GaramChai.com has an extensive listing of Art and Cultural academies promoting Indian art in North America. These academies also nurture budding talent.
Subhi, an Indian-American singer, songwriter, composer based in Chicago has released her debut album ‘Shaitaan Dil’ on September 15th.
The album release show was hosted by Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago and The Jazz Institute of Chicago. My show was a part of the Jazz Club Tour 2017 and World Music Wednesdays series.
Subhi’s story
On a hot summer afternoon in 2016, Subhi was riding back in a rickshaw from a meeting with a Bollywood film producer in Mumbai, stuck in traffic. Outside, kids played on the street and she was overwhelmed with the feelings, the memories of her own childhood in Delhi. She started singing a melody and the lyrics just flowed with it. That’s how the song “Bachpan” (“Childhood”) happened, right there in the rickshaw.
Later that year in Chicago, she collaborated with pianist and arranger Joaquin Garcia and made a music video of the song. It resonated, especially with South Asians who savored the fun list of favorite games Subhi trips through. The response led Subhi to record an entire Pop album of original Hindi songs with influences of Jazz, one of the first.
That lesson lies at the center of Subhi’s debut album Shaitaan Dil (Naughty Heart), that the heart runs and leaps where it will. Inspired by Chicago jazz, by Hindi and Urdu poetry, Subhi’s playful, melodious songs chronicle the delights and downsides of romance, but with a twist. Her tales reflect the torments of separation and transcontinental migration, experiences both deeply Indian and deeply American.
About Subhi
In Chicago, she has performed at several other venues including Miller Lite Beer Garden Stage at Navy Pier, SoFar Sounds Chicago, Martyr’s, Sabor A Cafe, The Whistler (Star Align Series) & Elastic Arts (Anagram Series) to name a few.
In November 2017, she was featured as a speaker and performer for TEDx Annual conference in Naperville, Chicago.
Link to Subhi’s website || Subhi’s Youtube channel || Facebook
blog.garamchai.com 