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I found this article on the net, hope you will find it interesting. This article was published in 2004.
| Sonu shines in Hollywood debut |
| India Post News Service |
 Innovative playback singer-turned-actor Sonu Nigam is always looking towards venturing into new areas. Earlier this month, he introduced Spirit Unfolding, his first English album to a trendy, mostly American audience who came to hear him perform four of the ten songs from his CD at a popular Hollywood Boulevard club, The Knitting Factory. The most unique feature of the album, besides the language, is its ability to bridge cultural gaps. While Sonu composed the melodies, which run the gamut from haunting to playful, most of the words were written with Ellen Goldberg, a Houston lyricist. The collaboration of a young pop superstar from India and an older American woman results in the blending of East and West. Sonu's CD breaks new ground with a mixture of fusion, pop, inspirational and world music. Songs like "Gandhi Prayer," a version of the classical raga "Vaishnav Janato" with verses alternating between Gujarati and English, and "I Want to Live" express deep but positive thoughts. "To Buddha's Shelter I Go" is a song of peace, with English lyrics, a Buddhist chant under the chorus and a melody with a Middle Eastern flavor, while "Mama" is an emotional song about the Twin Towers. Two duets sung with two-time Grammy winner Rita Coolidge are love songs, and she adds her voice to a third track, "Love Is Beautiful." Sutapa Ghosh, producer of the album and Sonu's co-founder of Son et Lumere, a corporation for film and music projects, brought Sonu and Ellen together. Although Sonu has performed in more than two dozen countries, has millions of fans around the world who buy his CDs and has won multiple prestigious awards, he was virtually unknown to Americans outside the Indian community. His performance in California was a good start in changing that. Presented by Bikram Choudhury, yoga master to the Hollywood elite, the audience included music directors, leaders in the recording industry, writers and friends who traveled from other states, Canada and India. Rajat Mukherjee who directed Sonu in Love In Nepal was there to share in his friend's success. Sonu's live performance was backed by percussionist Brent Lewis who added unusual rhythms to the CD, along with a guitarist, bass player and keyboard player. |
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