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Falu (born Falguni Shah in
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, India) is an American singer whose music blends ancient classical Indian melodies with contemporary western sounds. In her burgeoning U.S.-based career, she has worked and collaborated with a wide array of artists including
A.R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
(''
Slumdog Millionaire ''Slumdog Millionaire'' is a 2008 British drama film that is a loose adaptation of the novel '' Q & A'' (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup. It narrates the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik from the Juhu slums of Mumbai. Starring Dev Patel ...
''),
Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (''Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...
(in The Silk Road Project),
Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...
,
Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
, her teacher
Ustad Sultan Khan Ustad Sultan Khan (15 April 1940 – 27 November 2011) was an Indian ''sarangi'' player and classical vocalist belonging to ''Sikar Gharana''. He was one of the founding members of the Indian fusion group Tabla Beat Science, with Zakir Huss ...
,
Blues Traveler Blues Traveler (formerly known as "The Establishment" or "The Black Cat Jam" or "The Establishment Blues Band") is an American rock band that formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. They are known for extensive use of segues in live performance ...
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and
Bernie Worrell George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll ...
(
Parliament Funkadelic In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
). In 2022, she won the Grammy Award for
Best Children's Album The Grammy Award for Best Children's Album (from 2020: Grammy Award for Best Children's Music Album) is an honor presented since 2012 at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honor ...
for her album ''A Colorful World''.


Biography

In her early years in Mumbai, Falu was trained in the ''Jaipur gharana'' musical tradition, honing her talent for up to 16 hours a day. She later continued studying under the sarangi/vocal master
Ustad Sultan Khan Ustad Sultan Khan (15 April 1940 – 27 November 2011) was an Indian ''sarangi'' player and classical vocalist belonging to ''Sikar Gharana''. He was one of the founding members of the Indian fusion group Tabla Beat Science, with Zakir Huss ...
. Falu moved to the States in 2000, and joined the Boston-based Indo-American band Karyshma as a lead vocalist. In 2001, she met up with Asian Massive leader Karsh Kale, and hit the nationwide university, club and festival circuits. After fulfilling a 2-year Indian music visiting lectureship at Tufts University in Boston, Falu moved to New York where she formed her own band of the same name. They began performing at music venues throughout New York, quickly garnering the attention of fans across the city.


