INTRODUCTION
It gives great pleasure to have finished some of the promised features that took almost years to materialize. Anchal’s feature was in plan for almost a year by now and we are happy to have this published here. We like to thank Karthik Jayaraman for helping in materializing this long delayed feature to a final form. Anchal’s talent was spotted for a featured place and it gives such great pleasure to bring you all the music of this singer who dedicated her life to music.
Please Introduce yourself
My name is Anchal Sinha. I was born and raised in Prayagraj (earlier known as Allahabad), a city in Uttar Pradesh- India. Currently, I live in Boston- USA with my husband Vibhu and my two year old daughter Eva. I am an ardent music lover. I have been learning music for a long time yet I believe there is much more to learn.
Musical journey
“My musical journey started when I was almost eight”.Anchal says that she got attracted to Hindustani very early itself. A very musically rich family where both parents made the children learn music seriously. Parents recognized her talent and enrolled her in proper Hindustani classes.
“My parents enrolled me into a eight year course of classical music called “Praveen” from a very prestigious institute “Prayag Sangeet Samiti (https://www.prayagsangeetsamiti.co.in/); where I started learning under the guidance of Shri Shyam Lal Vidyarthi Sir. “ There Anchal got all her basics thoroughly learned very early itself. Along her proper schooling Anchal learned music all through schools. “Throughout my studies, I performed in many cultural events related to classical as well as light music and earned lots of appreciation from my teachers and peers.”
Anchal continued “I belong to a musical family, not a trained one though. I grew up listening to my father’s singing. He is a great fan of legendary singer Mukeshji. As far as I can remember, I was about six years old, when my elder sister used to learn and practice classical music at home. I used to listen to her regularly and could adapt quickly whatever she was singing. That’s when I actually realised my attraction towards music. This interest of mine grew exponentially when some of my family members recognised my singing skills and encouraged me to focus more on that.”
Who influenced you the most as a child as far as your music interests and talents.
“I grew up listening to all kinds of genres in hindi music . I always loved listening to legendary singers Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Mohd Rafi, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, KJ Yesudas in old classic melodies. In the modern era, I enjoy listening to Shankar Mahadevan, A R Rehman compositions. My all time favourite singers are Sonu Nigam, Hariharan, Kavitha Krishnamurthy, K S Chithra and Sunidhi Chauhan. I enjoy listening to Ghazals as well. Late Jagjit Singh ji and Ghulam Ali ji are my favorite ghazal singers.”
Music as a major subject to study
At college level Anchal decided to focus into music very naturally. She says “I did my post graduation in music from University of Allahabad. For my master’s, I studied Hindustani classical music under the guidance of Shri. Pandit Vidyadhar Mishraji (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZG17nsSzbI) and Prem Kumar Mallick Sir (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y5c3ZXcJCg). I can proudly say that for all my teachers, I was a bright student. I participated in multiple musical events and competitions and achieved top places most of the time. “AKHIL BHARTIYA SHASTRIYA SANGEET PRATIYOGITA” was one of them in which i achieved first position multiple times.”
A music Ambassador of Allahabad to USA
I came to the US in 2014 after marriage. My husband Vibhu is also a fine singer. He has always been a great support and has always encouraged me doing better in music. He has always been an honest critic of my singing skills as well when it comes to improvement.
Anchal did take her music from Allahabad to Hawaii. She shares a great memory of one of the rare opportunities to perform for a US based onstage performance. “When we came to the US, we initially lived in Hawaii and there I got an opportunity to perform at the University of Hawaii. After seeing my performance, Ward’s Rafter (a performing art center) invited me to sing live on their stage and it was one of the most exciting experiences in my music life.”
“In 2016, we moved to Boston where I currently live. Meanwhile, I continued my riyaz. Must say it is my good fortune that I came to know about the Smule App from my brother in law. I installed it immediately and was so impressed with its sound quality and prebuilt filters. It was like a dream come true for me. I felt like singing in the studio. Great feeling! Thanks to Smule,I also found so many great talents and collaborated with them.
Please tell more about your all classical music expertise
“I got trained in Hindustani Classical Music for ~12 Years. However, I like to sing almost all kinds of genres. Be it Sufi, Gazal, classical or Western. Other than hindi, I tried to sing in Marathi and English. I will keep trying other languages also in future.”
What are your thoughts about classical music and its relevance in the current time
“I strongly believe that Classical music is absolutely essential, as it plays a big role in all kinds of music. Be it rock, pop or even rap, the musical influence from classical composers, though sometimes hidden, can become clear the more we study music’s history. In the context of India’s music, It reflects the cultural and historical diversity of our country. I feel that our indian music composers still maintain a fair balance between classical and other kinds of music . However, sometimes technology tends to deteriorate the real feel and quality of classical music. In my personal view, music should be less technical and should be based on an individual’s natural singing abilities. This will retain the originality of music.”
What does your music mean to you?
“Music has always been an important part of my life. It’s like a true friend who has always been there with me while growing up. It is my escape from every oddity and something that makes me happy. It defines me as an individual. Whenever I feel any less of myself in certain situations in life,it’s music that helps me overcome all my fears and calms my soul.”
Your views about the general landscape of India’s music, try to write as much you know about the music of India.
“As unique as it is,India is a very diverse country. Every state of India has its own culture and language. This applies in terms of music as well. Style of music varies significantly all over the country and each and every style is beautiful, unique and one of its kind. However, I believe classical music is very important as It is the foundation of all styles. India has given us some great musicians like Pandit Bheemshen Joshi ,Pandit Jasraj etc. These maestros are the torchbearers of indian classical music.”
Do you think there is gender discrimination or any such inequalities exist in the music industry?
“I do not think there is any kind of gender descrimination or any such inequalities exist in the music industry. This industry has given us so many legendary singers. People admire them for their skills regardless of their gender.”
Do you pay attention to the lyrics and meaning of songs? Do you think they are important for music? If yes then why?
“Yes, absolutely. I do believe that lyrics are the soul of a song and singing lyrics with correct pronunciation is also important.Sometimes music listeners enjoy a song because of a catchy beat or hook but for a composer or singer , I think it’s important to understand the meaning and purpose of the song so that they can render that song with appropriate feel and expression required.
What are your career interests?
“ I want to continue my music here in the USA. My dream is to become a performing artist on stage as well as off stage. Opportunities permit me to teach music as a career.”
What will you focus on as a genre of music when you perform on stage?
“I enjoy singing in all genres of music.” Infact , I love singing Ghazals and sufi or any type of songs that an on-stage performer can make the audience go with the performance.”
Will you pursue a career as an on-stage hindustani classical singer?
Yes absolutely. But it’s been quite a long time since I performed pure classical music onstage.
I lost a lot of years without extensive practices. So I have to rebuild that focus and then maybe try later when i can focus on my regular practices.”
That wraps up a great time spent with Anchal discussing music and views. Here are some song selections from her Smule profile. Solos are made for the feature specifically. Listen to this outstanding voice from Smule India.
ENDNOTES
When we finish writing this feature it is time and time again that we realize talents like Anchal are an asset to the Smule India community. Her life is a dedication to the study of India’s music and her love for music is infectious. Anchal is a regular on Smule Live Jam sessions. Her voice throw is amazingly outstanding where she can sing a range of songs from fast numbers to ghazals. As far as music is concerned she is among the top few people we met here who have proper education in music. We encourage everyone to visit her Smule profile.
