Sheila Chandra (born 14 March 1965) is a retired English pop singer of

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 ...

n descent. She is no longer able to perform, as the result of

burning mouth syndrome Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a burning, tingling or scalding sensation in the mouth, lasting for at least four to six months, with no underlying known dental or medical cause. No related signs of disease are found in the mouth. People with ...

which she has had since 2010.

Indian–Western pop fusion period

Sheila Chandra was born in

Waterloo, London Waterloo () is a district in Central London, and part of the Bishops ward of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated east of Charing Cross. The area is part of a business improvement district known as Waterloo Quarter, which includes The ...

, England. She first came to public attention as an actress, playing Sudhamani Patel in the BBC school drama ''

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical comprehensive school. The show began its run on 8 February 1978 on BBC1, and was one of the longest-running progra ...

'' from 1979 to 1981. As a teenager she formed the band

Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

with Steve Coe (who became the band's producer) and bassist Martin Smith. Monsoon created a fusion of Western and

Indian pop Indian pop music, also known as Indi-pop, refers to pop music produced in India that is independent from filmi soundtracks for Indian cinema, such as the music of Bollywood, which tends to be more popular. Indian pop is closely linked to Bollywo ...

styles. The band recorded its only album, ''

Third Eye The third eye (also called the mind's eye or inner eye) is a mystical invisible eye, usually depicted as located on the forehead, which provides perception beyond ordinary sight. In Hinduism, the third eye refers to the ajna (or brow) chakra. I ...

'', in 1982 from which it had a hit single, "

Ever So Lonely "Ever So Lonely" is a song written by Steve Coe and originally recorded by Monsoon with Sheila Chandra on vocals. The single became a 12 hit in the United Kingdom following a re-release in March 1982, staying on the UK Singles Chart for nine wee ...

", which peaked at No. 12 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top ...

. Monsoon followed-up with the single "Shakti," which peaked at No. 41, but this was to be the band's final charting single. The album also includes a cover of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' "

Tomorrow Never Knows "Tomorrow Never Knows" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released in August 1966 as the final track on their album ''Revolver'', although it was the firs ...

", featuring the distinctive

EBow The EBow, short for electronic bow or energy bow, is an electronic device used for playing string instruments, most often the electric guitar. It is manufactured by Heet Sound Products, of Los Angeles, California. It was invented by Greg Heet i ...

guitar sound of

Bill Nelson Clarence William Nelson II (born September 29, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Nelson previously served as a United States Senator from Flori ...

. Resenting pressure from their record company over musical direction, Monsoon dissolved in 1982 and Coe and Smith set about promoting Chandra as a solo artist on independent Indipop Records. Chandra went on to release a number of albums in the 1980s, at times experimenting with her voice as an instrument through a range of techniques. After a creative split with Martin Smith, Chandra released three albums on

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

's Real World label —''Weaving My Ancestors' Voices'' (1992),'' The Zen Kiss'' (1994), and ''ABoneCroneDrone'' (1996).

Shift to solo voice and drone style

In the 1990s Chandra decided, having been a studio artist exclusively, to give concerts for the first time, and concurrently released a trilogy of albums on

's Real World label. These were in the minimalist solo voice and

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

style, which she developed especially for live performances, so that she could perform alone on stage with only the occasional taped drone for accompaniment. Martin Smith was no longer actively involved by this time. Drawing on similarities of structure between Indian ragas and English folk melodies, she started to incorporate many British and Irish traditional songs and techniques, as well as other vocal styles and techniques from around the world.

Later projects

In 1990, Chandra interrupted her sabbatical to record a single, "Raining", with the folk-synth band Ancient Beatbox which also appeared on its self-titled album. In 2000, she contributed two tracks, one a cover version of

Tim Buckley Timothy Charles Buckley III (February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975) was an American musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years. Buckley began his career based in folk music, but his subsequent albums experimented with ja ...

's "Song to the Siren" and the other a remix of her solo track "Ever So Lonely/Eyes/Ocean" by Stephen Haig, to the album ''Gifted'' on Real World Records. In 2001, she released a collaborative album with the Ganges Orchestra titled ''This Sentence is True (The Previous Sentence is False)'' based on her two experimental EPs with that group. 2002 saw the release of a remix of her original hit single "Ever So Lonely" (written by Steve Coe), retitled "So Lonely", by the DJ Jakatta. It charted at No. 8 in the UK. In 2002 she performed a song titled "Breath of Life" (retitled "The Grace of Valar" in its 2006 release) with

Howard Shore Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer and conductor noted for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Hobbit'' film trilogies. ...

for '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' soundtrack. In 2007, she recorded two songs for

Simon Emmerson Simon Emmerson (born 12 February 1956) is an English record producer, guitarist, DJ, musical director at Lush, and founder of the group Afro Celt Sound System. He is also the main organiser of The Imagined Village, a collaborative work from m ...