Career

In 2004, Falu was invited to perform as a soloist with
Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (''Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...
's ''Silk Road Project''. In 2005 she was asked to serve as one of
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
's Musical Ambassadors to New York City. In May 2006, she delivered her debut solo performance at Carnegie Hall (Zankel). Later in the year she joined the ''Born Into Brothels Ensemble'' (from the 2004 Academy-Award winning film) and in early 2007 she collaborated with
Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
, lending her vocal style to the score of Angelina Jolie's directorial debut ''A Place in Time''. In January 2008, Falu and her band were featured on FOX channel's
Fearless Music ''Fearless Music'' was a televised musical showcase broadcast between 2004 and 2010 which featured live performances from up-and-coming acts, primarily from the alternative rock and indie rock circuits. It was filmed at the Crash Mansion rock clu ...
, where her original song ''Rabba'' became the first Hindi song ever to be aired on the network. In August 2007, Falu released her self-titled debut CD. Soon afterward, her "Indie Hindi" musical style made its mark in ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' as representative of a new class of musical hybrids. In May 2009, Falu made a special appearance at the ''Time'' 100 Gala—''Time'' magazine's yearly gala celebrating their list of the 100 most influential people in the world—performing a rendition of "Jai Ho" alongside ''
Slumdog Millionaire ''Slumdog Millionaire'' is a 2008 British drama film that is a loose adaptation of the novel '' Q & A'' (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup. It narrates the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik from the Juhu slums of Mumbai. Starring Dev Patel ...
'' film composer
AR Rahman Ar-Rahman ( ar, الرحمان, ; The Merciful) is the 55th Chapter (''Surah'') of the Qur'an, with 78 verses ('' āyāt''). The title of the surah, Ar-Rahman, appears in verse 1 and means "The Most Beneficent". The divine appellation "ar-R ...
, for an exclusive and star-studded crowd which included First Lady
Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...
,
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, M.I.A. and more. In November 2009, Falu was invited to the White House to again sing alongside A.R. Rahman at President Obama's first State Dinner in honor of the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 2011 was a year of film music for Falu, from writing music for the documentary "The Human Tower" (along with composers Andres Subercaseaux an
Rene Veron
to writing for the film "First Sight" (with Sivamani and Mark Tewarson). In the same year, Falu also contributed to Global Noize's sophomore album Prayer For the Planet. She also continued to work closely with Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, pushing the boundaries of global music collaboration including with kids from New York's Crossroads Juvenile Center and with inmates from Sing Sing Correctional Facility in upstate NY where she, her band and 16 musically talented inmates performed for more than 400 other inmates in early 2012. In 2013 Falu released her second album entitle
"Foras Road"
a collection of original and traditional songs inspired by the semi-classical music performed and guarded for centuries by courtesans dwelling on the road of the same name in Bombay. The album was produced by Grammy-winning producer
Danny Blume Danny Blume is an American music producer, musician, and composer. He is a Grammy Award winner and multiple Grammy nominee. He operates a studio and lives in Woodstock, New York. Before becoming a music producer, he played as a guitarist and bass ...
and wa
featured on NPR's ''SoundCheck''
in May 2013. "Foras Road" was then re-released in November 2018. Falu's band of the same name includes musicians who draw from Indian classical, alternative rock, contemporary pop, and electronic styles to create a mix of East and West—one reason why ''The New York Times'' featured Falu in a story titled "Bridging Cultural Gaps with Music." The band members are Gaurav Shah (vocals / harmonium), Mark Tewarson (guitars),
Danny Blume Danny Blume is an American music producer, musician, and composer. He is a Grammy Award winner and multiple Grammy nominee. He operates a studio and lives in Woodstock, New York. Before becoming a music producer, he played as a guitarist and bass ...
(bass), Deep Singh (tabla/percussions), Dave Sharma (percussions) and Soumya Chatterjee (violin). In 2015, Falu was named one of the 20 most influential global Indian women by the Economic Times of India. In 2018, she won the Women Icons of India award in Mumbai, India. Falu was an integral part of Givenchy's September 11 fashion show (Ricardo Tisci collection under the art direction of Marina Abramović) in NYC, where she performed for a star-studded audience. Falu continues to pursue her commitment to introducing children to the wonders of the world through her Grammy nominated debut kids project, "Falu's Bazaar", which takes families on a musical journey through South Asia, as well as through her artist-in-residence position at Carnegie Hall. In 2018, she came out with a twelve-song album in Hindi, English, and Gujarati called ''Falu's Bazaar''. It features her husband, singer-songwriter Gaurav Shah, and her mother, classical singer Kishori Dalal. Dalal has also sung a piece called Nishaad's Lullaby, a song in Gujarati without any percussion. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Children's Music category in 2019. Falu released a her second children's album, A Colorful World, produced by GRAMMY Award Winning producers Kenya Autie, Mario Sanmarti, and Tina Kids. A Colorful World, mixed and mastered by GRAMMY Award Winning Engineer, won a GRAMMY in the 64th GRAMMY Awards for Best Children's Music Album in 2021 In 2020, Falu teamed up with bassist Yasushi Nakamura, drummer Clarence Penn and guitarist, and vocalist Clay Ross to form the American Patchwork Quartet. Leveraging immigrant histories and backgrounds, the Quartet interprets timeless songs in a modern 21st century perspective. The group continues to tour performing arts centers around the world.


Discography (including vocal contributions)

* A Colorful World by Falu (El Cerrito Records, 2021) * Falu's Bazaar by Falu (Monsoon Records, 2018)
''Foras Road''
by Falu (Monsoon Records, 2013 and re-released in 2018) * ''A Prayer for the Planet'' by Global Noize (2011) * ''Global Noize'' (Shanachie, 2008) with Jason Miles, DJ Logic and others * ''Falu'' (self-titled debut, Monsoon Records, 2007) * ''Asana OHM Shanti'' (Meta, 2006) by Bill Laswell * ''Rare Elements'' (Five Points Records, 2004) with Ustad Sultan Khan, Thievery Corporation, Joe Clausell, Ralphi Rosari * ''Nearly Home'' by Karyshma (2003) * ''Melodies of Circumstance'' (Dharma Moon, 2003) * ''Liberation'' by
Karsh Kale Karsh Kale (pronounced ''Kursh Kah-lay'', ''कर्ष काळे'' in Marathi; born 1 November 1974) is an Indian-American musician born in England. Known primarily for his experimental tabla playing within electronic music contexts, Kale' ...
(Six Degrees, 2003) * ''Om Yoga Mix'' (Dharma Moon, 2003) * ''At Ease'' (Dharma Moon, 2003) * ''Realize'' by
Karsh Kale Karsh Kale (pronounced ''Kursh Kah-lay'', ''कर्ष काळे'' in Marathi; born 1 November 1974) is an Indian-American musician born in England. Known primarily for his experimental tabla playing within electronic music contexts, Kale' ...
(Six Degrees, 2001)


References


External links


"Falu's website"

Podcast featuring Falu originally broadcast on WKCR 89.9 FM-NY
{{Authority control Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American women singer-songwriters Indian emigrants to the United States American musicians of Indian descent American women musicians of Indian descent Musicians from Mumbai 21st-century American women Grammy Award winners