Falguni Shah is an Indian-American singer and songwriter. She is an artist based in New York and has collaborated with many well-known artists such as AR Rahman, Yo-Yo Ma, Philip Glass, Wyclif Jean, Ricky Martin, etc. In 2022, Falguni Shah won a Grammy Award for his album World of Color, which was released on September 24, 2021. The award was presented to her in the “Best Children’s Album Category”. She is world-famous for her perfect fusion of ancient Indian classical music with Western music.
Wiki/Biography
Falguni Shah was born on 31 July 1981 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India (age 41 in 2022). Faro was born into a musical family. Her mother, grandmother and brother were all musicians. Faroo was only 3 years old when she started learning to sing. Falguni began her musical training, practicing 16 hours a day; while learning the Jaipur Gharana musical tradition and Banaras style Thumri. Later, she also studied with legendary singer/sarangi maestro Ustad Sultan Khan.
Faro and sitar (a musical instrument)
Falguni Shah also practiced singing with renowned Jaipur Gharana classical musician Kishori Amonkar. In an interview, Falu described Kishori Amonkar as:
She is thorough and meticulous in her teaching and takes each student very seriously to ensure they reach their highest potential. She can talk about neuroscience and music seamlessly from the same seat. ”
She received further training in Gujarati folk music and ghazal music under the tutelage of Kaumudi Munshi and Uday Mazumdar. Falguni Shah holds a Master’s degree in Indian Classical Music. She moved to the United States in 2000 and settled there.
appearance
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family and caste
Falguni Shah comes from a Gujarati family.
Parents and siblings
Her mother’s name is Kishori Dalal; he is also a trained Gujarati classical singer who worked at All India Radio.
Faru and her mother Kishori Dalal
Faro as a child with her father
She also had a brother named Darshan with whom she used to practice playing the tabla.
Faru and her brother Darshan Dalal
husband and children
Her husband’s name is Gaurav Shah and he is not only a songwriter and singer but also a singer. He holds a medical degree from Columbia University. He is an expert on brain cancer.
Faru and her husband Gaurav Shah at the graduation ceremony
She also has a 9-year-old son named Nishaad.
Faru and her son Nishad
Profession
After completing her training in different genres of Hindustani classical music, Falguni Shah moved to the United States in 2000 after marrying her husband. During her first few years of endeavor, Faroo was rejected multiple times on the grounds that there was little audience for the type of music she was writing. She said in an interview,
It’s very tough. It’s hard enough being an immigrant, let alone being a female minority musician. I was constantly told no – “You don’t have an audience, we can’t work with you.” I was frustrated many times, but I didn’t believe in giving up. ”
Start a new life in America
After moving to the United States, Falguni joined the Boston-based Indo-American band Karyshma as the lead singer. Some time later, Faru was appointed as a visiting lecturer in Indian classical music at Tufts University for two years. Later, she returned to New York and formed a band of the same name.
subsequent career
It has been four years since Falguni Shah came to the United States. In 2004, Falguni was invited to be the soloist in Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Roads project. The Silk Road Project is an organization that brings together classical singers of various origins; under one format. A year later in 2005, Falguni Shah also had the honor of serving as one of the Indian Music Ambassadors at Carnegie Hall. In the latter months of 2006, Faroo and her husband Gaurav Shah were given the opportunity to play the lead vocals in Born in a Brothel Ensemble, a documentary set in Kolkata’s red-light district. In 2007, Falguni Shah and Wyclef Jean co-dubbed the voices of the film “Back in Time”. In 2008, FOX featured Falguni and her band Karyshma on its music show Fearless Music. Falu’s song Rabba became the first original Hindi song to be aired on the channel. In 2007, Falu released her first self-titled music CD. This led to the acceptance of a new genre in the field of hybrid music called “Indie Hindi”. In 2008, Falguni Shah performed for the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” with famous Indian music singer and composer AR Rahman. The song “Jai Ho” gained huge traction across the world. In 2012, Faro composed and composed the music for the documentary “Human Tower.” In the same year, she composed the music for the film “First Met”. Falguni Shah also participated in the creation of the album “Prayer For The World” produced by Global Noize. While working with the Weill Conservatory of Music at Carnegie Hall, Falu and her band performed for 400 juvenile inmates at New York’s Crossroads Youth Center and Sing Sing Correctional Facility. When performing for prisoners, Faro’s band also invited 16 other prisoners with musical talents to perform. Falu’s second album “Foras Road” was released in 2013. The album was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Danny Bloom. In 2018, Falguni Shah released the album “Falu’s Bazar”. The song features her husband, who is also a singer and composer, and her mother Kishori Dalal. The song was nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award in the Best Children’s Music category.
