Susheela Raman (born 21 July 1973) is a British musician. She was nominated for the 2006 BBC World Music Awards. Her debut album ''
Salt Rain'' was nominated for the
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...
in 2001.
She is known for energetic, vibrant, syncretic, and uplifting live performances built on the sacred
Bhakti
''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...
and
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
traditions of India and Pakistan.
Biography
Early years
Susheela Raman's parents are Tamils from
Thanjavur
Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...
in Tamil Nadu, India, who arrived in London, UK in the mid-1960s. At the age of four, Raman and her family left the UK for Australia.
Susheela grew up singing
Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...
and began giving recitals at an early age.
She recalls how her family "were eager to keep our Tamil culture alive."
As a teenager in Sydney she started her own band, describing its sound as "funk and rock and roll",
before branching out into more blues and jazz-based music, which demanded quite different voice techniques. She tried to bring these streams together when in 1995 she travelled to India to rediscover her roots by way of further exploring Carnatic music.
Music career
Returning to England in 1997, she started to work with her partner, guitarist/producer Sam Mills who had recorded "Real Sugar" with a
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
singer named
Paban Das Baul. According to Raman "it bridged a gap and found common ground for one particular kind of Indian music to be expressed to a new audience."
In 1999, Raman co-wrote songs for the album ''One and One is One'' by
Joi, also performing on the track "Asian Vibes." Mills had worked with
West African
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Ma ...
musicians in the group Tama which also opened musical contact points within the Parisian music scene.
''Salt Rain''
After a period of three years collaborating with Sam Mills, Raman released her first album ''Salt Rain'' in 2001 on
Narada
Narada ( sa, नारद, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage divinity, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of mind-created children of Brahma, the creator god. He ...
, an American subsidiary of
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
.
The album went gold in France and in the UK was shortlisted for the
Mercury Music Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...
. Raman also won the Best Newcomer award from
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
.
''Salt Rain'' drew on
traditional Tamil music blended with
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
-
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
and pop influences.
It featured original material, as well as old songs Raman sang at recitals when younger.
''Love Trap''
In 2003 Raman released her second album ''Love Trap'' which featured amongst other collaborators the Nigerian drummer
Tony Allen and Tuvan singer
Albert Kuvezin
Albert Budachievich Kuvezin (Russian: ''Альберт Будачиевич Кувезин'' / Tuvan: ''Күвезин Альберт Будачи оглу'', Küvezin Albert Budachi oglu, , alternatively spelled ''Kögeezin'' (Көгээзин, ) ...
of the group
Yat-Kha
Yat-Kha is a band from Tuva, led by vocalist/guitarist Albert Kuvezin. Their music is a mixture of Tuvan traditional music and rock, featuring Kuvezin's distinctive '' kargyraa'' throat singing style, the '' kanzat kargyraa''.
Biography
Yat-Kha ...
.
The title track is a re-interpretation of an
Ethiopian
Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
song by
Mahmoud Ahmed
Mahmoud Ahmed ( Amharic: ማሕሙድ አህመድ; born 8 May 1941) is an Ethiopian singer. He gained great popularity in Ethiopia in the 1970s and among the Ethiopian diaspora in the 1980s, before rising to international fame with African mus ...
.
''Music for Crocodiles''
''Music for Crocodiles'', Raman's third album, was released in 2005. It had been partly recorded in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
(Madras),
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. The album included "The Same Song" which was used by
Mira Nair
Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spher ...
for the end credits of her film ''
The Namesake''. (Nair also used Raman's version of the 1960s
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
film song "Ye Mera Divanapan Hai" from the previous album).
On ''Music for Crocodiles'' Raman sang for the first time in French on "L'Ame Volatile".
Raman's training in Carnatic classical music makes its presence felt in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
classical titles such as "Sharavana," her singing "Meanwhile" (on the same album) in a
rāgam called Kanakaangi, and in the song "Light Years" which features a melody in
Kalyani rāgam as well as the
veena
The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( sa, वीणा IAST: vīṇā), comprises various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps.< ...
playing of Punya 'Devi' Srinivas.
In 2006 Susheela was again nominated for a BBC World Music Award and was the subject of a one-hour documentary by French-German TV Channel
Arte
Arte (; (), sometimes stylized in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture.
It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE, plus ...
, called ''Indian Journey'' directed by Mark Kidel.
''33''
Susheela's deal with Narada ended in 2006 and that year she independently recorded an album ''33'', a set of re-imaginings of tracks from the nineteen sixties and seventies. Artists covered include
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
,
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
,
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...
