The singer with her back to the audience
From jazz fusion to disco and Hip hop, Asha Puthli's genre-defying musical career
Asha Puthli鈥檚 vocals can be heard on influential jazz, fusion and disco tracks from the 1970s, and samples and remixes from some of the world biggest Hip hop artists.
Growing up in newly-independent India there was little in Asha Puthli鈥檚 traditional and conventional background to suggest she might become a singer. In Mumbai clubs she sang with her back to the audience to avoid being recognised and alerting her parents. She was featured in a book on contemporary Indian culture which brought her to the attention of a US music mogul. However the rest wasn鈥檛 quite history 鈥� while receiving critical acclaim, her career was also hindered by the cultural expectations of the time. With her flamboyant looks, and extraordinary voice Asha has always been a genre-defying musician 鈥� something that didn鈥檛 sit well with the recording industry鈥檚 stereotyped expectations of what an Indian singer might be.
Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer : June Christie and Julian Siddle
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
Last on
Broadcasts
- Thu 25 Apr 2024 11:06GMT大象传媒 World Service
- Thu 25 Apr 2024 17:06GMT大象传媒 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Thu 25 Apr 2024 21:06GMT大象传媒 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Fri 26 Apr 2024 02:06GMT大象传媒 World Service
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