From ‘Mommy had a little baby’ to ‘Mercy’, a historic ride for this Florida girl.

By Deepak Chitnis

WASHINGTON, DC: Asha Sing, a young Indian American recording artist from the East coast, released her first single, ‘Mercy’, in 2013. It became the first single by a female desi singer to ever hit the Billboard charts, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot Singles Chart in September.

The road to reach that historic benchmark was not an easy one, and in this interview with The American Bazaar, Sing talks about her background, how and why she decided to enter the music industry in a professional capacity, and where she hopes her career will take her in the future.

Excerpts from the interview:

Can you talk about your background, and what kind of interests outside of music you have?

I was born in New York and raised in South Florida. In high school I was crowned a winner at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY singing Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”. That opportunity opened a lot of doors for me. I was signed to a talent Agency in NY and received scholarships to attend college at the University of Miami to study music. More opportunities came and I had the experience of working with Shakira and Daddy Yankee. This past May I graduated from college and a few months later released my first single “Mercy.” It has been a very rewarding journey and I feel very blessed. Besides music, I really love food! I love cooking and I really love trying new cuisines.

How did you first get into music and singing? When did you realize that it was something you wanted to pursue professionally, and what was the reaction to that decision like from friends and family?

I first started singing around my family and in church as soon as I could make a sound. I was always making up songs and singing my own made up stories. My dad has this old home video of me when my little sister was born of me singing

“Mary had a little lamb” but changing the lyrics to “Mommy had a little baby.” I have always dreamed of being a singer. There has never been a plan B for me. I went to the University of Miami to major in Music Business to really understand what I was getting myself into. My entire family has always known this is my dream and passion and they have always been my number one supporters. I am very lucky to have a mom and dad involved in my career and my decisions. I couldn’t do it without them.

Although Indians come from a very music-oriented culture, there aren’t a lot of Indian Americans in the US music industry – why do you think that is, and what do you think sets you apart from all the other young Indian Americans trying to make a name for themselves?

I think for anyone to be involved in anything and to succeed in it you have to have a passion and determination towards it. The music business is complicated and difficult so unless you really want it, you won’t be apart of it because people won’t let you in. There may not be an overwhelming amount of Indian Americans in this business but the ones that are here are serious about their craft and are talented. Quality over quantity, right?

What kinds of obstacles have you faced in pursuing music as a career, both professionally and personally?

Professionally some of the obstacles are budgeting. It costs to produce, record, release videos and music, take pictures etc. but I do have fans that buy my music and come out to my shows. Every iTunes download goes a long way so I am very thankful for the support but there is always some kind of bill to pay. You learn to be creative with what you have.

Personally, I sometimes get anxious thinking about the future. I’m a planner and with this profession you can’t necessarily plan out every step and even if you do, you have no idea the outcome. So at times that can be a struggle for me. It’s so different now graduating from school and having that phase of my life over. There is no more structure of classes to attend or tests to study for. I’m in the real world constantly coming up with ways to keep my career going. It can be scary at times. I have no idea how some people do it alone. I have a very good support system that keeps me grounded.

You have a single out that’s hit the Billboard charts and several covers/remixes of other songs. Since you’re becoming more prolific, can audiences expect an album to drop sometime soon?

I am really happy with the success of “Mercy.” The whole way that song even came together makes me laugh cause I never meant to write it in the first place but one thing led to another and it debuted No. 7 on a chart that had One Direction in the No. 1 spot. It still blows my mind. My next single will be out early 2014, featuring Mickey Singh. I’d like to release one more single after that and an EP. There is definitely an album in the works for the future but no set date yet.

What’s your view of the US music industry today, in terms of the type and quality of music that it’s putting out?

A bigger window is being opened for independent artists now which I think is awesome and exciting. I feel like a lot of great music is currently coming from international waters but I have a feeling there is going to be a new cycle of artists from the US that’ll be taking over the industry soon. Hopefully, I’m one of them.

What genre would you label your music as being a part of?

My music is commercial pop. I’m not complicated about the genre I would place myself in but I do experiment with a lot of different sounds and beats, mainly trying to create a marriage between my Indian roots and American upbringing as you can really hear in the single remix, “Mercy (Daniel Simmons Remix).

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mercy-single/id670533466

What kind of a message do you want to send through your music?

I really try to convey emotion through my music. Whatever I am feeling or writing about, I want my listener to feel it too.

What musicians do you look up to and strive to be like? What musicians would you like to work with?

I look at artists that have longevity in their careers. Amazing voices like Celine Dion and Beyonce are what I strive to be like. I really love what Pharrel has been up to. He has so much creativity. I would love to work with him and have some of his magic rub off on me.

I always release a fun 15 second clip of me singing every Monday on Instagram and I take requests! So let me know what you want to hear and I’ll sing it for you.

To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com