, Rohan listened to Michael Jackson and The Beatles, later it was Bryan Adams and Michael Learns to Rock, and much later Savage Garden, Hanson, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls. His music evolved, and Solomon’s taste steered towards rock with greats like Metallica, Guns N Roses, Nirvana, Iron Maiden, Megadeth on his play list.

The 10 years with Cyanide saw Rohan tour across the country playing at The Great Indian Rock Festival, Eastwind Festival and NH7 Weekender. Cyanide was also featured on the reality TV show Channel V Launchpad in 2007. This was also the time he explored solo with his debut album Lead The Way (2009).

Rohan Solomon

Cyanide, which released 2 EPs and a full-length album Sugarcoated, saw huge success. The signature crunching guitar riffs and pop chorus giving the band a solid, melodic and powerful sound. When the members parted in 2012, this erstwhile frontman of Cyanide moved to New York to study audio engineering. While doing his Recording Connection masters programme, he got placed at Engine Room Audio where he picked up the nuances of production. “It’s not easy being an audio engineer in New York city. The hustle is real. You have to be fast and on point or else one of the 20 people waiting in line will take your place,” recalls the Delhi University alumni who went from student to production manager and senior engineer in just three years.

The riff, they keep coming

In 2015, Rohan released his second solo album Moving On produced in Nashville, USA by renowned musician Scott Moffatt. “The first single from this album Dream Girl also released worldwide, and was an instant hit on the radio,” smiles Solomon, who did his BBA and MBA from IIPM in Delhi.

His learning curve was immense. “Just the calibre of people whom I learned from (in the US) was amazing. Mark Christensen, J Chris Griffin and Michael Brauer – it was something you can only dream of,” shares Solomon, who had also started a band with Indian artists in New York, By Chance, and released a trilogy of songs. After a four-year US stint where he had the opportunity to work as assistant engineer with John Legend, Toni Braxton, Immortal Technique and Anderson Paak, with whom he incidentally has worked on a Grammy-winning song Bubblin, Solomon moved back to Delhi to set up his own home studio.

The year 2019 saw him compose a trilogy — Blue Sky, Hard to Breathe and Time, 2020 as the pandemic led to Keep Holding On, Victoria’s Secret and Without a Trace. “Covid affected the live music scene. It became hard for gigging musicians to get out and make money. But it certainly increased the number of singles released,” he adds.

Rohan Solomon

His song We Demand Change which came out this year was produced over a couple of weeks among other songs of Indian artists. “It takes time and works to produce a song, especially since I am the one performing. I had the basic structure worked out on an acoustic guitar but I was not able to find the right voicing with the standard guitar tunings so I had to choose a different tuning called DADGAD, which just fit the emotion of the song so well,” Rohan explains of his musicology.

One of the striking features of this track was the use of stomps, claps, gunshots, and breaking glass instead of the traditional drums, pieced together to form the beat. Rohan, who is an NBA fan, juggles many roles – singer-songwriter, composer, vocal coach, and audio engineer. “The saving grace is that I genuinely enjoy each process, so it comes naturally to me,” says the self-confessed Star Wars and Harry Potter fan. His creativity lies in going by the feel of the music. “Is the song telling a story that I want it to tell and is it plucking at the correct heartstrings, is it communicating the emotion that I want it to communicate — that matters to me,” informs Rohan.

Looking forward to going back to New York for a few months to work on some projects, Solomon has some new strains up his creative sleeve now. “There is an album set to come out in 2022. Some singles (already released) Victoria’s Secret and Set Me Free will be a part of it. I wonder who can tell me what the vibe or sound will be after they listen to both the tracks (DM on Instagram @rohansolomon and there might be some goodies for Christmas for the winners). The talented musician is open to trying different genres as long as he feels the vibe,” says Rohan, who is a fan of Sara Bareilles and Ed Sheeran. He is currently in talks with a few singers & Indian artists for collaboration. His musical journey has taught him to, “Chase happiness, not money. If you are great at doing what you love, money will follow. Trust me on this,” insists the musician, adding that the pandemic has shown him that, “it’s your own mental health and happiness that is important.”

