Sufiscore and Namyoho Studios current ‘RaagRaanis’, an album by an all-woman music ensemble. It features Grammy-nominated vocalist Varijashree Venugopal, together with Bollywood singers Pratibha Singh Baghel, Kalpana Gandharv, Prajakta Shukre and Himani Kapoor. There are 5 songs within the album that mix melodies primarily based on ragas, composed within the conventional bandish type, with modern sounds.
Pratibha “knew Himani and Prajakta for over a decade and collaborating with them for this album has been an absolute delight. This was also possible because of Sufiscore, which provided us with a platform that gave us the liberty to express music with our own interpretations.” According to Kalpana, every tune holds a special emotion and shade of the female spirit. “The song, ‘Saayan na aaye’, touched my soul the moment I heard it. It is set in one of my favourite ragas — Bhairavi — and speaks of longing, love, and everything in between.”
The album opens with ‘Jiya Naahi Laage’, written by Himani, composed by Prajakta and rendered by Pratibha. Prajakta shines as a singer and composer with ‘Bairi Chhaliya’, whereas ‘Tere Bina Saawan’ highlights the voice of Himani.
The vocals have been recorded at Laya Digi Studios, Bengaluru and the undertaking is supported by Namyoho Studios.
The singers are accompanied by Varad Kathapurkar on the flute, Arshad Khan on the esraj, I.D. Rao on the saxophone and guitarists Swapnomoy Chowdhury and Madhavan. ‘Raagraanis’ has now been formally launched.
