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	KIRAN AHLUWALIA (India) Expressing her muse through ghazals and Punjabi folk songs, Kiran Ahluwalia explores the language of the heart with beautiful artistry and deep intensity. Born in India, raised in Canada, and now living in New York City, her enchanting and seductive music has garnered glowing praise from critics around the world. Hers is "a voice destined to enchant more than one generation" and she possesses "a deep spirituality and tranquility that borders on the mystic". But most of all, Kiran Ahluwalia is a unique, inspiring performer and composer, who's legion of fans continues to grow with every captivating performance and each new recording project. Kiran has long been on a path of mastery to sing and compose ghazals – the sensual and highly literary poetry about unrequited love and passion for all things. "When I was growing up in India, very few people had recordings of any kind," she recalls. "There were state sponsored concerts that people from all over would crowd into. These concerts were not primarily for children, as they featured a repertoire, language and content, that was both demanding and beyond the experience of a child. I was, however, entranced by the sound and feel of the music, even from an early age." Seeing the strong connection Kiran had to this music, her father purchased a reel-to-reel tape machine on a visit to Hong Kong. "My father would play tapes of Indian music for me on the reel-to-reel and we would also listen to Bollywood on the radio”, she says. “So when a song came on that I wanted to learn, my mother would quickly write down the lyrics for me". Kiran immersed herself in Indian classical music and ghazals from the time she was seven years old, but she also spent a decade of intense deep study in India with her guru Vithal Rao, starting in the early 1990s. At the same time, she traveled throughout the Punjab region, immersing herself in the style and approach of the folk songs there. Finally in 2001 she recorded her first commercial CD, Kashish-Attraction. This was followed by Beyond Boundaries in 2003 and then, a self-titled compilation that was released worldwide on the Triloka label in 2005. Her latest CD, Wanderlust (Time Square/World Connection) was released in North America in the summer of 2007 and in Europe in May of 2008. It will also be released in India later this year on the prestigious Saragama label. All of her albums have been nominated for JUNO Awards - the highest musical honour in Canada - and Beyond Boundaries also took home the prestigious prize in the year after it was released. Kiran has made a career of transcending the boundaries often imposed on artists from outside the mainstream. On album, her compositions and arrangements have contributed to the evolution of the ghazal genre, through the subtly use of a multitude of sounds and styles from other cultures - including: Portuguese fado guitarra, sub Saharan percussion, Celtic fiddle, Pakistani qawwali vocals, the rhubab of Afghanistan and more. In performance she has also been a fierce collaborator. Within the last year alone, Kiran has performed her compositions with chamber orchestras, jazz guitar and saxophonists, an Inuit throat singer, and over the driving beat of a 6 piece dub electronica group. Kiran Ahluwalia’s music is a reflection of her on-going quest to bring the ghazal style into a modern and global context - while maintaining the connections to it's storied and poetic past. Though she may sing about unfulfilled desires, her music reveals a compelling harmony that unites diverse inspirations, into a truly sublime and satisfying whole... REVIEWS In 2005, the Village Voice called Kiran “a rising international star” and since then, the chorus of critical acclaim has only continued to grow. “... A voice destined to enchant more than one generation ...” Folk Routes “ ... Ahluwalia's voice is caressing and seductive and the arrangements are magnificent ... ” Songlines ” ... Her crystal clear voice arched airily above rhythms that coursed through audience an evening of fascinating, newly revealed music ... ” LA Times [ go Back ] [ go Home ] [ go Top] [ login media ]