Rohan Solomon

ON HIS GRAMMY-WINNING TRACK

I was the assistant engineer on that track. Honestly, I got very lucky. I wasn’t even on shift that day. Vinnie Pagano (the recording engineer) was on a shift and asked me to come in and help him because it was Anderson Paak and he needed help. There was a load of troubleshooting before the artist reached the studio. Once everything was set up, I was around in case Vinnie needed help – changing a faulty cable, swapping a microphone, getting a cuppa, running pro tools. We were lucky that the song won a Grammy.

“IT’S CHRISTMAS”

Rohan has released a cinematic Christmas song It’s Christmas aimed at cheering up people during this pandemic. The song has been pre-released on global radio platforms in a few countries including the US, Canada, Mexico, and a few in Europe. It was released in India before its worldwide digital release on December 9, 2021, on all major streaming platforms. “It will make you want to get up and dance next to the Christmas tree with a glass of eggnog in one hand and a Christmas cake in the other,” smiles Rohan.

Rohan Solomon

ONLINE SCHOOL

Rohan along with other Indian artists also runs an online school for music production and audio engineering – Synergy Audio Productions. “I am producing some really good artists. My stint in New York helped me become a good teacher and mentor. I definitely put a part of my soul in everything I produce,” signs off the musician who is busy with regular online classes for his students.

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Published on 23, Dec 2021

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Defeating misogyny: Saxophone Subbalaxmi’s rise to stardom

(February 28, 2022) A diminutive pre-teen girl clutching an outsized saxophone - the image alone was enough to make Subbalaxmi an object of ridicule among her boisterous male peers. Her unwavering determination to learn the instrument only made things worse - how could a girl dare to do something meant only for boys? "Tell her to learn how to cook," they called out. "At least that will help her in the future." The 12-year-old Subbalaxmi, however, refused to back down. She sat through the class, with the blessing of her Guru, Kadri Gopalnath, who fully supported this attempt to break free of a stereotype. Her Guru passed away in 2019 and before she steps on stage, Saxophone Subbalaxmi always takes a minute to close her eyes and pay him tribute. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JHF-uYzIiw Unconditional support from her teacher and her father MR Sainath, went a long way but Saxophone Subbalaxmi's personal journey was far from easy, at least in the early days in Mangalore where she was born and brought up. Back home, disapproving neighbours would complain about her evening riyaaz. Whether or not she was fazed by the mockery, Subbalaxmi had no intention of giving up. She continued learning and

ving up. She continued learning and later went to Chennai for higher training.

Amongst numerous brilliant performances across the world, her memorable one has been at Singapore - a concert for the Tamil Association. She had been expecting Indians in the audience but to her surprise there were many Singaporeans. She immediately improvised fascinating them all. With over 3,000 performances, and awards like the prestigious Padmabharathi and Yuvakala Bharathi amongst others, Saxophone Subbalaxmi has also made it into the Limca Book of Records.

Making music count

Today, 'Saxophone Subbalaxmi' has made a name for herself in an industry where rules are sacrosanct, and she boasts a fan base across the world. And if she broke stereotypes as a child, she continues even today – her music has its own signature style, a blend of Indian and Western, played on an instrument that came to India from the West.

[caption id="attachment_20409" align="aligncenter" width="572"] Saxophone Subbalaxmi | Global Indian Saxophone Subbalaxmi[/caption]

She began training in Carnatic vocals at the age of five, having been born into a family of musicians. Her grandfather, MR Rajappa was an Asthana Vidwan in the royal court of Mysuru. Her uncles were percussionists and her father, an exponent of the Mridangam, was an A-grade staff artiste at All India Radio. Growing up, Subbalaxmi would accompany her father as he travelled for shows with Padma Shree Kadri Gopalnath, the noted saxophonist. That was a turning point. “I found divinity in his Gamakams,” Saxophone Subbalaxmi recalls, in an interview with Global Indian. “I fell in love with the instrument but I didn't realise then that it's a very difficult instrument to play, especially for girls, because it requires a lot of lung power.”

