JULY 6, 2017
“INDIAN PRINCESS” (WRITER: MARTIN SMITH)
ARTIST: MONSOON
RELEASED 1982 ON 7” 45
In the times before “world music” was even a buzzword,
artists such as Sheila Chandra—who happened not to be white or easily pigeonholed—were
viewed almost as a curiosity.
Ms. Chandra, of Indian heritage but born in 1965 in England,
was known at an early age both for her beauty and her acting. At age 14 she was
cast in a British TV drama, where she remained until 1981.
When she left the series, she fell right into pop music.
Steve Coe, head of Indipop Records, apparently found an old demo tape of hers and
recruited her to front his Asian fusion group Monsoon.
The group's first single,
“Ever So Lonely,” featured beguiling instrumentation and Chandra’s crystal
voice. On its re-release as a 12” single, the song was a surprise hit, rising
to #12 on the British pop chart.
Sheila Chandra, 20 years old when “Ever So Lonely” charted, seemed
to tire of the pop star whirl pretty quickly. After three further Monsoon
singles, all less successful than the hit, the group dissolved. Three members of
Monsoon (Coe, Martin Smith, and Chandra) chose to play the long game,
retreating into studio work and allowing Chandra to develop herself creatively.
In 1984 she released her first solo LP, Out on My Own. Over time, working closely with Coe, she ventured further
into experimental vocal territory, releasing several albums/CDs worth of
chants, folk melodies, and drone pieces before really hitting her stride with a
trilogy of influential and utterly singular CDs (Weaving My Ancestors’ Voices, The
Zen Kiss, and Abonecronedrone) for
Peter Gabriel’s Real World label between 1992–96.
Following a break, Chandra released the excellent This Sentence is True, in 2001, in a
partnership with the Ganges Orchestra (which included Coe). She spent the next
few years touring solo as well as singing with various ensembles including
Imagined Village and Ancient Beatbox.
Unfortunately, in 2010 she began suffering from burning
mouth syndrome, a rare but awful malady especially devastating to a singer. She
is not expected to sing again, as doing so causes her extreme physical pain. Sadly, Coe,
an extremely successful musician and producer in several genres, passed away in
2013, ending a great musical partnership.
Sheila Chandra has found a new career as an organizer,
writing two books: Banish Clutter Forever
and the new Organizing for Creative
People. She mentors artists, advising them on their career choices and in
how to work creatively in a world that doesn't encourage such pursuits.
This is a long, roundabout way of getting to today’s song, “Indian
Princess,” the b-side of Monsoon’s third single, a cover of the Beatles’
“Tomorrow Never Knows.” Martin Smith wrote “Indian Princess” and it’s both a
perfect vehicle for Monsoon’s sound and for Sheila Chandra’s then 21-year-old
pipes.
A luscious production, “Indian Princess” begins softly with
sitar, tabla, and (probably) tanpura then adds slowly—a piano here, some extra
percussion there—before cresting into a gorgeous flute solo. The music and
lyrics paint a dramatic, downcast picture and the song is performed nearly perfectly
by all concerned.
Even if she eventually chose not to, Sheila Chandra sure could
sing pop music.
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