THA LIFESTYLE
| FEATURED PROFILES
Abi
has been performing on stage and enthralling audiences, for most of her life and is one of the
emerging shining stars of the music scene in Britain and beyond. Proudly fusing her solid Classical
music training, with what she has gleaned as a Tamil girl growing up in Britain, like pop, rock, RnB and soul
music, her unique voice stands out. She has been on TV, amazing the judges of BBC One’s ‘The Voice’;
featured on radio stations like BBC London, BBC Asian Network, BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra and has a bright
future ahead, both as a fully qualified and practicing dentist, and as a musician.
As a songwriter, she has written poignant lyrics like, “I was an open book of questions. Always searching for an
answer. Till I found you... I was losing my way... I was going nowhere... Lift me up. Take me where I belong. Let
me lay in a place you call home. Lift me up, take me where I am strong. To show you what my love can do. O
re piya (Oh beloved)”
She speaks to Ashanti Omkar candidly, about her life and plans, in this exclusive interview for Tha Lifestyle.
You also perform Sufi and Hindustani
classical music - are you trained
in these styles and how does it
form a part of your ever growing
repertoire?
“
Dentistry is a great profession and I’m so proud to have
it, and I have my parents to
thank for both. Never underestimate Tamil parents - they will
I met my Tabla player Amrit Dhuffer, make sure you have all bases covyears back, and he heard me singing ered (laughs). Music is of course
at an event, he instantly knew my
my main passion and the dream.
Describe your fashion style.
I love my jewellery. My outfits are
planned around the jewellery I
wear, more than anything. Quirky
jewellery is definitely my key style.
voice was suited to Sufi. I absolutely
love Qawwali music - there’s nothing
like it - the energy and power from it
is amazing, and trance like.
Speak about the rare instrument, the veena, the
instrument of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, and how
it is a part of your musical career.
I learnt the veena from the age of 8
and it’s a beautiful instrument, I love
the clarity you can get from the veena,
the sitar its younger sister, which has
many other frills, but a veena played well,
can sound much more like a voice than
any other instrument I know. I now play
the electric veena more than anything. I
absolutely love experimenting with different
sounds and different styles, especially with
something as unusual as a veena.
Your high profile TV performances on The
Voice were appreciated by all - tell us how this
came about and how it has marked a pivotal
moment in your growth as a musician. Were you
disappointed not to win?
I happened to go to the audition by chance, I
wasn’t really thinking about what I was doing, but
it was brilliant as it really gave me a platform to
showcase my style and get feedback from the general
public in a way that is not possible as an ‘up and
coming’ artist. These days its so hard to get noticed,
and don’t get me wrong, I’m not the biggest fan of
‘reality’ TV, but I felt The Voice UK is particularly is one
of the few tasteful shows about, and really showcases
genuine artists.
Your day job, as a dentist, took many years of training.
Is it as much a passion as your music and would you
one day move into music alone?
Dentistry is a great profession and I’m so proud to
have it, and I have my parents to thank for both. Never
underestimate Tamil parents - they will make sure you
have all bases covered! Music is of course my main
passio