Subbalaxmi soon announced that she would learn nothing but the saxophone. It was a radical choice. Her surprised father decided to stand by her. He encouraged her dreams, as did Kadri Gopalnath, who even volunteered to be her guru. That’s how Saxophone Subbalaxmi became Gopalnath’s first female disciple. Her determination and hard work also impressed her two older siblings, both of whom also took to the instrument. Today, after two decades spent performing in India and abroad, Saxophone Subbalaxmi is a role model for young women.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41ZojXfUKSk

Charting her own path

"My challenges mostly are off stage, though,” she says. “There is simply no time to relax when you’re on tour. The only time I manage to sleep is on the flight. Eating hours can also get erratic; this leads to other problems like weight gain. Late-night treats after performances will also play havoc.” She keeps herself fit through yoga, swimming and gymming.

It was during a concert in Chennai, she met the man who would become her husband - Kiran Kumar. The couple married in 2009. Kumar manages his celebrity wife’s business. “Without each other, we would not be able to do anything,” she says, glowingly. They live in Bengaluru with their 12-year-old son, Rudransh.

Her daily riyaaz remains the mantra to her success, Subbalaxmi admits. She keeps herself updated with the latest trends while ensuring that she stays rooted in tradition. "I’m also particular about how I present myself. On stage, I improvise as it’s important to stay in touch with the audience’s taste," says the musician who has an affinity to the stage. “Many tell me that I enjoy myself when I perform and dance along to the music. To this, I say that I am deeply honoured to be playing music written by the greatest composers - how I can do them justice if I lack energy and excitement? Simply put, I just enjoy the whole atmosphere,” she adds.

[caption id="attachment_20410" align="aligncenter" width="599"] Saxophone Subbalaxmi | Global Indian Saxophone Subbalaxmi with popular Bollywood singer, Alka Yagnik[/caption]

Even Western audiences clamour for her trademark fusion style. “My inspirations come from all over the world too,” Subbalaxmi explains. She has always returned, over the years, to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Lata Mangeshkar. Tunes like Baahon Mein Chale Aa, Nile Nile Ambar Par and Chura Liya Hai Tumne always find a spot in her concert repertoire. “Once, I had to perform Jab Koi Baat Bigar Jaye eight times on audience demand,” she recalls, laughing.

Not backing down

At the age of 12, she was teased and told to learn how to cook. She did, in fact, find her way around the kitchen, and cooking is one of her hobbies today. “I’m a pro when it comes to rustling non-vegetarian food,” she remarks. The same people who mocked her once are full of praise, and Saxophone Subbalaxmi now finds herself besieged by fans asking for selfies. Even her neighbours no longer complain about her riyaaz, instead, they come to their windows to hear her play as she practices. “Sometimes, they even call me to request a particular song while they listen outside, or drop by to hear me play! I am blessed to have these people in my life,” she smiles.

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Nalini Malani: The multimedia artist is amplifying women’s voice through art

(November 2, 2021) She can be easily called the pioneer of Multimedia Art in India. At a time when Indian painters were still painting the traditional way, Nalini Malani was busy experimenting with mixed media. Her art isn't just visual but is an orchestra for all the five senses. Her work in the last few decades has been a comment on feminism, a subject closer to her heart. Her artwork has been giving voice to the women who have been silenced over generations, and this has earned her the Arts & Culture Fukuoka Prize, making her the first Asian woman to achieve the feat. The 75-year-old artist, who studied in the Paris, has carved a niche for herself in the art world. Here's the story of this Global Indian who is making women's voices heard through her art. [caption id="attachment_14834" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Nalini Malani is an Indian contemporary artist.[/caption] The beginning - Mumbai to Paris Malani's journey began a year before India attained independence, and her family sought refuge in Kolkata during the Partition before relocating to Mumbai in 1958. During her formative years, the conflict of displacement and refuge played a crucial role in her life, and soon she