's project ''

The Imagined Village The Imagined Village is a folk music project founded by Simon Emmerson of Afro Celt Sound System. It is intended to produce modern folk music that represented modern multiculturalism in the United Kingdom and as such, featured musicians from ...

'', which set out to reinterpret traditional British songs using a wide range of contemporary British musicians. She also appeared with the Imagined Village on a concert tour of Britain in 2007.

Retirement from music

In 2009, Chandra began experiencing symptoms of what was eventually diagnosed as BMS (

), as a result of which she is unable to sing, speak, laugh or cry without suffering intense pain. She has thus been rendered effectively mute. As a result of her illness Chandra retired from music. She turned her attention to writing self-help books, the first of which, ''Banish Clutter Forever – How the Toothbrush Principle Will Change Your Life'', was published in 2010.

Discography

Albums

With

: * ''

'' (1982) (retitled ''Monsoon featuring Sheila Chandra'' in 1995) With the Ganges Orchestra: * ''This Sentence is True (The Previous Sentence is False)'' (2001) * ''EEP1 & EEP2'' (2012) * ''Pure Drones, Vol. I'' (2013) * ''Pure Drones, Vol. II'' (2013) * ''Pure Drones, Vol. III'' (2013) Solo: * ''Out on My Own'' (1984) * ''Quiet'' (1984) * ''The Struggle'' (1985) * ''Nada Brahma'' (1985) * ''Roots and Wings'' (1990) * ''Silk'' (compilation, 1991) * ''Weaving My Ancestors' Voices'' (1992) * ''The Zen Kiss'' (1994) * ''ABoneCroneDrone'' (1996) * ''Moonsung: A Real World Retrospective'' (compilation, 1999) * ''The Indipop Retrospective'' (compilation, 2003) * ''Archive'' (compilation, 2013)

Singles

With

: * "

" (1982) * "Shakti (The Meaning of Within)" (1982) * "Tomorrow Never Knows" (1982) * "Wings of the Dawn (Prem Kavita)" (1982) * "Ever So Lonely" (Remix by Ben Chapman) (1990) * "So Lonely" ("Ever So Lonely" remixes by Jakatta) (2002)

Other

Solo: * "Raining (My Eyes Are Filled With Clouds)" with Ancient Beatbox (1990) * "Breath of Life" in '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (2002) * "Arwen's Fate" in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (2002) * "Welcome Sailor" and "'Ouses, 'Ouses, 'Ouses" from Imagined Village (2007)

Books

* ''Banish Clutter Forever – How the Toothbrush Principle Will Change Your Life'' (2010) * ''Organizing for Creative People'' (2017)

Interviews

* Mathur, Rakesh (1991). Nada Brahma; DEVI in ''

Hinduism Today ''Hinduism Today'' is a quarterly magazine published by the Himalayan Academy, a nonprofit educational institution, in Kapaʻa, Hawaiʻi, USA. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally, currently in 60 nations. Founded by ...

'', August 1991. * Schaefer, John (1993). Sheila Chandra's Interview with John Schaefer at WNYC 1993: ''Weaving My Ancestors' Voices''. * Schaefer, John (1996). Sheila Chandra's Interview with John Schaefer at WNYC 1996: ''ABoneCroneDrone''. * Prasad, Anil (2000). Sheila Chandra: Natural Extensions in ''Innerviews'', 3 May 2000. * Joe F. Compton (2000). "The Commonality is Brilliance...". * Mite (2000). Sheila Chandra Interview in ''Mutant Renegade Zine'' No. 13, Winter 2000. * Teropong (2008). Sheila Chandra in Womad Singapore, 23 August 2008. * Millard, Rosie (2010). Another Fine Mess You've Got Me Out Of at Times Online * Weaver, Andrew (2012). Peter Gabriel's Real World Records: interviews with Sheila Chandra, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Thomas Mapfumo and Yungchen Lhamo on cbcmusic.ca * Prasad, Anil (2020). Sheila Chandra: State of Flow in ''Innerviews'', 16 December 2020.

References

External links

Official website
* * * *
Sheila Chandra
at Ectophiles' Guide to Good Music {{DEFAULTSORT:Chandra, Sheila 1965 births British women singers British Hindus British people of Indian descent British self-help writers British women writers Living people Writers from London Real World Records artists Mercury Records artists Narada Productions artists World music singers British television actresses British world music musicians