Sharon Prabhakar (born 4 August 1955) is an Indian
pop singer, theatre personality and public speaker.
Personal life
Prabhakar was born to a
Punjabi father who was a public servant, and a Christian mother who was a music teacher. Along with her brother and sister, she had a mixed upbringing, growing up speaking both Punjabi and English.
When she was in her twenties, she married Bryan Mascarenhas, though they later divorced.
In 1986 Prabhakar married
Alyque Padamsee
Alyque Padamsee (5 March 1928 – 17 November 2018) was an Indian theatre personality and ad film maker. He played Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the 1982 British period film ''Gandhi''.
Besides being involved in Indian theatre as an actor and producer ...
, with whom she has a daughter,
Shazahn Padamsee
Shazahn Padamsee is an Indian actress and model who primarily worked in Hindi films. Daughter of noted actors Alyque Padamsee and Sharon Prabhakar, she made her first film appearance in the 2009 Hindi film '' Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year' ...
. The couple have since separated.
Background
In the past, Prabhakar has been referred to by ''
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...
'' as one of Bombay's most talented folk singers with a style reminiscent of
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
. By the mid-1980s, she achieved recognition and fame for singing in popular overseas styles in Hindi language. According to an article in ''
The Hindustan Times
''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia.
It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...
'', even before artists such as Alisha Chinai, Baba Sehgal and Daler Mehndi were described as Indi-pop, she was the original pop star of Hindi music that wasn't related to films. She achieved popularity in Hindi pop and disco. During her career, she has shared the stage with
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
, represented India abroad and sung for members of the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
.
Music career
1980s to 1990s
Prabhakar had involvement in the production of ''Obsession '77'', an album by psychedelic and hard rock band
Atomic Forest
Atomic Forest was an Indian psychedelic and hard rock band from Mumbai, active in the early-1970s. They recorded a single album, ''Obsession '77''.
Background
Atomic Forest only recorded one album, which was not released until after the band h ...
.
In 1980, her album ''Feeling Good'' was released on the
Polydor
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
label.
Sharon also had sung an English song for a Kannada movie. The song is I wake up in the middle of the night for the movie : Udayavagali cheluva namma Kannada naadu
Record Label The Gramophone Company of India Limited
Record number :7EPE 11504
2000s
In 2007, her album ''Dilrooba'' was released via Raga to Rock. In January 2019, Prabhakar was performing at the SoBo Festival. She invited politician
Milind Deora
Milind Deora (born 4 December 1976) is an Indian politician and former Union Minister of State (MoS) for Communications & Information Technology and Shipping. He was a Member of the 15th Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament of India, from ...
to come up on stage and perform with her. Milind is a musician in his own right and a blues guitarist.
['']Mid-Day
''Mid-Day'' (stylised as mid-day) is a morning daily Indian compact newspaper owned by Jagran Prakashan Limited. Editions in various languages were published in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune. In 2011, the Delhi and Bangalore editions were ...
'', 30 January 2019
Milind Deora plays the guitar with Sharon Prabhakar at SoBo fest
/ref>
Discography
Web series
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prabhakar, Sharon
Living people
Indian women pop singers
1955 births