Malani's journey began a year before India attained independence, and her family sought refuge in Kolkata during the Partition before relocating to Mumbai in 1958. During her formative years, the conflict of displacement and refuge played a crucial role in her life, and soon she began expressing herself through art. Her idea of creative liberation took her to the JJ School of Art where she obtained a diploma in Fine Arts. During her art school days, she had a studio at the Bhulabhai Memorial Institute, which was a multidisciplinary centre inviting artists, musicians and theater actors to work individually and as a community. This experience gave a young Malani the perfect exposure and became a stepping stone for her participation in the Vision Exchange Workshop (VIEW), an initiative by veteran artist Akbar Padamsee. With art still being a male-dominated craft, she was the only female member at the workshop. It was here that she developed a penchant for photography and film, and explored the themes of the turbulent political and social scenario of India during those times.

In 1970, Malani moved to Paris on a scholarship awarded by the French government to study fine arts. In Paris, Malani found the freedom to design her own education since the Ecole des Beaux-Arts was yet to reconfigure its new syllabus. Those two years in the capital of France, Malani practiced printmaking at Atelier Friedlander and immersed herself in Marxist politics while attending lectures by Naom Chomsky, Simone de Beauvoir and attending film screenings at the Cinematheque Francaise where she met Jean-Luc Godard and Chris Marker. Paris gave her the foundation she needed as an artist before she returned to India in 1973.

[caption id="attachment_14827" align="aligncenter" width="553"] An artwork by Nalini Malani[/caption]

The feminist artist

Upon her return, she moved to the bustling market of Lohar Chawl in Mumbai where her work reflected the lives of middle-class Indian families. She began working with paintings - acrylic on canvas and watercolour on paper, and produced art that portrayed contemporary India. Though Paris gave her the freedom to explore art, she was disappointed with the lack of acknowledgement that women artists had to face back home in the 70s. She resolved to bring them together for a group show after a meeting with visual artist Nancy Spero and American feminist artist May Stevens at the AIR Gallery in New York in 1979. Seeing the gallery's fierce determination to create a space for the work of female artists, Malani returned to India with idea of extending the formula. After years of negotiation with public and private institutions, she curated the first exhibition of Indian female artists titled Through The Looking Glass. It toured for three years, between 1986 and1989, to non-commercial venues as Malani was keen to take art beyond the elitist atmosphere of the art gallery.

Malani has always been vocal about feminism and she made every attempt to make women visible outside the narratives of femininity through her work. She often gave voice to women who have been silenced by works of literature like Sita from Ramayana and Cassandra and Medea from Greek mythology. "Understanding the world from a feminist perspective is an essential device for a more hopeful future, if we want to achieve something like human progress, she said at Centre Pompiduo in 2018.

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Pioneer in Multimedia Art

Over the next few years, her art was exhibited in India and abroad. She has been one of the earliest artists to experiment with mixed media and move away from traditional media. "A major turning point in my relationship to written sources in my work came in 1979 when I met the artist RB Kitaj at one of his exhibitions in New York. There I saw an artwork titled If Not, Not, taken from TS Eliot’s The Wasteland. Kitaj said to me: 'Some texts have artworks in them.' Since then, the inclusion of literary or philosophical excerpts has remained a constant in my practice," she told Studio International in an interview.

