Sheila Chandra

Infobox musical artist

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Name = Sheila Chandra
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name =
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1965|3|14
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Origin = London, England
Instrument = vocals
Voice_type =
Genre = synth-pop, world fusion, folk music
Occupation = singer
Years_active = 1980s - present
Label =
Associated_acts = Monsoon
URL =
Notable_instruments =

Sheila Chandra (b. March 14, 1965) is an English pop singer of Indian descent.

Indian-Western synth pop fusion period

Sheila Chandra first came to widespread public attention as an actress, playing Sudhamani Patel in the BBC school drama Grange Hill.

As a teenager she formed the band Monsoon, and created a fusion of Western (synthpop) and Indian pop styles. She married Steve Coe, who became the band's producer, and along with Martin Smith, the band evolved into this talented trio. They made a lone album "Third Eye" in 1982 from which they had a surprise hit single "Ever So Lonely". Monsoon recorded a varied selection of songs. The album also includes a cover of The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows", featuring the distinctive EBow guitar sound of Bill Nelson.

However, resenting pressure from their record company over musical direction, Monsoon as a band dissolved and Coe and Smith set about promoting Chandra as a solo artist on an independent label.

Chandra went on to release a number of albums in the 1980s, at times experimenting with her voice as an instrument through a range of techniques. In the 1990s she released three albums on Peter Gabriel's Real World label, although Martin Smith ceased to be actively involved.

hift to British and Irish folk influenced singing

Since 1992 she has shifted from the Indian-Western fusion of synthesizer-centered pop to styles that draw on British and Irish traditional singing traditions. [Allmusicguide|id=11:3ifrxqw5ldje]

Chandra is a much-respected performer on the world music scene and remains active into the 21st Century.

In 2002 she performed the song entitled Breath Of Life with Howard Shore for the soundtrack.

In 2007, she took part in Simon Emmerson's project The Imagined Village, which set out to re-interpret traditional English songs using a wide range of contemporary English musicians. Chandra recorded two songs for the album, which included performers as diverse as Paul Weller, Billy Bragg, Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Benjamin Zephaniah and Johnny Kalsi. She also appeared with The Imagined Village on a concert tour of England in the late autumn of 2007.

Discography

Albums

With Monsoon:
* "Third Eye" (1982)Solo
* "Out on My Own" (1984)
* "Quiet" (1984)
* "Nada Brahma" (1985)
* "The Struggle" (1985)
* "Roots and Wings" (1990)
* "Weaving My Ancestors' Voices" (1992)
* "The Zen Kiss" (1994)
* "ABoneCroneDrone" (1996)
* "" (1999)
* "This Sentence Is True (The Previous Sentence Is False)" (2001)
* "" soundtrack (2002)
* "The Indipop Retrospective" (2003)

Singles

* "Ever So Lonely" (1982)
* "Shakti (The Meaning of Within)" (1982)
* "Tomorrow Never Knows" (1982)
* "Wings of the Dawn" (1983)
* "Ever So Lonely" (Remix by Ben Chapman) (1990)

Other

* "Breath of Life" in "The Two Towers" (2003)

Audio sample

References

Interviews

*Coe, Steve. [http://www.narada.com/images/ArtistBio/Chandra/chandra_interview_transcript.htm Sheila Chandra: A Perspective on her Indipop Solo Albums] .
*Mathur, Rakesh (1991). [http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1991/08/1991-08-03.shtml Nada Brahma; DEVI] in "Hinduism Today", August, 1991.
*Mite (2000). [http://www.thechickenfishspeaks.com/sheilachandrainterview.htm An Interview with Sheila Chandra] in "Mutant Renegade Zine" #13, Winter 2000.
*Prasad, Anil (2000). [http://www.innerviews.org/inner/chandra.html Sheila Chandra: Natural extensions] in "Innerviews", May 3, 2000.
*Schaefer, John (1993). [http://www.sheilachandra.com/interviews/interview_2.html Sheila Chandra's Interview with John Schaefer at WNYC 1993: "Weaving My Ancestors' Voices"] .
*Schaefer, John (1996). [http://www.sheilachandra.com/interviews/interview_3.html Sheila Chandra's Interview with John Schaefer at WNYC 1996: "ABoneCroneDrone"] .

External links

* [http://www.sheilachandra.com/ official website]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1291550/ Sheila Chandra at the Internet Movie Database]