Devika Chawla, known professionally as "Devika", is a US-based

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

of Indian origin, recognized for her unique voice and soulful performances. Trained in Hindustani classical music, she is known for fusing Indian folk/classical melodies and lyrics with Western sounds. Some of her signature tracks include "Kehnde Ne Naina", "Barkha Bahaar", and "Kothay Uttay" from her solo albums, as well as "Ek Tera Pyar" and "Dil" in collaboration with

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

, the Punjabi rapper.

Early life and education

Devika began vocal music training in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, India, at the age of eight. She continued her training, advancing to

Ragas A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, from the perspec ...

and

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...

. She moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

to pursue her undergraduate studies in

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

. During this time, she experimented with fusing

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the art music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally described using terms like ''Shastriya Sangeet'' and ''Marg Sangeet''. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as ...

with Western compositions and collaborated with Holmes Ives, providing vocals for the album titled ''

Satyriasis Hypersexuality is a proposed medical condition said to cause unwanted or excessive sexual arousal, causing people to engage in or think about sexual activity to a point of distress or impairment., according to the website of ''Psychology Toda ...

''. After graduation, she resumed her formal training in Hindustani classical music.

Career

She has released two commercially successful solo albums: "Devika" and "Saari Raat," the latter in collaboration with Shahi Hasan from Vital Signs, Noor Lodhi, and Manesh Judge. She has also performed on various Sufi, Hip-hop, and Pop tracks, collaborating with artists including ''Mike Klooster of Smash Mouth, Bohemia the Punjabi Rapper and Sarod maestros Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash''. Her tracks have been featured on various thematic albums including ''Sony’s'' "Teri Deewani" & "Sufiaana – The Complete Sufi Experience", and ''Saregama’s'' "Colours - Sufi Ke Anek Rang," featuring renowned artists such as ''Ustad

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997), also known by his initials NFAK, was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. Khan was primarily a singer of qawwali, a form of Sufi devot ...

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (, ; born 9 December 1974) is a Pakistani Punjabi singer, primarily Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. Khan is one of the most popular and highest paid singers in Pakistan. He is the nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali Kha ...

A.R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinema ...

'', among others. Her rendition of the Bollywood classic "Tujhse Naraaz Nahin" was released in collaboration with Saregama Music. She is also the first Indian vocalist to be featured on Apple’s iMovie in the Bollywood trailer. Her tracks have been featured on iTunes playlists like Love at First Sight, The A List – Indian Pop, as well as on playlists like Raga Lounge on Spotify. Her track "''Jab Se Piya''," created in collaboration with Holmes Ives, was remixed by ''Karsh Kale, Midival Punditz, Bombay Dub Orchestra'' and distributed by Six Degrees Records, and featured on The Buddha Bar XXIII by ''

DJ Ravin A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music festivals), mobile DJ ...

''. "''Jab Se Piya”''" was also submitted for Grammy consideration for the Best Global Music Performance category.

Discography

* Satyriasis ( Shaken Not Stirred Records, 2001) with Holmes Ives * Devika (2007) with Shahi Hasan, Manesh Judge, and Noor Nodhi, Anshuman Chandra * Teri Deewani (2007) a compilation with Artists including A. R. Rahman, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Kailash Kher, Rabbi and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan * Ek Kaagaz (2008) an Internet-Only advertising supported single with Pralay Bakshi and Saazmantra. * Da Rap Star (2009) with

* Saari Raat (2009) with Shahi Hasan, Manesh Judge, and Noor Lodhi * Colours : Sufi Ke Anek Rang (2009) a compilation with Artists including A. R. Rahman, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Sonu Nigam * Sufiaana - The Complete Sufi Experience : (2010) a compilation with Artists including A.R. Rahman, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan * Judaiyan : (2010) a compilation with Artists including A.R. Rahman * Javeda Sufiaana : (2010) a compilation with Artists including Kailash Kher, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and others. * Bijuri - The Single (2011) with Zohaib Kazi from Coke Studio Pakistan * Lounge Nirvana (2012) a compilation with Artists including A.R. Rahman, Rahul Sharma * Phir Ek Tera Pyar (2020) Bohemia ft Devika *(Remake of ik tera pyar - 2007)

References

External links

Devika's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chawla, Devika Indian women pop singers Indian women singer-songwriters Indian singer-songwriters Punjabi-language singers Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Singers from Delhi Women musicians from Delhi