It was in the 90s that her work began to drastically incorporate medium other than the canvas after the Babri Masjid demolition as it triggered a shift in her art. The renewed religious conflicts that brought back the memories of the Partition for her pushed her artistic endeavours past the boundaries of the surface and into the space. Her foray into the performing art and keen interest in literature brought new dimensions to her art. This even led her to create a new form of art, the video-play that would allow her theatre plays to travel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj0b9ULNSqU

Known as one of the pioneers of Multimedia Art, Malani found her work exhibited across the globe from New Zealand to Switzerland to Mauritius to USA. In 2013, she added another feather to her cap when she became the first Asian woman to receive the Arts & Culture Fukuoka Prize for her consistent focus on contemporary themes like war, oppression of women and environmental destruction.

Malani, who began her journey in the art scene in the 60s, has come a long way and has become a name to reckon with in the international art circle.

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The Hundred-Foot Journey to Resident: How Manish Dayal is winning hearts one role at a time

When Manish Dayal watched Jurassic Park as a kid, he knew that he wanted to be in the film business. The emotions, the spectacle, the sets, the story - everything about films intrigued him. But little did he know that this dream was soon going to be realized when he made his first appearance in front of the camera. Everything changed for this boy from South Carolina, and movies and television became his real world. With 90210, The Resident and The Hundred-Foot Journey to his credit, Dayal is inching towards success with each role. Meet the Global Indian who has been breaking the stereotypes with each passing film. Love for theatre Born as Manish Patel to Gujarati parents, Dayal grew up in South Carolina. With nothing much to do, Dayal would often find himself glued to television watching films. It was Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park that left a profound effect on a young Dayal, so much so, that he wanted to make it big in the entertainment industry. After completing his schooling from Heathwood Hall in Columbia, Dayal enrolled himself at George Washington University to pursue a degree in International Business. It was here that Dayal discovered theatre and instantly

athwood Hall in Columbia, Dayal enrolled himself at George Washington University to pursue a degree in International Business. It was here that Dayal discovered theatre and instantly fell in love with it. Dayal knew that it was his true calling, so he packed his bags and moved to New York to pursue his dream of making it big in the entertainment industry.

With no godfather in the industry, Dayal began his journey with commercials. McDonald's, Nintendo, Dominos's Pizza - every big brand had Dayal's face plastered on it. One such commercial caught the fancy of Scott Elliot who was then planning to give a Broadway twist to Ayub Khan-Din's Rafta Rafta, and Dayal found himself playing the lead in a production that opened to full house in New York in 2008.

The positive response to the Off Broadway production opened many doors for Dayal. If he made his Hollywood debut with a small role in the 2010 film The Sorcerer's Apprentice, he saw himself making special appearances on American television with Outsourced and Crime Scene Investigation.

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While Dayal was steadily climbing up the ladder of success with each role, not many know that direction was his first love. But a sudden opportunity to be in front of the camera made Dayal fall in love with acting. "I had no clue what I was doing. It was weird, but there was something so cool about it—it was kind of like free falling and not knowing what you’re doing, but at the same time, I understood it. After that experience, I was hooked," he told Interview Magazine.

The 2011 show 90210 that put a spotlight on Dayal for playing an effervescent Raj Kher. Suddenly Dayal had become the dream boyfriend of every American girl, all thanks to his show. "It was huge because that Raj was devoid of any sort of ethnic reference. It was a place for me to spotlight what it means to be a young American in America today," he told The Hindu. This new found popularity helped Dayal break some stereotypes about Asian representation on American TV with Switched at Birth, The Good Wife, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

While American TV had become Dayal's second home, he found his big break in Hollywood with Steven Spielberg's The Hundred-Foot Journey. When he auditioned for the film, he had no idea what the project was, apart from the fact that he had to play a young Indian boy in the film. But his audition tape left producers Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey so impressed that he immediately got a call from director Lasse Hallstorm informing that Spielberg wants to hire him.

