Music Video pictures

In one of my previous blogs, I had posted pictures of the "making of my music video." The following pictures were taken during the shoot on the 2nd day. They were taken at a studio in NY, with Anil Diwakar's dancers, and Sulekh with his crew, in the background. Thanks to Melissa for her wonderful pix!!

 

Masala Cruises - Alaska, St. John, Bahamas 2

The following was the promo on the website of the Masala Cruise, for the cruises that I had gone on with Fame Gurukul winner, Rex D'Souza, and Bollywood singer, Shraddha Pandit. I'm in the picture between Sunil Thakkar and Sunil, the Arab :).

These are just some random pictures of me with Shraddha, Shreya, and the Masala dancers (Mauli, Ekta, Meenu, Kavita). Professionally it was great, especially since Rex, Shraddha, Ali and I had a blast on stage each night that we performed. We became rather good friends during the Alaska trip. That camaraderie between us and of course, Sunil Thakkar, & not to mention the Masala band, communicated itself to the audience as well. Personally, well, with the number of friends I'd made within the Masala Group during those 2 trips, the fun was just unlimited! 

Read more »

Runa Laila concert in Atlantic City

It has been quite a while since I last blogged on my site. So rather than going through each and every performance of mine in the past 3 years, I decided to pick out some of the most memorable, exciting, moments.

For most of my life, I had heard of Runa Laila, an amazing artist from Bangladesh, who had made the age-old song, Dumadum Mast Kalandar, outstandingly popular in the entire Indian subcontinent. So when I received the call that I was to perform on the same platform with her, no less, at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, I was quite thrilled. My performance was extremely well-received and was truly memorable.

Youtube.com

Please check out my uploaded videos on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igFQdwhrWcI&mode=user&search=

If you want to listen to the rest of the songs on the site, click on the tab "More from this user" on the right side of the site, and you'll be able to access all the videos I have uploaded.

Atif Aslam after our show in NJ

This is me with Atif Aslam (of the Woh lamhe, Aadat, and Doorie fame), right after our show in NJ. It was 4am (no sleep since the show ended at 2:30), and time to leave for the next city on the tour [which is why I look a bit haggard :)...]. I have to say one thing about him. This guy is a really good performer. He's got amazing stage presence....the only other time I saw that much energy and enthusiasm on stage was with Junoon. It was a pleasure performing on the same platform with him.

Along with us were the hugely popular Bhangra group, RDB, and Annie. On the right is the flyer for that concert.  

Ghazal shows

The first one picture was taken at the Ustad Hamid Ali Khan concert in NJ. The second one was taken when I performed in Detroit, MI, along with the ever popular Munni Begum and Asif Ali... and yes, that is me playing the harmonium!

Every time I went to India for a visit as a child, I would take music lessons and learn as much as I could in a short period of time. After that, it's my father who taught me perfection, be it singing or playing my harmonium, due to which I have been capable of performing with such accomplished artists, be it in ghazals or pop/bhangra/folk genres.

I love ghazals... love listening to them and performing them. As much as I love the excitement and thrill of singing pop, bhangra and folk, there's a different sentiment in singing ghazals... the complex, lyrical, and melodious tunes of this age old form of South Asian music brings about a certain serenity within me and I lose myself in it, even when I'm on stage.

Ghulam Ali show in Chicago, IL

This was the biggest honor I could ever get in my life... performing on the same platform as The Legendary Ghulam Ali. This particular show was in Chicago. I did 2 shows with him in NJ as well, thru Music Waves. I'll never forget those initial mixed feelings of joy, intense nervousness, pride, and gratefulness to even be a part of this legendary artist's show (I won't forget how I felt knowing that Ghulam Ali jee was listening to me sing, from backstage).

I was in tears the first time I saw that banner with my picture on it, alongside Ghulam Ali jee's. That was the moment I stored away to be treasured forever, along with Ghulam Ali jee's blessings for my prosperity.

Random Pictures of me!

Two of the pictures were taken aboard the Masala Cruise in Dec '06 & Jan 2007 (the two Indian outfits).

One thing people always ask me is, do you always smile and laugh like that in reality. The answer is yes!! I love to laugh, smile and make people happy around me (thru my goofiness). I always believe in one concept.. that One can never "find" happiness... happiness has to come from within you, no matter what the obstacles in your path!