,
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...
,
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
,
Can and
Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle were an English music and visual arts group formed in 1975 in Kingston upon Hull by Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Peter Christopherson, and Chris Carter (British musician), Chris Carter. They are widely regarded as pi ...
. The album features long term collaborators Sam Mills on guitar, Vincent Segal on cello, and
tabla
A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల ...
player and percussionist Aref Durvesh.
The album was released in April 2007 in France on the independent label
XIII Bis.
2008 to 2010
Raman garnered acclaim for her live performances.
She continued to research and discover
music from Tamil Nadu, studying in 2007 with the
Bhakti
''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...
singer Kovai Kamla.
Vel
In 2011, Raman released ''Vel'', marking a change in musical direction which was well received.
She followed this up with a series of concerts which showcased her new musical direction, demonstrating, as her reviewers put it "a rousing comeback".
2011 to 2013
![Festival de Cornouaille 2014 - Susheela Raman - 18](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Festival_de_Cornouaille_2014_-_Susheela_Raman_-_18.jpg)
Through 2011 to 2013, Raman worked with
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
Qawali
Qawwali (Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: ( Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent ...
singers and musicians in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
in addition to Rajasthani musicians, and continued to explore ecstatic and devotional musical styles.
In 2013, Raman returned to the stage in London at the
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...
as part of the Alchemy Festival, having previously played at the
Jaipur Literary Festival
The Jaipur Literature Festival, or JLF, is an annual literary festival which takes place in the Indian city of Jaipur each year in the month of January. It was founded in 2006. It is the world's largest free literary festival.
The Diggi Palace ...
.
Queen Between
In September 2013 Susheela Raman announced a new album, as yet untitled, inviting pledges from fans to ensure its release in spring 2014. Of this she said: "The record I am making now reflects my work in recent years living in London but travelling to work with master musicians from India and Pakistan. It features master musicians from Rajasthan, and spectacular Sufi Qawwali singers from Pakistan. In addition to my longstanding companions guitarist/producer Sam Mills and tabla demon Aref Durvesh,
Fela Kuti’s legendary drummer
Tony Allen and French cellist
Vincent Ségal
Vincent Ségal (born 1967 in Reims, France) is a French cellist and bassist.
He studied at the National Music Academy of Lyon and the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. He is mainly known for the variety of his collaborations and unusual proje ...
also make an appearance. It is a really exciting album with singing in English, Tamil, Panjabi, Urdu, Marwari and Bengali. It has some amazing playing and guest vocals by Kutle Khan and Rizwan Muazzam. It’s a big, beautiful, ambitious, groundbreaking album and ... it’s all about the songs.
It’s a work in progress and a strong start has been made. While the Qawals and Rajasthanis were in London this April we had some great sessions and laid down the basic recording for about nine tracks so far and now are looking for funding to complete the recording and editing, to mix, master and then to promote the album."
The album was finally released on 1 March 2014 as ''Queen Between''.
Discography
* ''
Salt Rain'' (2001) No. 29 FRA
* ''Love Trap'' (2003) No. 32 FRA
* ''Music for Crocodiles'' (2005) No. 51 FRA
* ''33'' (2007) No. 120 FRA
* ''Vel'' (2011)
* ''Queen Between'' (2014)
* ''Ghost Gamelan'' (2018)
* ''
Gypsy
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
'' (2020)
Video
* "Vodoo child"
* "You do right / Bolo bolo"
* ‘Ganapati’ (dir/DOP:
Andrew Catlin) (2001)
* ‘Salt Rain’ (dir/DOP:
Andrew Catlin) (2001)
* ‘Maya’ (dir/DOP:
Andrew Catlin) (2002)
*
MTV Unplugged (India)
MTV Unplugged is an Indian music television program showcasing musical artists, generally playing their works on acoustic instruments. The songs featured on the program are usually those released earlier by the artists.
Season 1
This seaso ...
: Episode 5 – Susheela Raman – Ennapane
Narration
Other than music, she is well known for narrating documentaries, including BBC's ''Mountains of the Monsoon''.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raman, Susheela
1973 births
Living people
Narada Productions artists
English people of Indian descent
Tamil musicians
Indian Tamil people
British Hindus
English people of Indian Tamil descent
People from Hendon
Women Carnatic musicians
Carnatic musicians
English jazz musicians
English blues musicians
English trance musicians
English emigrants to Australia
21st-century English women singers
21st-century English singers