"When I learned that Steven was involved in this movie, I wasn't nervous because I knew whatever it was, it had to be special. Steven Spielberg was my idol growing up. I knew that all of his movies have a very specific message and point of view, and the always are really epic," he added.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWo67uhzoQg

The Hundred-Foot Journey didn't just give him a chance to work with Spielberg but also an opportunity to share screen space with a legend like Helen Mirren. The success of this film helped Dayal bag a role in Gurinder Chadha's 2017 partition drama Viceroy's House that opened at Berlin International Film Festival. With two powerful films to his credit, Dayal smashed the glass ceiling when he got one of the main roles in American medical drama The Resident. Dayal is a part of the brigade that's representing South Asians on the big screen in a powerful way. It was during the prep for the show that Dayal realized how few South Asians are represented on TV, and he wants to take every opportunity to create the right space for more South Asian actors to follow.

"I think it's important that we create. It's important that we diversify the portfolio. Try everything and diversify as much as you can because creating as much as you can ultimately provide opportunities for all. Even as an actor, I am an Indian-American man in the US; roles are going to be few for me. We're not represented as fully as some other ethnic groups," he told American Bazaar Online.

Dayal, who fell in love with acting at a young age, has become a known face on American TV, thanks to 90210 and The Resident. The 38-year-old is helping bring inclusivity and diversity with each of his roles, something that many actors have failed to pull off.

Reading Time: 6 min

Indian artists are dominating the global music scene

(June 1, 2022) The international music scene is currently in a phase of discovery, with neo genres and interesting never-before-heard songs. Born of this experimentation is the keenness to embrace the sounds that come from across the globe. Indian artists, backed by their longstanding traditions and the willingness to innovate, are proof of how far the country's sonic landscape can go. Never before have as many independent Indian artists been seen on international platform… and it seems their tribe is increasing. Global Indian puts the spotlight on four talented artists who have roots in both places, India and abroad. Raveena Aurora, American singer A soft-spoken 27-year-old from Massachusetts, Raveena Aurora became the first Indian woman to perform at Coachella, 2022. She gained a following after her first debut EP, Shanti, was released independently in 2017. Her first album, Lucid, was released independently in 2019 and distributed through Empire Distribution. After signing with Warner Records, she released her second album, Asha's Awakening in February 2022 which rose to acclaim. [caption id="attachment_25144" align="aligncenter" width="680"] Raveena Aurora[/caption] The youngster, who was raised between Queens and Connecticut by Sikh parents, creates music that is comforting but nuanced, balancing cultures old and new. Her music is a mashup of

="wp-image-25144 size-full" style="font-weight: bold;" src="https://www.globalindian.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Raveena.jpg" alt="Indian Artists | Raveena Aurora | Global Indian" width="680" height="638" /> Raveena Aurora[/caption]

The youngster, who was raised between Queens and Connecticut by Sikh parents, creates music that is comforting but nuanced, balancing cultures old and new. Her music is a mashup of contemporary R&B with traditions from the South Asian diaspora. Growing up with Bollywood soundtracks, Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone side by side, Raveena began writing songs at 13 and experimenting with different genres. Inspired by soul queen Minnie Riperton and Indian jazz fusion star Asha Puthli, Raveena worked for years on her melismatic runs.

Speaking to NPR during an interview, the Indian artist said, "I love to see it being embraced by the mainstream audience and not just, you know, stuff that we share between us. It becomes validated in that way, because it's not just this thing that we're importing constantly from South Asia — it's a thing that we've taken and claimed, and now we're running with it."

Follow Raveena Aurora on Twitter and Instagram

Aditya Prakash, vocalist

An award-winning vocalist known for his powerful and emotive voice, Aditya Prakash is a young virtuoso of Carnatic music, and one of the youngest musicians to tour and perform with Ravi Shankar at the age of 16. The musician has collaborated with leading innovators and Indian artists, including Anoushka Shankar (he was featured on her Grammy-nominated Traveler); Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan (working together on a new album planned for release in 2021); Asian Underground artist Karsh Kale, and most recently the acclaimed dancer, choreographer Akram Khan (in his final solo work, XENOS, touring internationally from 2018-2021).

