About
Born in Kolkata, the city of arts and culture, Anami is the eldest daughter of Mr Satyananda and Mrs Pratima Basu. Anami’s introduction into music began at a very early age due to the huge influence of Classical, Instrumental and Vocal music in her everyday life, as her parents are ardent appreciators of this art form. Anami’s father also introduced her to world music by bringing back cassettes of the popular bands wherever he travelled to, whilst Anami’s mother, who was a vocalist in her former years, encouraged Anami to listen to compositions of the Noble prize winner Kavi Guru Rabindranath Tagore, as well as the Bengali poet Kaazi Nazrul Islam. Alongside developing her knowledge in music, Anami was also introduced to the literary works of Rabindranath Tagore, Sarat Chandra Chattyopadhyay, Wordsworth, Shakespeare and Keats in her early years through her formal education, thus developing her appreciation for literature.
Anami’s interest in music, especially Bollywood, grew in her early teens, when she would often be drawn to the voice of Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Geeta Dutt whilst doing her homework – she clearly found Music more enticing!! She also loved Bengali film music by Hemant Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Arati Mukherjee and Sandhya Mukherjee. However, as she belonged to a family of academics, her highly educated parents directed her more towards her academic education. Whilst at school, Anami naturally found herself as a lead in the musical activities and stage performances. Persuaded by this, Anami’s parents enrolled her into Gitabitaan (Rabindranath Tagore’s academy for performing arts) and Ananda Shankar Dance Academy to learn dance, while her mother taught her how to play the harmonium and do basic vocal exercises. Anami came to the UK at an early age of 19 and life took its course. Anami worked and studied simultaneously but unfortunately put her dreams of performing arts aside to succeed in the professional field of finance.
Her keen interest in music only grew during this time, as she ventured further afield into listening, not only to Bollywood, but also pop and world music, folk music like Bhatiyali and Baul, and Punjabi folk music by Gurdaas Maan. Anami also developed a keen love for Ghazals inspired by the Ghazal Maestros, Jagjit Singh and Mehdi Hassan Khan Sahab. Following her passion for singing, Anami had formal training from various proficient music teachers, but her understanding of Hindustani and Bollywood Music was truly ignited by the prolific and well acclaimed veteran Bollywood playback artist, Mangal Singh. Mangal Singh understood Anami’s love for Bollywood, and her veneration of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle and personally hand-held Anami through the fine nuances of Bollywood playback singing along with vocal coaching to give her a strong foundation. Mangal Singh continues to be her teacher and mentor. Driven by the infectious love for Ghazals, Anami approached the Ghazal Maestro Tauseef Akhtar, who’s work Anami had been following and observed him to be the flag bearer of the majestic genre of Ghazals in both traditional and modern styles. After seeing Anami’s passion and dedication for this art form, Tauseef Akhtar accepted Anami as a disciple and continues to teach her simultaneously, alongside Mangal Singh.
Anami is a singer - performer who specialises in the Bollywood genre, starting from the ‘Golden Oldies’ era to modern Bollywood music, with a special affinity towards songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. She is known for her distinctive, interactive and effervescent style and presence on stage and her ability to communicate with her audience while being totally devoted to her performance. Anami is a talent to reckon with and is a promising artist for the coming times.