Shubha Mudgal (b. 1959)
Profile
Profile
One of the most versatile and popular concert artists among the younger generation of Hindustani musicians, Shubha Mudgal is among the most imaginative and adventurous female vocalists of India.
Born in Allahabad in 1959 to a family with a rich musical tradition, Shubha Mudgal was taught by the finest musicians and musicologists in India. Trained initially as a khayal singer, she soon realized her powerful voice could encompass a wide range. She moved to Delhi and sought the guidance of maestros who encouraged her to evolve beyond her traditional training and experiment as an artist.
Her spirited experimentation brings her into conflict with more orthodox practitioners. Her first album, a collection of Sufi songs, was an immediate hit with the public but generated criticism from traditionalists. Her album Ali More Angana set young people all over the country dancing to an originally devotional song, which became a favorite at discotheques.
In addition to being a popular concert artist, Mudgal has won recognition as a composer. Her repertoire of medieval devotional poetry has received acclaim in India and abroad. She wrote music and played a cameo role in Kama Sutra, the new film by director Mira Nair.
She believes in absorbing and learning from other cultures and forms of art, in order to evolve an art that is richer and more universal. "Other genres and influences are also incorporated and adapted in my work," she says, "to create a tapestry that uses and warp and weft of the classical and the contemporary."
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