Blending raga and rock

Falguni Shah and her band are quickly gaining recognition in New York for blending raga and rock.

Where can one listen to Indian classical music on a late Friday night? Probably, in a downtown New York City bar, if the emerging Indian musical prodigy is in town to perform. A newly acknowledged genius in east coast United States is subtly gaining popularity and latently invading territories of fame for her unique ability to effortlessly blend exotic adult contemporary American rock style with aesthetic classical Indian music.

HT Image

"Onstage she's beatific: she looks like something Disney would animate into a full-length film. She loves her audience until you love her too; she's the happiest performer…ever seen live" says New York Press. Further, Trace Magazine says, she "is poised to move mountains. [She] may just be India's answer to the next serious diva on the make."

The female voice of the Asian massive "has the rare ability to stop audiences silent in their tracks" raves Global Rhythm Magazine and Hollywood star Jamie Lee Curtis calls her a musical "marvel."

Falguni Shah her band Falu music are quickly gaining recognition in downtown New York for blending raga and rock.

Falguni Shah, popularly known as Falu and her band

, which performed for a sellout crowd in downtown New York over the weekend, are quickly gaining recognition, with a remarkable blend of raga and rock. However, "I will not use the term fusion, it is a new genre that I am trying to explore" says Falu, whose performances include a benefit concert at the Lincoln Center, featuring Dalai Lama and Richard Gere..

Born in Mumbai into a family of classically-trained vocalists, Falu acknowledges, she is treading untested waters. "I don’t want to hurt either kind of music, but want to make a bridge between two distinct styles. The real challenge is to push towards innovation while staying true to 5,000 year old traditional roots," she says.

Falu started learning classical music at an age of three. With 16 years of formidable training in Indian classical music under maestros like Kaumudi Munshi, Uday Mazumdar, and the legendary sarangi/vocal master Ustad Sultan Khan, along with a masters’ degree in Indian classical music, she moved to Boston five years ago to teach Indian classical music to undergraduates at Tufts University.

However, with a passion "to do something different," today she is brining Indian classical roots to American contemporary music on several nationwide platforms.

Being a woman of South Asian origin, offering a distinct style of music, it is apparent that, for her, success is always an extra mile away. However, "I believe in Bagavad Gita a lot, I do my karma, I am willing to try,. I am open to all struggles" says Falu, who has been appointed by prestigious Carnegie Hall, as its ambassador to New York City.

Falu has given her vocals for two recently made Indian American movies Indian Cowboys and Bandhak, and says, "I believe woman is a form of Shakti, a combination of love, peace and power. If she desires she can be a Mom or Madonna, an emotional powerhouse or a trendsetter." Falu is also traveling to India next month to promote her music, and also for possible Bollywood offers. With several promising prospects on the horizon, Falu is a name that you will hear again.

In her own words, she is "born to do it." With innate ability to captivate her audience, and adept dexterity to naturalize innovative music, Falu is accommodating Indian classical music to the broad American mainstream.

While critiques may argue that her effort is a blatant contamination of traditional sanity, it appears as if, Indian raga will continue to be heard in the clubs of downtown America, with a silver lining of contemporary rock.