Merlin D'Souza

Merlin D'Souza

Merlin DSouza at BlueFrog Mumbai, March 2013
Background information
Also known as Merlyn
Origin Bombay, India
Genres Western_classical, Jazz, Bollywood, World music
Occupation(s) Composer, pianist, music director/ composer/ arranger
Instruments Piano
Years active 1996–present
Website merlindsouza.com

Merlin D'Souza (Merlyn) is an Indian woman composer and pianist from Bombay. dubbed by many as the "female-Rehman" of the country.She is a musician whose work includes composing for film, albums, theatre and advertising.[1] She is based at Bandra, a Mumbai suburb. Formerly the Asian jazz ambassador for Hennessy X.O.[2] – she has toured extensively, from Australia to China, from Europe to the United States (including a stint at the Blue Note, New York).[3]

Biography

Merlin started learning the piano at age 6, became an All India Radio performing artiste at 9, started playing in the church at 12 and bunked college at 18 to score and perform for Noel Godin's musical production (Blood Brothers). She is trained in western classical (Trinity College Performer's Licentiate) and liberated by jazz.

Her journey in theatre as a music director has seen her score for Alyque Padamsee's Romeo and Juliet, Pearl Padamsee's Godspell, Naseeruddin Shah's Julius Ceaser and Etienne Coutinho's Jazz., Raell Padamsee's: Sound of Music 2012, GREASE-2013[4]

Her foray into films as composer, arranger and vocal director has hit the right notes in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Road, Bus Yun Hi, Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula, Prince of Egypt and more.

She has gigged with Shubha Mudgal, Trilok Gurtu, Talvin Singh, Taufiq Qureshi, Rakesh Chaurasia.

Discography

Released her solo album "SOUL YATRA" with Bluefrog recors and Sony BMG.Recent album release as composer /producer for INDIVA with Crescendo and Universal Music Group.

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Merlin D'Souza profile by Underscore Records by Shubha Mudgal" http://underscorerecords.com/artistes/detail/87/Merlin-_De-Souza
  2. ↑ "Soul Yatra – brand ambassador for Hennessy XO" http://www.europejazz.net/news-pagenew-672.html
  3. ↑ Jerry Pinto, Nresh Fernandes Bombay, Meri Jaan: Writings on Mumbai – 2003– Page 323 "..scores and work them into entire tunes,' says Merlin D'Souza, Sebastian's daughter-in-law and a rising Bollywood music assistant herself. Sebastian had a brush with the film world in pre-Partition Lahore, where he led a band at Stiffle's hotel."
  4. ↑ "In the name of Jazz, Indian Express article" http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/latest-news/In-the-name-of-jazz/236178/
  5. ↑ "Bas Yun Hi at IMDB" http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1804001/

External links

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