Faro’s Bazaar album cover
In 2020, Falguni Shah formed a new band, American Patchwork Quartet. The band specializes in creating old songs from different origins and generations, combined with modern songs from a modern musical perspective.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- In 2022, Falguni Shah won her first Grammy Award in the category “Best Children’s Album Category” for her album A Colorful World.
Faroo and her recent Grammy Awards
- In 2018, she won the Indian Female Icon Award in Mumbai.
- In 2015, Faru was named one of the 20 most influential Indian women in the world.
Facts/Trivia
- Falguni Shah made Falu’s Bazar after being inspired by her son Nishaad; because he would ask her a lot of questions. Faroo said,
When my younger son started preschool, he would come home asking questions like: “Mom, why is our food yellow?” “Why do we speak different languages at home and at school?” “Why do we have to Head Counting in Different Languages?” I thought the best way to answer all his questions was through music, so I started writing songs for him. that was born Faro’s market.”
- While completing his studies in North Indian classical vocal music, Faru participated in and won 3 national-level singing competitions.
- In 2003, Faro performed at Lincoln Center in memory of the Dalai Lama.
- Falu’s band is world-renowned for its fusion of all the major genres in history. Her band offers Indian classical, alternative rock, contemporary pop and electronic styles.
- In 2009, Falguni Shah was invited by then US President Barack Obama to visit the White House. There she performed with AR Rahman to mark the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Faroo at the White House in 2009, with AR Rahman, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama
- Faru grew up in Mumbai and was often bullied by his classmates as a child. She said in an interview,
Music at that time was also an escape for me because I was kind of dark and the kids used to be mean. They would call me kaali bhains (black buffalo), so to escape, I would do chila kaatna (a training ritual in which students practice in complete isolation for long periods of time for several days). ”
- Falguni Shah’s mother Kishori Dalal is also a trained classical singer. In Falu’s album “Falu’s Bazar”, she even sang a song called “Nishaad’s Lullaby”, which she sang to Nishaad when she was a child. Listen. Falguni said,
This song has been passed down through five generations and I hope Nishad can pass it on to his children too. “
- Falguni Shah’s roots can be traced back to Surat, the main city of Gujarat.
- Falguni Shah made the album A Colorful World while suffering from depression; her father had passed away.
“Colorful World” album cover
- In an interview after winning the Grammy Award, Faroo said,
The colorful world is dedicated to my dad. It is because of his blessing that I was able to receive such a big award. This album is close to my heart because in it I express the time I spent with my father. “
- Falguni Shah’s father-in-law Dilipbhai Rasiklal Shah is also a famous classical singer.
- In 2013, her album “Foras Road” was nominated for the Grammy Awards, but failed to enter the main nominations.
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter to congratulate Falguni Shah for winning the 64th Grammy Awards.
PM Modi tweets congratulations to Faroo
- Falguni Shah also performed at the Time-100 Gala in the presence of US First Lady Michelle Obama and many other influential celebrities. She has also appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Billboard Magazine.
- When Falguni Shah was just 6 years old, she met with an accident. As she lay in the hospital bed, writhing in pain, her mother asked her to sing; it would make the pain go away. Faro recalled in an interview,
My thoughts turned from the pain to the music and I felt better. I said, Mom, this is the only thing I want to do. “
- In 2001, Falu and her band Karyshma even performed for US First Lady Hillary Clinton.
Faro and US First Lady Hillary Clinton
- Falguni Shah’s recently created band, American Patchwork Quartet, has been awarded a $40,000 Southern Arts Creative Residency Grant.
- As a child, Falu loved listening to The Beatles and RD Burman on the radio while growing up.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education