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Exclusive Interview With Up and Coming Songstress Anjulie

Check out this exclusive Desi Hits! interview with rising star Anjulie at New York City's Joe's Pub. The Indian singer/songwriter hailing from Canada gives us an insider's look into her influences, culture, and new album.

She has already been featured on hit MTV shows like 'The Hills' and 'The City' and toured with Jesse McCartney, whose fans gave her a thumbs up. Even Kanye West recently posted her music video on his personal blog. Here's what she had to tell us.

Many of our fans may be unfamiliar with your music, so can you tell us a little about your personal musical journey?

Anjulie: I'm from Canada, my parents are from Guyana which is a state bordered by Brazil and Venezuela, and my grandparents emigrated from India. When I moved to New York City, I really found that I had many songs to write and I began to write the album. It just progressed from there. It'll be out on August 4th on Hear Music which is a record label created by partners Starbucks and the famous Jazz label Concord Music Group. It's definitely an album that will have something for everyone.

Nylon Magazine said that we could "pick up on three generations of [your] families "migration patterns" in your music. How do you think we hear this in your work?

Anjulie: I grew up in a house where there was always music. My parents played calypso and reggae and on the other end of the spectrum, my brother listened to Michael Jackson-so I think I've been influenced by that. And when I was growing up I really loved Alanis Morissette's 'Jagged Little Pill,' which was truly an amazing album encompassing female independence.

Boom

You play the guitar, but do you play any other instruments? And do you have any training?

Anjulie: I play computer music and use programs like Garage Band. Other than that I think my training is more from being immersed in music while I was growing up.

So which mainstream artist would you say you're most influenced by?

Anjulie: Like I said, Alanis Morissette is a big influence and Lauryn Hill.

At Desi Hits! we're big on engineering collaborations amongst artists. Besides Alanis Morissette or Lauryn Hill who else would be your dream collaborators?

Anjulie: Definitely Timbaland and Kanye West. He featured me on his blog which was so amazing!

Do you feel that you've been influenced musically by your cultural background at all?

Anjulie: I grew up around a lot of white kids, but I always felt something different inside. I think the colors and music of South America and India are what I draw from my culture.

So what do you do to get ready for a show?

Anjulie: (Laughs) I do twenty-seven pushups to get myself ready. And when I'm out there it's all about the performance. I'm not at the point where it's boring because I tour so much, so I put everything into my performances and I think that you can see when I'm up there that that's my strong point.

Are you familiar with Bollywood at all?

Anjulie: (Laughs) I'm really just familiar with the American Bollywood movies like 'Bride and Prejudice'.

If someone from Bollywood approached you to work on a Bollywood soundtrack, would you agree to do it?

Anjulie: I would! I mean, I would want to learn more about it before I went in to do something like that. I don't want people to assume that just because I have brown skin that I can just go in and do it, but yeah I would definitely be open to that.

Now for a totally random question...what is your favorite food?

Anjulie: Mango! I just love a good sweet, juicy mango where the skin just falls right off.

You need to hear some of Anjulie's tunes. Check out the music video below and let us know what you think.

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Kanti Shah Reveals Info about His Shiney Ahuja Movie

Kanti Shah isn’t known for making sappy Bollywood movies. So it’s no surprise that a topic most people would be a little unwilling to take on; such as the subject of rape, has interested Shah.

If you happen to be a fan of him, then you’ll be happy to know that he’s making a film that’s named ‘Rape’. Yes, there’s no hidden meaning or double entendre here. And guess who the movie is based on? The controversial Shiney Ahuja rape case of course!

Kanti Shah opened up to Bollywood Hungama and said "Yes, my latest film ‘Rape’ has been heavily inspired by the Shiney Ahuja case. While the hero's name is Imran, the heroine is Sapna and both are newcomers. Mark my words; they are definitely the faces to watch out for! My film has got 5 songs in all with its lilting music composed by the very talented Sameer Sen (of Dilip Sen - Sameer Sen). Of these 5 songs, two are super duper item numbers!"

He also added, "All that I can tell you is that since the film is called ‘Rape’, it will obviously deal with the sensitive subject of rape. And it has the hero raping the heroine. That's all. I think I have told you enough. Beyond this, I cannot tell even a word more. But, do watch out for this film soon! It's bound to rock the nation."

We want to know what you think about this movie idea from Kanti Shah? Do you think that he’ll do a good job with it or do you think that it’s going to be B grade stuff? Let us know your thoughts in the form of a comment.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Doesn’t Have Time for Children

There are mixed rumors about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being preggers. The gossip has been spreading around the internet for quite some time. But Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan say they don’t have time for kids right now. And for all of the actresses too busy to actually take care of their children; this is pretty much good news.

The two years that Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan have been married have been happy ones. There’s no truth to pregnancy rumors, nor to the ones regarding their relationship. Although they are busy for work, they are not at the point where they’re too busy for one another.

But the time spent on big projects has made it impossible for the two to make time for children. That’s why lately; Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been making it clear that she is not pregnant. We’re sure the news will come out if and when it happens, but as for now there’s no truth to these rumors.

Kadhal Sandhya ready for Glamour?

School girl turned actress Sandhya considers shedding her clothes on silver screen in forthcoming movies. The Malayalam based and Chennai Vidyodaya school girl Revathy was spotted by Director Balaji Sakthivel and she become popular in the name of Sandhya after hot trick success of Tamil movie “Kadhal”.



Sandhya now acts in Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada movies. She has been acting around Ten Tamil movies, but none of them is gave any break to her career. The ordinary school going shy girl look Sandhya has very good assets since she born in Kerala. Usually an actress has very less career span time, Sandhya want to conquer the chances... Sandhya’ well wishers advices her to show glamour in movies. The round faced Sandhya brainstorming about this advice and may be take bold decision any time. Beware another young fresh Glamour actress around the corner…