Brimful of Asha

The new Gorillaz album may introduce some to the marvel that is Asha Bhosle, but hers isn’t a legacy to be encapsulated in one collab, not matter how exciting it may be

- Deepanjana Pal

When the British virtual band Gorillaz, created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, released the cover art for their album, The Mountain, last year, it caused a fair bit of excitement.

The band’s four cartoon members were shown perched on the craggy peak of a mountain, looking down ata cloud-covered world. Above their heads was the Hindi word for Mountain, in Devanagari: Parvat.

When the album was released, on February 27, it became obvious why. Collaborators include beloved Indian artists: playback legend Asha Bhosle, disco queen Asha Puthli, sarod players Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash. It's exciting.

Yet the idea that Gorillaz’ The Shadowy Light might be someone's introduction to Bhosle’s singing left me with a one-word reaction: Eep!