Masala Cruise Jamaica

This was my second cruise with Masala, from Jan 1 - 7, 2007. If the first one was a lot of fun, this one was absolutely mindblowing!! It was a wedding cruise, of a couple from Tennessee. I have to say, it was a very unique experience. In one of the pictures, I'm singing and entertaining the audience. Another picture was taken at the wedding itself, aboard the cruise, with two of the Masala crew, Divo and Gaurav.

Making of my music video

This was the making of my music video in Jan 2007 in NY. One picture is of us girls rehearsing before the shoot. My amazing choreographer, Anil Diwaker, and talented director, Sulekh, are instructing me in a second picture. There's a picture of me, right before we started the shoot... we were out in the freezing cold for close to 12-13 hrs. But due to the fact that all of us were running on adrenaline, we ignored the cold and just had fun. There was great team spirit!

Masala Cruise Dec 2006

This was my very first cruise - as a passenger and as a performer... I was with our very own Masala Cruise!!! We were heading over to the Bahamas, from Dec. 22 - 25, '06. I had an amazing time performing with this crew. This picture was taken on our last nite of the cruise. It was dandiya nite on the open deck, with the sky and stars above us, and the wind blowing. It was just such an awesome experience. Here I was on stage (in the pink outfit), performing with a very popular dandiya couple, Khelaiya -Rupal and Piyush Shah. That was my very first attempt, after a long period of time, at trying my hand at singing garba.

Detroit, MI Sept 2006

This show was held in Detroit, MI for the Human Development Foundation of North America, in September 2006. I was on stage with an amazing singer, Javid Raza.

Dulhan Expo Dec 2006

That's me in the picture with Amir Jamal, the singer who became famous with his Kaho na kaho in the movie Murder. We were performing at the Dulhan Expo at the Garden State Plaza hall in NJ.

Post Diwali Hungama

One picture is of me, taken with RDB, Nindy (his beautiful and talented wife), Mitch Hyare, and Kinjal, after the show.

The next picture consists of my music associates. From left to right, Asif Jamal, Kinjal Modi (my inspiration, husband, and biggest supporter), Anil Diwaker (my talented choreographer), and Azim Ahmed (of Musik Waves, he who has given me a platform in the past 3 years).

Diwali Hungama 2006

I'm doing a show on Friday, October 27, 2006 in Neshaminy, PA (literally 10 mins from Trenton for NJ people). Along with me, the show features a very popular singer from this area, Javid Raza (he has performed with celebrity singers such as Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Goshal, Jaspinder Narula, to name a few). He has also performed in Europe, the Middle East, & South America. The legendary singer, the late Mohd. Rafi's voice and style of singing, is reflected in Javid Raza's voice. He is a complete artist who can sing amazing songs from the Rafi days to the latest Just Chill and Kajra re 's...

Another artist to be performing here is a world renowned bhangra artist from the UK... .and he is none other than RDB!! For those of you who are not aware of him, you've probably heard his songs being played at parties and on the radio. Having performed with him in the past, I can definitely say he is absolutely electrifying on stage along with his dhol player, Mitch Hyare. Mitch is a world renowned dhol player from the UK. We will be showcasing some of the best musicians in North America at this show as well.. Deepak Gundani, Hanif Meher, and Ashok Matthews.

We are performing in conjunction with the Anil Diwakar Dance Academy. Anil Diwakar is an incredible performer par excellence! He has trained under one of the best choreographers of India today, Ganesh Hegde. You can check out his website.. www.anildiwakar.com. He has over 200 students and is known to be an exemplary artist in the music & dance circles here in the US.

The VP of the Bollywood Entertainment Group, Asif Jamal, is going to be the official emcee of this show. He works alongside Kamal Dandona, the CEO, to bring the famous Bollywood awards (movie, music and fashion awards) to us every year.

This show is being held at the Neshaminy High School off of Route 1 South. If you need any information, check out my website, www.belamusic.net.

APNA Conference, Chicago, IL

Last year, in April '05, I was the Guest Artist at the India's Best Contest in NJ. This picture was taken at the time. Another guest artist, Amir Jamal, of the "Murder" fame, sang his famous song, Kaho na kaho, at this event.