The sing-song loop
Delhi belle Vasuda Sharma on evolving through the ages
It really was a teenage dream, as they say. Her proverbial girl-next-door looks, an astonishing voice aided by her classical roots, and course, the charm of a diva in the making: Vasuda Sharma had it all when she shot to overnight fame as part of Aasma, the pop band formed out of Channel V’s Popstars.
A decade on, the vivacious youngster has matured into a polished singer-songwriter, making waves for her experimental music.
From being the first Indian to perform at the Berlin Popkomm Festival to making her Bollywood debut as a composer with Shahrukh Bola Khoobsurat Hai Tu; Vasuda’s eclectic image in the independent music fraternity continue to burgeon; more so with her solo albumin the waking.
From Aasma to going solo
It definitely took a while, but I knew the direction I was headed towards. I didn’t really go out to prove what I was capable of, but found my own way around. My vocal range has improved a lot; I listen to my old recordings and can clearly tell the difference. I think I have grown to be a musician, rather than just a singer. My exposure to world music has developed my sound to be essentially folk fusion, with a few raag-based compositions and contemporary western influences.
Debuts and German gems Shahrukh Bola... came to me out of nowhere. Earlier, I’d got an opportunity to do one song for another movie by Makrand Deshpande, and bagged this one as a music director. It was a wonderful experience! As for Berlin, I happened to randomly send my livelooping video online, that got selected out of 420 entries. I got an opportunity to represent India and meet some great musicians.
Lessons learnt at the Berklee College of Music Taking a break from my career to attend Berklee was a conscious decision, as I didn’t see myself growing. In my one year in Boston, I met inspiring musicians, got exposed to various cultures. All this makes one realise there is so much more to life and to music and that the sky is the limit.
My upcoming album Attuned Spirits is very close to my heart and possibly my dream project. While forming a band in Berklee, I realised that all the musicians came from different parts of the world. They played the songs I composed and I could feel the difference in their backgrounds — ethnic music is what makes this project special. Since I like to keep it raw, I will mostly use live instruments. I plan to release it in March.
Looking ahead I want to evolve, get better at what I do, be happier to be in music, and share it with more people. My new hobby is playing the ukulele! I like reading poems and absolutely love dogs. I have tried acting before: we are not made for each other.
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