Brief Bio of the Artists
Vijay Prakash (Lead Singer)
Vijay Prakash is a playback singer from Mysore,India. He first was noticed in the famous musical show Sa re ga ma in 1998 where he was a finalist. He entered in to the foray of Bollywood and has since then sung for various music composers; In Hindi: AR Rahman, Ilayaraja, Vishal Shekhar, Shankar-ehsaan-loy, Ismail darbar, Anu malik, Salim Suleman, Sandesh Shandilya and in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Marathi languages: Vidyasagar, Kaartik Raja, Hamsalekha, Mano Murthy, V.Manoher.
On the devotional music front Prakash has sung for innumerable albums like Vighnaharta, Shubh laabh, Gita amrut, Buddha, Dancing with Shiva, Etc for Times music and Shani mantras, Aatman and Sai amruta dhara Shunya purush
He also performed at the prestigious Wood Stock festival in 2008 in Polland. Apart from the sa re ga ma trophies,he has won the Rapa award in 1999 for the best singer in advertising and the Aditya vikram birla award for the best upcoming talent in 2004.
Vijay also hosted the Sa re ga ma show for Zee kannada in 2007-2008 now he is the judge in star singer musical reality show on Suvarna Channel kannada.
Shadrach Solomon is an accomplished pianist, performer, music director, arranger and composer. After his education in Trinity College of Music, London , he has been in the music industry for the last 23 years.
Solomon has effortlessly picked up the art of Programming and Arrangement and has performed in many places - (USA), London, Paris, Denmark, Scotland, the entire of North and South India. . He has accompanied eminent artists such as Hariharan, Pankaj Udaas, Tuafiq Quereshi, Dr.L.Subramaniam, Kavita Krishnamuthy, Udit Narayan, Chitra. Music direction efforts include ample number of music albums - Souls of Trance, Altarnatives, Deva Re Ab Jhoomenge Mast, just a few to mention
H N Bhaskar is a disciple of violin maestro Padmashri Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri M S Gopalakrishnan. His first public performance was at the age of eight. He has given solo performances and has performed with stalwarts like Pandit Ravishankar, Anoushka Shankar, John McLaughlin, Grammy winner Vikku Vinayakaram and others.
He has received numerous awards for his achievements, including the prestigious "Best Violinst" award from the Music Academy of Chennai. Widely noted for his emotive and adroit playing, he is one of the most sought after violinists.
Shonali Srivastava (Tabla):
She was a regular recording artist for AIR/Doordarshan. She learnt to play with more finesse under Pt. Swapan Chaudhury and Ustad Zakir Hussain and was awarded the prestigious scholarship from Department of Cultural Affairs for advanced Tabla studies.Currently, she is a performer and teacher in Bay Area (Shonali.s Academy of Music & Arts). She is also a performing Kathak dancer and Classical/Light/Folk vocalist.
Sriranjini and Anand HB are singers based in San Francisco Bay Area, California.
They have recorded music albums in Hindi and other languages, which have been featured in the iTunes Top 100 charts. They are currently involved with the shooting of a music based reality show for an Indian television channel.
Chandra is the founder of the SF bay area band called Ehsaaz. His influences include guitar virtuosos like Malmsteen, Satriani, Vai, Gilmour, Al Di Meola. His guitar
work can be heard on RD Burman tribute album "Celebrating Pancham". Currently, he is working on a progressive rock/metal studio project called Utopian Trap
After learning Tabla and violin in Bangalore, he has played Congos in several shows involving celebrities like Hariharan and Mano. In the US, he has been part of bands in the Bay Area like Ehsaaz, Aavakai, Sahana, Jhankar and Raagalaya. Variations in Indian tribal instruments and African beats bring the best out of him.
After playing with various jazz bands, marching bands and symphony orchestras, he ventured into the fast-paced and polyrythmic world of progressive rock and heavy metal. Following notable influences such as Danny Carey, Neil Peart and Carter Beauford, Jai actively incorporates several musical styles into his playing. He can currently be found recording and producing the debut album for the progressive metal band Utopian Trap.
Hari (Keys)He was classically trained in Mridangam (South Indian Percussion Instrument) for more than 10 years with scholarship from the Govt. Of India. Currently he works as a Senior Scientist and in his free time is involved in Music.
Audio
- Listen to A.R. Rahman's Fiqrana (BLUE) by Vijay Prakash.
- Listen to Vijay Prakash sing Sooni Sooni from "Cheeni Kum".
- Beginnings on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa".
- Listen to Vijay Prakash sing Manmohini Morey from "Yuvvraj".
- Listen to Vijay Prakash in Quick Gun Murugan
- Listen to Vijay Prakash sing Kavithe in Kannada.
- Other Songs by Vijay Prakash