It takes a unique voice to stick out the way that Asha Haran’s does. She’s able to sing covers of target=”_blank”>Adele, target=”_blank”>Rihanna, and target=”_blank”>Nicki Minaj without skipping a beat when it comes to Tamil songs as well.

Born and raised in South West London,  20 year old Asha is a student by day and an aspiring musician and singer every other moment she has.

By the age of 3, she was singing along with Tamil cinema songs, “Top of the Pops” (a 90s British TV show) and insisting on giving performances to family and friends. Recognizing her passion, Asha’s parents sent her to Carnatic music lessons. She’s since moved on from the performances she used to have recorded on VHS tapes, to live shows and covers up on YouTube.

Asha considers one of her most memorable performances to have been in Switzerland for IBC Tamil Radio. While singing KB Sundarambal’s carnatic classic ‘Thakka Thakka’ she said“I think it must have been around 5,000 people but as soon as I started to sing, you could have heard a pin drop!” What made that response even more humbling, was the feedback of senior guest Dr. Sirkali G. Siva Chidambaram as he credited Asha with replicating the original singer’s rendition.

From Beyonce to Amy Winehouse, and from Suchitra to Bombay Jayashree, Asha is influenced by a wide range of singers.  Her ultimate dream is to work with the big names in the music industry, but she says “I have lots more to learn and a long way to go.”

You can look forward to the release  of more covers, some collaborations, and a few original compositions coming up from Asha. She also has a few shows lined up in London.

Check out Asha’s debut single “Thakka Thimmi Thaa”

—Nive Thambithurai