Shefali?s verve & versatility

One has to strike a balance between melody of the East and beats of the West, says Shefali Saxena.

Here is a woman who is a Kathak danseuse, a classical vocalist, a pop crooner and a stage anchor, all rolled into one. Which is why she comes in handy for event managers whenever there is a mixed audience. Meet Shefali Saxena, who gave a live performance at HT Next Adventure Unlimited yesterday. “There was a show when the emcee failed to turn up. I was happy to fill the gap,” she says, citing this as her USP.

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No, she does not sing original numbers. “I sing the current chartbusters from Hindi films, Indipop or Bhangra pop, but I give a totally different feel to the background music,” she says. This means, with the help of an audio production expert, she gives an Oriental feel to a Britney Spears number, Classical taals to hardcore pop or even techno beats to a popular Hindi film song.

This is an age of extreme, Saxena believes. You are either a hard core pop singer or a classical crooner. “It is important to strike a balance between melody of the East and beats of the West,” says the crooner.

Fair enough, but will she never cut her own album? “Yes, I will. But it takes time. It has been just about a few years that I ventured out professionally,” she says.
In all her performances, she is assisted by the city-based dance troupe Scorpions. “They are really very good. I pick up the steps from them before my shows,” she says. She seems to have done it right, for at her HT Next performance everyone in the audience were seen trying to keep up with her.