If I asked you to think about female Asian singers, whom would you think of first? Lata Mangeshkar and her sister Asha Bhosle - the finest of Bollywood playback singers? Perhaps it might be new playback singers like Alka Yagnik? Or perhaps you might recall ghazal singer Chitra - one half of the Jagjit and Chitra Singh duo? You might remember Sufi singer Abida Parveen, pop singers like the late Nazia Hussain or Falguni Pathak. You might even remember other singers. But the fact is that the "noughties" decade is now seeing more Asian Divas emerging in the UK and USA than ever before and most are NOT coming from the Bollywood music scene.

Click here to check out all the Asian Divas CDs we have in stock.

SHAMA

With a voice suitable for over 1000 playback songs, Shama's story is an unusual case of a classically trained singer who is only now collaborating with Bollywood musicians.

Of Indian origin and born in Libya (hence the Arabic name), Shama's childhood was spent in Kenya. She first challenged traditions by starting a band at the age of 10 and performing live on VOK (Voice Of Kenya Television). Her move to London in 1984 led her into freelance singing with various bands, during which time she picked up several tips before forming her own band at the top-end of the circuit and becoming a success.

Shama's coveted band recently supported Bollywood playback singers Abhijeet, Jaspinder Narula and Babul Supriyo for their UK concerts and the band is now set for future collaborations with more Bollywood artists. Over the years, Shama has provided backing vocals for several big names including Roddy Frame ('Biba Nova') and Geri Halliwell ('Let Me Love You' - Schizophonic). Shama has trained in light and semi-classical singing with Swati Natekar who hails from a well-respected and reputed classical family.

Her album 'Spellbound', produced by Dhiren Raichura, weaves her dulcet tones with a striking blend of expressive lyrics and beautifully crafted melodies.

Click here to buy Shama's album 'Simply Spellbound'.

GUNJAN

Another UK Asian babe who can sing like the best of Bollywood playback singers is Gunjan. Her single 'Aap ki Nazron Ne Samjha' blends together the suave production of Bally Sagoo and Gunjan's velvet vocals to enchant and enthral you to romanticised heights.

Following the success of featuring on tracks such as 'Noorie' and 'Anything But Silent', Gunjan released her debut album, entitled simply 'Gunjan'. Dubbed alternately as "one artist who is going to maintain longevity in the music industry" and 'the next pop sensation', Gunjan has now decided to go it alone.

Click here to buy her single 'Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samhja'.
Click here to buy Gunjan's debut album 'Gunjan'.

NAJMA AKHTAR

Najma Akhtar launched her musical career as a vocalist after winning the 1984 Asian Song contest with the song 'Jane Kis Tara Say' in Birmingham. Born and raised in England, Najma was educated in Chelmsford, Essex, and Aston University in Birmingham, where she studied Chemical Engineering. Akhtar made her debut as a vocalist with a form of lyrical poetry known as a ghazal.

Najma's debut album 'Qareeb', released in 1987, created a storm with its groundbreaking fusion of sounds of the Indian sub-continent and western pop and she swiftly became an essential figure on the European World music scene. She went on to release a further four albums of her own work and to collaborate with some of the world's most influential and credible musicians.

In 1996, Akhtar produced a "concept" album with American musician Chris Rael, Forbidden Kiss: the Music of S.D. Burman. This was a tribute to the Indian composer S.D. Burman, who popularised Hindi film songs. Akhtar's fifth album, Pukar (Calling you) was produced in 1998. In 2002 she released Vivid, a musical collaboration with film composer Richard Grassby-Lewis.

She is also much in demand as a composer, actress and TV presenter. Just last year she wrote, composed and recorded 13 songs for a new full-length film production entitled 'Bollywood Queen'. Najma is also part of the musical collaborative team working on the proposed West End musical 'The Far Pavilions' for which she has been offered a leading role. Akhtar was also the first Asian woman to perform at Ronnie Scott's and the Jazz Café, both premier jazz venues in London.

Click here to buy Najma Akhtar's 'Pukar'.
Click here to buy Najma AKhtar's 'Vivid'.

MIRA VEDA

Born in India but raised in Canada, Mira moved to San Francisco 3 years ago. Of a Punjabi background, religious singing was always encouraged and this led Mira to develop her natural talent in R&B and Soul with firm support from some unlikely sources. In her quest to find a truly original sound, Mira collaborated with Chin Injeti, an award-winning producer and singer-songwriter who has brought an infectious fusion of sounds to complement Mira's smooth vocals in her debut album 'Infinite Love'.

She says: "Infinite Love is about longing, pain, shame, everything that you and I experience. The experience is about bringing your heart closer to mine and making us one. No colour lines, no race, no religion, just the music".

Click here to buy Mira Veda's debut album 'Infinite Love'.

NORAH JONES

Of course, the one to put all the Asian Divas well and truly on the map is Norah Jones. Daughter of Ravi Shankar, she created a sensation when her album 'Come Away with Me' won eight awards at the (45th) Annual Grammy Awards 2003. The album won in the following categories: 'Record of the Year', 'Album of the Year', 'Song of the Year' for "Don't know Why", 'Best Female pop Vocal Performance', 'Best Pop Vocal Album', plus three more for its producers and writers. Not bad for what is essentially a jazz and blues album!

She followed this up with an equally sexy 'Feels like Home' released early in 2004.

Click here to buy Noraj Jones' 'Come Away With Me'.
Click here to buy Noraj Jones' 'Feels Like Home'

It heartening to see that Asian female singers have come such a long way, from Bollywood (Hindi) music, to jazz and blues, the world is truly their oyster!

Click here to check out all the Asian Divas CDs we have in stock.