[caption id="attachment_25145" align="aligncenter" width="731"] Indian Artists | Aditya Prakash | Global Indian Aditya Prakash[/caption]

In 2010, the Indian artist founded the Aditya Prakash Ensemble, a group that frames Aditya’s highly ornamented, stylized and emotive Carnatic vocal style around jazz instrumentation. Indian classical music and jazz seem poles apart but on closer look they share very many similarities in their philosophy and approach. Both are centered around improvisation, dialogue and spontaneous “creative flow” to inspire the direction of the music. The Ensemble brings together musicians of different backgrounds to dialogue, crafting a profound result: a melding of seemingly disparate cultures coming together to create one unique language.

Follow Aditya Prakash on Twitter and Instagram

Arushi Jain, Indian-American music producer

A singer, pianist, and modular synthesist with an unorthodox vision of that centuries-old tradition, Arushi Jain aka Ose, produces music that’s rooted in the colours and virtuosity of the Indian culture she adores. After spending first 18 years of her life in India, the San Francisco-based music producer started her career as a software engineer at Reddit.

[caption id="attachment_25154" align="aligncenter" width="686"] Indian Artists | Arushi Jain | Global Indian Arushi Jain[/caption]

Indian composer Arushi Jain weaves her diasporic identity into this notion of timely ragas. Her debut album, Under the Lilac Sky, was composed for the sunset and it blends Ose's training as an Indian classical vocalist with modular synth work. In 2019, the musician released her own label, Ghunghru. The Indian artist, who started training at the age of eight, routed her programming brain towards electronic music, while she was studying in the US. It was there that she discovered the world of sound synthesis. "Modular synthesis can be intimidating for anyone without a background in physics or electronics, but for a programmer this under-the-hood approach makes sense. I was instantly in love with modular synthesis because it fits the way I think," she said during an interview.

Follow Arushi Jain on Twitter and Instagram

Rehan Dalal, music composer

Rehan Dalal is one of the lucky few who has been able to struck the elusive work-life balance. During the day, Dalal goes through the motions of a nine-to-fiver as a web developer in Toronto. At night, though, his soul musician alter ego comes alive and brings with it a remarkable transformation that includes a slick pompadour, thick rimmed glasses, a fitted red tuxedo with a waistcoat in place, and if the occasion demands, a bowtie.

[caption id="attachment_23555" align="aligncenter" width="677"] Indian Artists | Rehan Dalal | Global Indian Rehan Dalal[/caption]

Born in Mumbai, the young Rehan discovered a love for the sound of a keyboard. The Indian artist, who moved from Mumbai to Canada in 2005 to pursue a degree in computer science, eventually picked up a guitar and began writing songs. Though he probably missed a lot of classes Rehan was able to make some incredible songs, one of which - Walk With Me - was among the top 10 India radio hits (2013). The Toronto-based musician, who loves to be on stage, has done several national and international performances, including gigs at NH7 Weekender (Bengaluru, Delhi and Pune). He was also spotlighted as a featured artist at the 28th Toronto International Jazz Festival.

Follow Rehan Dalal on Twitter and Instagram

Reading Time: 7 mins

Nalini Malani: Experimental artist, feminist icon

(May 3, 2023) It was year 1966. Still a student at the JJ School of Art, Nalini Malani had her first solo exhibition at Mumbai's Pundole Art Gallery, sharing studio space with big names like VS Gaitonde, Tyeb Mehta and MF Husain. In the subsequent years, she immersed herself in the art that soon became her form of expression. At a time when Indian painters were still painting the traditional way, Nalini Malani was busy experimenting with mixed media. Her art isn't just visual but an orchestra for all the five senses. Her work in the last few decades has been a comment on feminism and gender, a subject close to her heart. And her latest exhibition at London's National Gallery is proof of it, where she is smashing the patriarchy through her work. "My endeavour has always been to make art that addresses not just those who visit art galleries but the larger public, and moving images have a wider appeal," she said. For someone who can be easily called the pioneer of Multimedia Art in India, her work has been giving voice to the women who have been silenced over generations, and this has earned her the Arts

earned her the Arts & Culture Fukuoka Prize, making her the first Asian woman to achieve the feat. The 77-year-old artist, who studied in the Paris, has carved a niche for herself in the art world.

