Priya Darshini – Grammy Award Winner
Priya Darshini (born 25 December 1983) is an Indian singer, voice-over artist, composer, actress, athlete, and entrepreneur from Brooklyn, NY, USA. She is known for musical recordings in Bollywood and western productions, her role in The Letters, and becoming the first Indian woman to complete the 100-mile Himalayan Ultra Marathon. She is married to hammered dulcimer artist Max ZT.
Music Career:
Growing up in Mumbai, India, Darshini began musical studies with Bombay Lakshmi Rajagopalan at age nine.
In 2008, Darshini joined Roy “Futureman” Wooten’s Black Mozart Ensemble, performing “a dreamlike fusion of jazz, hip-hop, blues, bluegrass, and classical music” throughout India and the United States.
In 2017 Darshini became Artistic Director of Brooklyn Raga Massive and co-led Women’s Raga Massive, performing with both. She also co-produced Out of the Woods, an annual monthly festival dedicated to amplifying the works of female-identified artists.
Darshini signed with Chesky Records, releasing a single, Home, in March 2020, in advance of the release of her first album, Periphery.
Recordings
- Dil Di Nazar from Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya
- Ek Pal Ki Zindagi Hai from D Company
- Dhoonde Dil from Mukhbir directed by Mani Shankar
- Awaaz Koi from Darling
- Grand Tapestry – Grand Tapestry (2016)
- Karsh Kale – Following Sunlight (2016)
- House of Waters – House of Waters – GroundUP Music (2016)
- Pearl Jam – Obey The Law of the Heart (2017)
- The Epichorus – Najara (2018)
- Eligh – Last House on the Block (2018)
- Periphery (2020)
Sports
In 2007, at age twenty-three, Darshini became the first and youngest Indian woman to run the 100-mile Himalayan Ultra Marathon on the border of India and Nepal at elevations ranging from 6000ft to 12000ft. The experience led her to found an adventure racing company, The WindChasers, in 2011, organizing ultra-marathons across India, including two named to Conde Nast’s 2016 list of Most Scenic Marathons of India, and 2019 list of Beautiful Marathons in India.
Film and acting career:
After studying film-making and acting at the New York Film Academy in 2005, Darshini started working on both sides of the camera for Independent films in India. She acted in the 2014 Hollywood film The Letters, a film where she acted in a supporting role opposite Juliet Stevenson, Rutger Hauer, and Max Von Sydow. In 2017 Darshini got involved in theater as well with a performance of It Can Happen Here, a play directed by Judith Sloan.
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