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Similar Gonzaga Coutinho, Chris Perry, Lorna Cordeiro, António Chainho, Remo Fernandes | ||
Sonia shirsat
Sonia Shirsat is a Fado singer in India. She is from the region of Goa, which till 1961 was a Portuguese colony and is now a State within India. Shirsat has been called "the ambassador of Goan music to the world". A professional singer for over a decade, she has performed in many parts of the globe, across India and often during cultural and music events in Goa.
Contents
- Sonia shirsat
- Sonia shirsat goa
- Background
- Getting into the Fado
- Musicography and performances
- Awards
- Media comments
- Discography
- Songs
- References
She sings in 13 different languages
Sonia shirsat goa
Background
In her earlier day job, Shirsat was a lecturer of law, and newspaper reports in Goa have noted that she "bagged an international award for her speaking skills, much before she started singing professionally". She holds an LL.M (Master's in Law) degree. She started singing as a hobby, and has been a professional singer since about 1999. Her mother is Roman Catholic and her father, Hindu.
Getting into the Fado
Shirsat is one of the few from India to excel in the Fado, a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal or earlier. She credits Portuguese guitarist Antonio Chainho, who was offering guitar training in Goa some years ago. At the end of the workshop, there was a search for someone to sing the Fado. Shirsat's voice was found to have "fitted perfectly for the song", and thus began her "tryst with the genre", she says. In five years time, she performed at her first-ever solo concert, in Portugal, 2008.
As of 2016, she has performed in Goa, Daman, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Luxembourg, Macau, Kuwait, France, Singapore, Hawaii, Nepal, Canada, London, Dubai, Muscat, Lisbon and Qatar.
Shirsat has performed along with some of the Fado greats, including Katia Guerreiro, Maria Ana Bobone, Raquel Tavares, Rao Kyao, Carlos do Carmo, Argentina Santos, Miguel Capucho, Ricardo Rocha and Mestro Antonio Chainho. She has performed on a number of occasions on a number of Portugal-based TV channels, including in live performances on RTPI, Sociedade Independente de Comunicação and Televisão Independente.
In Goa, she is known for her live performances at a number of venues, including the Art Chamber at Calangute.
Musicography and performances
Awards
Shirsat has won the following awards:
Media comments
The Hindu newspaper said of her: "Sonia is a prodigious singer with a versatile voice. Rated as the best Fadista in India of all time, the talented singer has toured across the globe."
Discography
Songs
Summer Holiday2000
Day Tripper2000
Silver BellsChristmas Carols Vol - 2 · 1999