- Asha Puthli performs at Glastonbury Festival at age 79.
- Puthli plans her first world tour in 40 years.
- Her music has gained cult status and has been sampled by hip-hop stars.
Asha Puthli, a trailblazer in disco-soul-funk, continues to make waves at 79. After a standout performance at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival, Puthli is now preparing for her first world tour in four decades. Her journey, which began over 50 years ago when she moved from Mumbai to New York, is a testament to her remarkable vocal talent and determination.
Puthli initially went to New York with a dance scholarship and dreams of becoming a jazz singer. Despite facing numerous challenges, including clashes with a music industry not ready for a brown-skinned artist, she released several influential records in the 1970s and early 1980s. Though her music found success in Europe, it never broke into the American mainstream. By the 1980s, she retreated into semi-retirement, exhausted by the industry’s resistance.
However, her music didn’t fade into obscurity. In the 1990s and 2000s, it was rediscovered by crate-diggers and hip-hop artists like The Notorious B.I.G. and 50 Cent, who sampled her work, bringing her sound to a new generation.
Born in Mumbai in 1945, Puthli’s passion for jazz led her to New York, where she secured an audition with the Martha Graham School of Modern Dance. Despite the challenges of traveling from socialist India, she managed to stay in the US and eventually caught the attention of legendary producer John Hammond. Her vocals on Ornette Coleman’s 1972 album “Science Fiction” earned her critical acclaim, but CBS Records struggled to market her unique sound.
Frustrated by the lack of support in the US, she moved to Europe and released her most defining work, “The Devil is Loose,” in 1976. Despite its success, the album wasn’t released in the US, prompting Puthli to relocate to Palm Beach, Florida.
In recent years, her music has seen a resurgence, particularly among South Asian artists. Performances in Mumbai and collaborations with artists like Imaad Shah and Raveena Aurora have reignited her career. Now, with plans for a world tour and a special homecoming gig in Mumbai, Puthli is ready to celebrate her decades-long career with fans old and new.
