JOIN US'There is a certain charm about India'
Blues singer Dana Gillespie has a certain love for India. She is fascinated by the place, its people and its many costumes. And more than anything, the music scene, which she observes is alive and never fails to surprise anyone.
Best known for her unique style of performance, Dana performed recently in Bangalore in a packed space and got people to literally groove to her tunes.
In an interview with Metrolife, Dana spoke on various things including what keeps her on her feet and how she manages to come up with new tunes and lyrics every time she hits the stage.
A devotee of Sai Baba, Dana ends up flying into the City every year during his birthday just to feel his presence. She did the same this year too. “I always combine my visits to the ashram with my holiday in India. There is a certain charm about India and its many traditions,” confesses Dana.
Dana was once asked to perform on Sai Baba’s 70th birthday and she did so without any second thoughts. She says she cherishes that moment till date. “I composed devotional music under the pseudonym ‘Thirdman’ just for that day,” she adds.
Dana has performed with some of the biggest names in the music industry across the world and explored several genres of music. But somehow, blues has remained with her. She was always drawn to it and when you ask her why people dub ‘blues’ as erotic, she says, “Yes. The lyrics are very sensuous and you need to be in a certain frame of mind when you listen to blues. It touches you deeply and its sensuality can make the listener go ecstatic,” she states. She further points out that the lyrics, she pens, stem from her own experiences in life. “Lyrics and the music are born out of what I feel. My experiences and sometimes, the people I meet also find place in the score,” she notes.
Dana has a couple of concerts and projects lined up in the coming year. But as she continues to score new music, she chooses to stick to a vegetarian diet as this keeps her fit. “I tour a lot and this means that I have to stay in shape and be healthy. So while I am largely a vegetarian, I occasionally indulge in a plate of chocolates just to keep the boredom away,” she sums up.