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Bishi, born Bishnu Priya is a British singer, musician and DJ. She is a London-based multi-instrumentalist strongly influenced by annual visits to the Ravi Shankar School in Delhi. Bishi was first recognised in 2001 as the central DJ & 'face' of London's experimental underground nightclub, Kash Point.
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History
Born in London to a Bengali family, Musician/Artist/Performer Bishi Bishi was classically trained in the piano & received voice training in both Hindustani & Western Classical styles. Her mother Susmita Bhattacharya, is an acclaimed Bishi also received training in the Sitar under Gaurav Mazumdar, a senior disciple of Ravi Shankar. Her musical influences also include English folk and disco. Bishi's panoramic exploration of vocal music reached as far as singing with The London Bulgarian Choir & ancient English folk music to exploring the extended techniques of Meredith Monk.
Bishi began her musical career in The Sound Storm - an improvised electro acoustic performance art troupe led by London night club legend Matthew Glamorre and his longtime collaborator Richard Torry. Whilst in her teens, she inaugurated. various cult London nightclubs such as 'The Siren Suite,' & 'Kashpoint' as a resident DJ, with creative partner Matthew Hardern. The pair have so far, released two albums in collaboration; 'Nights at The Circus,' and 'Albion Voice.'
Bishi is characterised by her glamorous and extravagant stage appearance. Her commissions & live stage collaborations have included The London Symphony Orchestra, The English National Opera, The Brooklyn Youth Chorus, The Whitechapel Gallery, Joanna McGregor, Nico Muhly, Martin Carthy & Norma Waterson. Bishi appeared as a guest at the world premiere of Double Fantasy Live, for Yoko Ono's Meltdown at the Royal Festival Hall (2013).
Media appearances include the BBC's Culture Show and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Recently she has attracted critical attention and been nominated for the 2008 South Bank Show Awards – the 'Times Breakthrough Award'.
Her first album Nights at the Circus was described as "Falling somewhere between M.I.A. and Simon and Garfunkel via a stint at music college," with Bishi being hailed as "a welcome breath of air." The album was performed in its entirety with the strings of The London Symphony Orchestra in June 2008 at LSO St Luke's. Also in 2008 she was asked to join a tour of the English female singers 'The Daughters of Albion' alongside the likes of Norma Waterson and June Tabor. She has toured and collaborated with close friend Patrick Wolf and ex-Moloko singer Roisin Murphy. She appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on Friday 3 October, singing "Never Seen Your Face".
In March 2009 Bishi (in collaboration with composer Neil Kaczor) was commissioned by The British Film Institute and Birds Eye View Festival to compose a score for the 1923 silent film Salome. The first live performance was rapturously received at the National Film Theater on London's South Bank.
Bishi's live performances explore interactive multimedia & film. 'Albion Voice,' was featured in Julien Temple's film, London The Modern Babylon. ‘Dia Ti Maria’ – featuring The Kronos Quartet, won best soundtrack for the Manish Arora film, ‘Holi Holy’ at ASVOFF 6: A Shaded View on Fashion Film 6. Bishi recently featured as a vocalist on Richard Grayson’s Video Installation, ‘Nothing can Stop us Now,’ which consisted of the song "Stalin Wasn’t Stallin", made famous by Robert Wyatt, arranged by composer, Leo Chadburn.
She released her second album, Albion Voice, digitally on 16 July 2012 via iTunes.