Singer-songwriter and AWAKEN Season 3 host Falu has been bridging gaps between Eastern and Western sounds throughout her illustrious career. In 2016 the artist spoke with the Rubin about her influences and perspective on music making.
I was raised in Mumbai, India, and it’s very difficult to escape Bollywood once you are raised in Mumbai. It becomes an inherent part of one’s life. In the United States, I launched my Indie Hindi album first and then embraced “world music,” which was the foundation of my second album, Foras Road, both of which did pretty well in the United States. After that, my friend Mark Tewarson suggested I start my third project with roots in Bollywood music since it has always been a significant part of who I am. That is how I decided to lend myself to this genre.
The first Indian American generation brought Bollywood music from the 1960s and 1970s with them when they came here to the United States, which was brilliant. The second generation thought it was uncool to listen to what their parents listened to when they were growing up. We have taken original Bollywood songs that the first generation listened to and arranged them and made them relevant with today’s modern music, crossing the cultural gap between two generations. The second generation can feel they are listening to something really hip and cool but actually, it belongs to their parents’ generation. Our effort is to keep the melodies and lyrics intact as it was originally written but adjust the sound and arrangements of the songs.
There are so many artists that I’ve admired working with. A few that stick out are Yo-Yo Ma, Wyclef Jean, Ricky Martin, A. R. Rahman, Blues Traveler, and Philip Glass.
Hear more from Falu on the Rubin’s AWAKEN podcast.
Falu is a Grammy award-winning, internationally recognized vocalist, composer, and educator known for her ability to seamlessly blend a signature modern inventive style with a formidable Indian classically shaped vocal talent. Falu’s career in the United States has led to a series of collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Wyclef Jean, Philip Glass, Ricky Martin, Blues Traveler, and A. R. Rahman, among others. She was appointed Carnegie Hall’s ambassador of Indian Music in 2006, and her shows at Zankel Hall have consistently sold out. Falu’s highlight performances include the 2022 GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony and former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s White House State Dinner. During Diwali in 2022, the Mayor of New York City Eric Adams awarded her a citation for successfully representing immigrants in the city. Later that year she received a proclamation by the NYC Council “for fostering greater harmony around the world.”
Described by the New York Times as “East and West, ancient and modern” and named one of the twenty most influential global Indian women by the Economic Times, Falu continues to record and perform globally, and she serves as the Board of Governor for the Recording Academy’s New York Chapter.
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