The phenomenon of “girl groups” in the evolution of the revolution called rock ‘n roll smashed through the grimy perspex ceiling of the music business in the early 1960s. For a short but glorious time, the biggest hits were made by combos comprised of multiple African-American women singing in sweet harmony and dressed to kill.
The fad passed. But the girl groups did make it ok for women to be more than just fans. They were given permission to perform as well as scream. And in some cases (The Supremes) girls could be the biggest stars in the industry. The contemporary crop of J Pop (Japnese Pop) and K Pop (Korean Pop) groups is merely the latest wave of the girl group phenomenon.
Women are no strangers to South Asian music, be it classical, semi-classical or folk. But while movies for decades have created a space for women to express themselves (and be viewed) in non-traditional ways, South Asian non-filmi (pure pop/rock) music has been – with some notable exceptions ‒ the domain of boys and men. This column has highlighted women performers before, especially those active in the South Asian diaspora. But today we turn the dial on the radio to listen to the sounds of women (mostly) in the local South Asian industry, and give them the recognition they deserve.
Minute of Decay (MOD)
Little Betsy
Three sisters from Delhi via Manipur have a great name and a fantastic sound built around the distinctive and distinctively delivered vocals of lead singer Worshon Muivah. The melodic harmonising on this slickly produced video belie a darker message of needles and drugs and youth on a dangerous path. “She stood there on the edge of life/afraid of taking the final dive.” Lyrically, MOD is a couple notches above their peers and should they continue to get the backing from fans and industry will have a very bright future. Wonderful stuff.
Cheapmunks
O Hum Dum/Say My Name
The Cheapmunks were formed about five years ago when two Karachi cousins uploaded a video of themselves singing a cover of one of their favourite songs. Things developed quickly as fans loved the way in which they blended the music of South Asian and Western musicians to make something new and unique. Musical collages, you could say. Here the cousins sing their most popular collage, which blends AR Rahman and Destiny’s Child in a neo-folk way that would not be out of place on Coke Studio. The dynamic and naturalness of the two girls’ voices echoes that of a similar family group, The Roches, who released several albums in the late ’70s in the States. The Cheapmunks' male accompanists, in a sort of inevitable, micro retelling of the history of girl groups, now own the name and brand. The girls themselves seem to have moved overseas. Did they jump or were they pushed?
Genesis of Pink
Who Are You
This is a very strong outing from another brilliantly named band from the North East. Hailing from the mountains of Sikkim, Genesis of Pink take the K-pop bubblegum sensibility of early teen tweeness and flip it on its back. “You just sit on the corner sulking/you don’t know what life is like/ you don’t even know wrong from right/so who are you to judge me?” All this angst is propelled with a power pop wall of sound that would not be out of place on even on a Kinks record. This is music that artfully blends the lightness of pop with the energetic intensity of rock. Compelling and urgent, The Genesis of Pink is bound to go far you’d think.
Alisha Pais
Over the Moon
With a voice that by turns channels both Ferron and Joan Armatrading, Mumbai’s Alisha Pais may be diminutive in size but not in potential. Her uncomplicated singer-songwriter delivery is refreshing and earnest without being clammy. Sometimes she is accompanied by a group known as The Petticoats but really Alisha is main attraction. Alisha is a regular performer, often (and most recently at the Blue Frog in Mumbai) with other women singer-songwriters. Keep an eye out for her to become a real presence on the scene.
Indian Ropeman (featuring Shahin Badar)
66 Meters
We wrap it up with an old moody, cinematic concoction by a couple of Bengali NRIs from the UK: Indian Rope Man aka Sanjiv Sen (taking his moniker from a Richie Havens song) and the talented Shahin Badar. Badar moved around between the Middle East, Asia and UK as a child and has forged a musical identity that is as fluid as the streams at the mouth of the Ganga. Equally comfortable singing Arabic melodies as Bangla-English tunes, she has collaborated with musicians as diverse as Jah Wobble and electronic demons, The Prodigy. I can’t help but thinking of Badar as the Asha Puthli of the new millennium. Both have versatile voices, adventurous spirits and confidence in spades. Badar appears to have retired from live performances but deserves her much lauded place as a pioneer and role model for South Asian women popsters.
