Draft:Rajalakshmee Sanjay

Rajalakshmee Sanjay Vocalist Composer Music Educator Rajalakshmee Sanjay is known for her versatile musicianship, vocal elegance and fluidity that enables her to adapt to various styles of music with great ease. Born in to a family of illustrious musicians and surrounded by a wealth of music, Rajalakshmee developed a keen and discerning sense of music. She was only 5 years old when she was initiated in to the complex world of Carnatic music by her mother. She continued her formal vocal training in Hindustani classical music from her Guru Sri Chandrakant Apte of the Gwalior Gharana. Alongside this training she also graduated as Sangeet Vishaarad in Hindustani Classical vocal from the Gandharava Mahavidyalay, Mumbai. She complemented her training in Indian Classical music with her studies on Western Classical music; she has completed 4 grades in Western Classical music theory. Furthermore, she has specialized in Voice Culture under the guidance of Shri Gautham Mukherji for light music. As she developed her artistry, Rajalakshmee participated in a number of prestigious singing competitions. She was also a participant of 2 notable music reality shows - Antakshari and Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Her vocal prowess did not go unnoticed and soon she was offered a number of opportunities for playback singing in Hindi and regional movies. In fact, she has lent her voice to songs in 10 Indian languages. One of her popular song is Kokku Para Para from the hit Tamil movie, Chandramukhi. She has also worked with esteemed composers such as Ilaiyaraaja and Academy Award winner, A.R. Rahman. Although primarily a vocalist, diction coach, composer and educator, Rajalakshmee took on the challenge to explore the various aspects of the creative industry; she had a brief stint as a Research Coordinator at Zee Telefilms for its most popular musical shows. Rajalakshmee's repertoire also includes extensive work on non-film music. Her first album, Madhur Mantra was released in 2011. She tapped in to the rich traditions of Indian raagas to create music that would help the mind enter a meditative state. Many of her compositions and recordings also feature on Rajshri Soul, a digital platform of Rajshri Entertainment. One of her most notable work that received widespread acclaim is her rendition of the Mahishasur Mardini Stotram. With over 50 million views on Youtube, her powerful voice has touched the hearts of many. Apart from her work as a vocalist and composer, Rajalakshmee dedicates a significant portion of her time to pursuing the rewarding passion of teaching music. She has been actively conducting workshops and private classes for over ten years. She was also a tutor with Carnatica.com. In addition to this, she has served as the Vocal Director for participants of the popular Amazon Prime music reality show, The Remix. As an educator, her focus is on developing a strong foundation in music fundamentals in order to empower her students to experience creative independence. Her method of instruction is learner-centered - she crafts her lessons to meet the needs of the individual student. This helps her students connect with the lessons and creates an environment that is conducive to their growth. Moreover, given her diverse musical training, she is able to teach a variety of genres, namely, Hindustani music, Carnatic music, semi-classical, light music and modern Bollywood music. Rajalakshmee is currently based in Mumbai with her family. She continues to record and compose music extensively while pursuing her love of teaching music. Her music is available across major digital platforms such as iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, JioSaavn and Gaana, to name a few.