Legendary jazz singer Asha Puthli has captured the world’s imagination for decades. Her soft, lilting vocals have topped charts and been sampled across disco, hip-hop and house; her outré fashion statements embraced pillowcases and Bill Gibb dresses were coveted and imitated by the iconic Donna Summers. Seated opposite Puthli in her Palm Beach pad in Florida is Raveena Aurora, the record-breaking musician who became the first woman of Indian origin to take the stage at Coachella earlier this year, with her performance of Dum Maaro Dum alongside her wink-wink tweet on the origins of the song satirising the Westernisation of Eastern spirituality.
On the 29-year-old’s sophomore album Ashas Awakening, Asha’s Kiss’ is an ethereal, soft offering at the temple of East-meets-West sounds that the R&B star has come to symbolise. The New York-born artiste’s track is a panegyric to Puthli’s legacy: a meeting of two generations, past and present.
Below are snippets from a tender conversation between the two collaborating artistes that elides the years between them.
This story is from the November 2022 edition of VOGUE India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2022 edition of VOGUE India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Real Deal
Triptii Dimri's unfiltered spirit shines through as she races ahead on her journey to the field of stars.
Mrs.Prada
Almost everyone refers to Miuccia Prada in the most formal of ways, but she herself has never been one to stand on ceremony. WENDELL STEAVENSON meets a designer who has built an empire in her own image: iconic, iconoclastic and enormously influential.
Happily ever laughter
South Asians have long clamoured for a seat at the comedy table. Now, Vidura BR, Sabeen Sadiq, Hari Kondabolu and Abby Govindan are in on all the jokes
Anchors aweigh
Having moved houses almost every year of her life, KALYANI ADHAV's experiences are proof that home is not a place, it's a feeling
Console sisters
India's female gamers are rewriting the age-old narrative that views women as objects of desire or damsels in need of saving.
Soft serve
His untimely disappearance from the big screen nine years ago may have caused serious heartburn, but Imran Khan is ready to pick up where he left off-with a few upgrades.
The end of olitter?
Or are we just at the beginning—of a new era of microplastic-free, perfectly-healthy-to-eat sparkle. TAMAR ADLER reports on glitz to feel good about
Smooth operator
Can retinol pack the wrinkle-reducing power without the irritation? Chloe Malle test-drives a new generation of kinder formulas rebooting the superstar skincare ingredient
The great gamble
At the Gucci Ancora showcase in Singapore, Vogue India got within a hair’s breadth of Sabato De Sarno’s debut collection. ROCHELLE PINTO reports on the new direction
Blue jean baby
LEE X Suneet Varma's collaboration featuring Sara Ali Khan merges classic denim with Indian couture.