MUMBAI: NCPA’s presentation in Western Music, 'Classic Soul by Samantha Edwards' held on Saturday, 15 October 2016 was a success.
Edwards started her show by showcasing the evolution of music and then went on to create some social and political awareness. "We also incorporated rap related to the current political issues. It was created by 18-year-old, Aarya Gadkari who has been my student for four years," stated Edwards.
A leading vocal and soft skills instruction provider, Edwards has trained close to 1000 students till date. And most of the singer's band members for the 'Classic Soul' gig were her students.
Currently, Edwards is busy working on her EP with Louis Banks and Gino Banks. "I have completed one song so far. There are four more to go."
The EP will be a mix of Edwards musical influences. Thus, it will have Jazz, Blues, Funk, R&B and Soul. "Everything that I have learned over the years, between my lessons and gigs, will be a part of the EP," said the singer.
She stated that she has seen a remarkable change in the indie music scene over the years. "20 years ago nobody even regarded this. Today there is acceptance. Independent music is the way to go. Now, people want to know more about your music, more about you."
Edwards who has sung for films like ’12B’, ‘Kaante’, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Iyer’, ‘For Real’ and ‘Everybody Says I’m Fine’ and worked with music directors and producers like A R Rahman, Mani Ratnam, Shankar Ehssan Loy, Pt. Zakir Hussain, Ram Sampath, Vishal Bharadwaj, Clinton Cerejo, Salim Sulaiman, Pritam, Vishal Shekhar, Himesh Reshammiya, Nadeem Shravan, Jatin Lalit and Aadesh Srivastava amongst others is currently away from Bollywood. "I have been busy with gigs and teaching. So there is no Bollywood for now," clarified the singer.
Her voice has also featured in several films including 'Chak De!', 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham', 'Dhoom 1', 2 and 3, 'The Lion King' (dubbing) and 'High School Musical' (dubbing).