Something I noted which you don’t see as much in large Indian cities like Delhi or Mumbai is that generally most people (in Lahore) wear their local dress, which I find very elegant. There’s a certain collective uniform of dignity with the kurta or shalwar kameez and dupatta. I appreciated that globalization or western clothing brands hadn’t impacted that decorum - Jashn-e-Rekhta

 

The British Artist Who Sings Ghazals with Amazing Grace
By C. Naseer Ahmad
Washington, DC

Across the Urdu-speaking world, there is no shortage of talented singers who have mastered the art of singing ghazals by great poets – Mirza Ghalib, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, and Ahmad Faraz, just to name a few. But there is one amazing British artist Tanya Wells who stands alone because neither Urdu nor Punjabi is her ‘mother tongue.’

In the age of the Internet and YouTube, the currency is the number of ‘views’ for the videos uploaded. Tanya Wells, who is the lead singer in the ‘Seven Eyes’ musical group, has had many popular songs with millions of views. For instance, her performance of ‘Aaj Janey Ki Zi Na Karo’ in Lahore about four years ago has about 3.8 million views. Among her other outstanding performances is 2017 Jashn-e-Rekhta festival which included “Dunya Kisi Kay Piyar Mein Janat Sey Kam Nahin” and “Rafta Rafta Woh Meri Hasti Ka Saaman Ho Gaye” – each with millions of views; these are astounding numbers for a non-Urdu-speaking singer.

One is profoundly amazed to view Tanya Wells perform the songs such as “Gulon Mein Rang Bhare” immortalized by the legendary singer Mehdi Hasan. But it is not just the songs that Mehdi Hasan sang that Tanya has learned to perform well. Famous singer Tina Sani made listening to “Bahar Aai Hai,” written by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, a truly joyful experience. But viewing Tanya Wells sing the same song with such perfection is an ecstatic pleasure. Tanya Wells has beautifully performed “Man Kunto Maula” and “Dam a Dam Mast Qalander.”

Practice makes perfect, they say about almost every human effort and singing is no exception. Before Mehdi Hasan or Madam Noor Jahan made their songs big hits, they all must have spent hours doing their homework. These famed singers had an advantage, they primarily spoke Urdu. So, to understand how she got so good at her art, this writer asked Tanya Wells some questions, which are listed below with her answers.

1. How did you get into singing ghazals since Urdu doesn’t seem to be your first language?

I should firstly say that I lived in India as a child, from the formative years from 5 - 9 years of age, so I think hearing Hindi spoken and having had Hindi and singing lessons from a young age helped with picking up the nuances of pronunciation. I later studied music in 2012 with my teacher Pt Prabhakar Dhakde Guruji in Nagpur, India, who taught me many of his ghazal compositions. This was my first encounter with Urdu specifically. 

2. While singing some of these ghazals, your body language conveys that you get their philosophical meaning. It doesn’t appear that you are singing in a foreign language. So how did you master this?

That’s nice of you to say. I’d say two things about this. Firstly, I’m not fluent in Urdu. If I don’t understand the poetry, I’d read a translation to understand exactly what I’m singing. Secondly, the music has its own expression. Perhaps my body language is also expressing the emotional movement of the music.

3. You performed in Lahore, Pakistan. Are there any things about the city that like or don’t like?

Lahore, Lahore hae. The food is amazing. Also loved how green it was. Loved the city’s historical buildings, the fort, beautiful masjid, ancient cultural centers, the old city felt nostalgic. Something I noted which you don’t see as much in large Indian cities like Delhi or Mumbai is that generally most people wear their local dress, which I find very elegant. There’s a certain collective uniform of dignity with the kurta or shalwar kameez and dupatta. I appreciated that globalization or western clothing brands hadn’t impacted that decorum. 

Shared with the readers are some of the comments left on Tanya Wells’s YouTube channel:

On “Bahar Aai Hai” by Faiz, viewers wrote:

• “ Wow, What a beautiful rendition, excellent pronunciation, and superb control of voice. It's a difficult poem of Faiz to sing yet she did it with ease.”

• “She never fails to amaze us by her Urdu accent sooo close to a native speaker.”
• “I think at this point you have better accent and pronunciation in Urdu than me. Cheers from Florida.”
• “ Amazing reaction. Faiz was a class act just like yourself. I am from Lahore, and I feel his poetry everywhere in this town. While he was from a privileged background, his poetry was about love. Especially love for his English wife Alys. She was the inspiration for most of this poetry.”
• “ After Tina Sani I love this kalam in your voice.”

On “Man Kunto Maula” viewers wrote:

• “ One should have that spiritual touch and deep understanding of lyrics to elevate from the normal singing.”
• “The Most astonishing thing is that all songs sung by her are Pakistani singers’ songs.”
• “Her voice is celestial and supernatural. Nobody can be so immersed in her singing, divinely melodious.”
• “Thanks for uploading it today on the Birth Anniversary of Imam Ali (a.s.).”

On “Gulon Mein Rang Bhare,” viewers wrote:

• “For the first time I heard an English lady pronouncing Urdu with such a great fluency and accuracy.”
• “Oh wow, I just couldn't stop my tears raining down my eyes, I am from a very disturbed part of the world, (Kashmir) where the situation is always tense. This ghazal from Faiz Ahmed Faiz takes my mind to a different world. Your voice has a depth that's calming and soothing. Brought solace to my soul. Thanks”

On “Dunya Kis Kay Piyar Mein,” viewers wrote:

• “The version where Tanya sings in her room in preparation for a friend's marriage with her cat was much melodious, but this one shows she has matured. Mehdi Hasan Saa'b will live through the voice of Tanya Wells. Love from Bangladesh”
• “ What Mahdi Hassan would have said? 1.very good Urdu accent (extremely small variation only native speakers can identify). 2. Voice control in slow rhythm is a very difficult thing but the lady manages it beautifully. 3. Hats off!!! Bravo.”