[caption id="attachment_38042" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Nalini Malani | Artist | Global Indian Nalini Malani[/caption]

The beginning - Mumbai to Paris

Nalini's journey began a year before India attained independence, and her family sought refuge in Kolkata during the Partition before relocating to Mumbai in 1958. During her formative years, the conflict of displacement and refuge played a crucial role in her life, and soon she began expressing herself through art. Her idea of creative liberation took her to the JJ School of Art where she obtained a diploma in Fine Arts. During her art school days, she had a studio at the Bhulabhai Memorial Institute, which was a multidisciplinary centre inviting artists, musicians and theater actors to work individually and as a community. This experience gave the young Nalini the perfect exposure and became a stepping stone for her participation in the Vision Exchange Workshop (VIEW), an initiative by veteran artist Akbar Padamsee. With art being a male-dominated craft, she was the only female member at the workshop. It was here that she developed a penchant for photography and film, and explored the themes of the turbulent political and social scenario of India during those times.

Nalini Malani | Global Indian | Artist

The feminist artist

Upon her return, she settled in the bustling market of Lohar Chawl in Mumbai where her work reflected the lives of middle-class Indian families. She began working with paintings - acrylic on canvas and watercolour on paper, and produced art that portrayed contemporary India. Though Paris gave her the freedom to explore art, she was disappointed with the lack of acknowledgement that women artists had to face back home in the 70s. She resolved to bring them together for a group show after a meeting with visual artist Nancy Spero and American feminist artist May Stevens at the AIR Gallery in New York in 1979. Seeing the gallery's fierce determination to create a space for the work of female artists, Nalini returned to India with idea of extending the formula. After years of negotiation with public and private institutions, she curated the first exhibition of Indian female artists, titled Through The Looking Glass. It toured for three years, between 1986 and 1989, to non-commercial venues as Nalini was keen to take art beyond the elitist atmosphere of the art gallery.

Nalini has been an advocate for feminism and has made every attempt to make women visible outside the narratives of femininity through her work. She often gave voice to women who have been silenced by works of literature like Sita from Ramayana and Cassandra and Medea from Greek mythology. "Understanding the world from a feminist perspective is an essential device for a more hopeful future, if we want to achieve something like human progress, she said at Centre Pompiduo in 2018.

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Pioneer in Multimedia Art

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Known as one of the pioneers of Multimedia Art, she found her work exhibited across the globe from New Zealand to Switzerland to Mauritius to USA. In 2013, she added another feather to her cap when she became the first Asian woman to receive the Arts & Culture Fukuoka Prize for her consistent focus on contemporary themes like war, oppression of women and environmental destruction.

Malani, who began her journey in the art scene in the 60s, has come a long way and has become a name to reckon with in the international art circle.

Key takeaways:

- Embrace experimentation: A pioneer in multimedia art, Nalini moved away from traditional media at a time when it wasn't heard of. Experiment with different forms of art and media to create a unique style and reach a wider audience.

- Speak your truth: Malani used her art to express her beliefs and address pressing social, political, and cultural issues. Art can be used to voice opinions and make comments on important issues.

- Promote inclusivity and accessibility: As Malani did, curating non-commercial exhibitions and collaborations with public institutions can go a long way in bringing inclusivity and accessibility to the art world.

- Build a supportive community: Malani engaged with other artists, mentors, and peers to learn from their experiences, collaborate, and create a supportive network. A supportive community can bring invaluable resources and opportunities for growth.

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