Kiran Ahluwalia

Kiran Ahluwalia might just be the bridge that ghazal needs to cross over to Western audiences. Born in Punjab and raised in Canada, Ahluwalia grew up immersed in Western culture but loving classical Indian dance and song. After a brief attempt to be dutiful and sensible (studying industrial relations and taking a day job), the muse's call proved stronger than duty: Ahluwalia quit her job and headed to India, where after some difficulty she found a master to study with in the form of Hyderabad's Vithal Rao. After various stints at Putumayo and working as a bonds trader (!), she finally recorded her debut, Attraction, and released it in 2001. Widely acclaimed for her unorthodox instrumentation and accessible style, Ahluwalia released Beyond Boundaries in 2003 and won a Juno Award for Best World Music Recording in 2004. In 2005 she signed with Triloka, which released selections from her first two albums on one self-titled disc.