Kavita Seth

Singer and composer Kavita Seth channels the world of Sufi mystics in her sublime renditions, which make her in demand by electronic artists and Bollywood maestros alike. • Trained in the Gwalior tradition of Indian classical vocals, Seth expanded her singing style to include ghazals, film music and devotional songs. • Sufi music also became part of Seth’s repertoire from the early 2000s performing at folk and classical shows across India. It wasn’t long before Bollywood came calling, with her first song recorded for Hindi thriller Vaada in 2005. • In 2009, she sang “Iktara” for Hindi coming-of-age film Wake Up Sid. It became one of her best-known Bollywood songs and won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, as well as a Star Screen Award and an International Indian Film Academy Award. • Seth remains choosy about the film songs she sings; she delivers impeccably on the happy-go-lucky “Tum Hi Ho Bandhu” from Cocktail (2012) and the emotional “Jeete Hain Chal” from Neerja in 2016. • She continues to focus on Sufi, folk and classical performances and studio work, but also pushes for experimentation. Her 2014 album Trance with Khusrow interpreted the works of mystic poet Amir Khusrau, with dance-floor-friendly production by her son Kanishk Seth. • The mother-son duo also brought out powerful electronic fusion songs like “Rangi Saari” in 2020. In 2019, Seth featured as vocalist on “Bombay Dreams”, a heady collaboration between EDM artists KSHMR and Lost Stories. • Seth has also had several outings as a composer for the screen, from Bollywood films like Ymi Yeh Mera India in 2009 to television series A Suitable Boy in 2020.