With girl groups and artists like these we can only hope that they will transform the South Asian music scene as much as the Runaways, Go Gos and Supremes did in other times and other places. Go, girls!
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The fad passed. But the girl groups did make it ok for women to be more than just fans. They were given permission to perform as well as scream. And in some cases (The Supremes) girls could be the biggest stars in the industry. The contemporary crop of J Pop (Japnese Pop) and K Pop (Korean Pop) groups is merely the latest wave of the girl group phenomenon.
Women are no strangers to South Asian music, be it classical, semi-classical or folk. But while movies for decades have created a space for women to express themselves (and be viewed) in non-traditional ways, South Asian non-filmi (pure pop/rock) music has been – with some notable exceptions ‒ the domain of boys and men. This column has highlighted women performers before, especially those active in the South Asian diaspora. But today we turn the dial on the radio to listen to the sounds of women (mostly) in the local South Asian industry, and give them the recognition they deserve.
Minute of Decay (MOD)
Little Betsy
Three sisters from Delhi via Manipur have a great name and a fantastic sound built around the distinctive and distinctively delivered vocals of lead singer Worshon Muivah. The melodic harmonising on this slickly produced video belie a darker message of needles and drugs and youth on a dangerous path. “She stood there on the edge of life/afraid of taking the final dive.” Lyrically, MOD is a couple notches above their peers and should they continue to get the backing from fans and industry will have a very bright future. Wonderful stuff.
Cheapmunks
O Hum Dum/Say My Name
The Cheapmunks were formed about five years ago when two Karachi cousins uploaded a video of themselves singing a cover of one of their favourite songs. Things developed quickly as fans loved the way in which they blended the music of South Asian and Western musicians to make something new and unique. Musical collages, you could say. Here the cousins sing their most popular collage, which blends AR Rahman and Destiny’s Child in a neo-folk way that would not be out of place on Coke Studio. The dynamic and naturalness of the two girls’ voices echoes that of a similar family group, The Roches, who released several albums in the late ’70s in the States. The Cheapmunks' male accompanists, in a sort of inevitable, micro retelling of the history of girl groups, now own the name and brand. The girls themselves seem to have moved overseas. Did they jump or were they pushed?
Genesis of Pink
Who Are You
This is a very strong outing from another brilliantly named band from the North East. Hailing from the mountains of Sikkim, Genesis of Pink take the K-pop bubblegum sensibility of early teen tweeness and flip it on its back. “You just sit on the corner sulking/you don’t know what life is like/ you don’t even know wrong from right/so who are you to judge me?” All this angst is propelled with a power pop wall of sound that would not be out of place on even on a Kinks record. This is music that artfully blends the lightness of pop with the energetic intensity of rock. Compelling and urgent, The Genesis of Pink is bound to go far you’d think.
Alisha Pais
Over the Moon
With a voice that by turns channels both Ferron and Joan Armatrading, Mumbai’s Alisha Pais may be diminutive in size but not in potential. Her uncomplicated singer-songwriter delivery is refreshing and earnest without being clammy. Sometimes she is accompanied by a group known as The Petticoats but really Alisha is main attraction. Alisha is a regular performer, often (and most recently at the Blue Frog in Mumbai) with other women singer-songwriters. Keep an eye out for her to become a real presence on the scene.
Indian Ropeman (featuring Shahin Badar)
66 Meters
We wrap it up with an old moody, cinematic concoction by a couple of Bengali NRIs from the UK: Indian Rope Man aka Sanjiv Sen (taking his moniker from a Richie Havens song) and the talented Shahin Badar. Badar moved around between the Middle East, Asia and UK as a child and has forged a musical identity that is as fluid as the streams at the mouth of the Ganga. Equally comfortable singing Arabic melodies as Bangla-English tunes, she has collaborated with musicians as diverse as Jah Wobble and electronic demons, The Prodigy. I can’t help but thinking of Badar as the Asha Puthli of the new millennium. Both have versatile voices, adventurous spirits and confidence in spades. Badar appears to have retired from live performances but deserves her much lauded place as a pioneer and role model for South Asian women popsters.
With girl groups and artists like these we can only hope that they will transform the South Asian music scene as much as the Runaways, Go Gos and Supremes did in other times and other places. Go, girls!
