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T's Unfinished Bio!
  Infectious, authentic, with a voice that is pure pop prowess—not to mention liquid black eyes and a face that could launch a thousand ships—TINA SUGANDH is the next wave of global music. Fusing rock, pop and a little bit of Bollywood, the young singer has a lot to show the western world about her varied influences. “That’s my goal—to introduce mainstream America to some Indian sounds,” she muses. “Maybe it’s time for our beats to shine, just like Latin-tinged music has.” On her debut album, written primarily by her, Tina explores multifaceted relationships, self pride, and other human emotions and sets them to beats that are seared on the brain in one spin. On “Aja,” which translates to “come my way” in Hindi, bhangra thumps and an electrifying guitar riff are the backdrop to Tina’s crystal-clear vocals, with the slightest hint of her roots. “You Without Me,” produced by Track and Field, reveals Tina’s vulnerability through a chorus that’s registers instantly. “Patiently Wait”, produced by Lester Mendez, opens with tabla blows and staccato guitar strums, then crescendos to a repeated line filled with emotion. Perhaps the album’s most exotic track, “Stay,” is layered with heart wrenching Indian strings and percussions, as well as plaintive vocal acrobatics by Tina. With this first album, Tina Sugandh creates a unique sound, proving herself to be a passionate writer and skilled instrumentalist, with an equally intense voice. Growing up in New Jersey (her parents moved from Bombay when she was five months old), Tina Sugandh was immersed in music. Naturally gifted with an enchanting voice, the matriarch of her close-knit family sang on the radio and at various functions (when she wasn’t carrying out her responsibilities as a marketing executive), and the patriarch was a charismatic and charming master of ceremony, singer, and comedian (when he wasn’t teaching at his University). Together, they were an enthralling couple, entertaining friends at gatherings and parties. After Tina and her vocally-gifted sister, Seema, were born, they hit the performance circuit as a family act. By the time she was five, Tina had found her calling. That started “The Sugandh Family” music legacy. “The first time my parents allowed me to sing on stage was at a fair,” she recalls. “I sang a ghazal, which is a type of song you can sing only if you have a trained voice. As soon as I got up there, I felt invigorated, and extremely comfortable. My parents were pleasantly surprised when they realized I was trying to steal the spotlight! It was so obvious that my future would involve more moments like that one.” Throughout Tina’s school years, The Sugandh Family performed all over the U.S. and the Caribbean, and gained a sizable following in the Indian community. At one concert, Tina’s father had a slight fever and Tina noticed he was a bit fatigued. Tina begged to take over for one song and play the drum that he played, called the dholak. As she began to play, the audience was dumbstruck. “My father wondered how a seven-year-old could have a sense of rhythm like that.” Tina’s parents decided to introduce her to a more intricate drum, the tabla, a two-barreled percussion that takes years to master. “But dictating rhythm came so naturally to me. I loved playing live. People would see me sitting behind the drum and think, oh, how cute—she’s tuning the tabla for her father to play. No one suspected that I would actually have the muscle to play this male-dominated instrument-then I’d blow them away.” Her proficiency earned her a nickname: TablaGirl. As a 15-year-old Tina was discovered Sean Harris, a screenwriter and creative mentor who would help shape Tina’s talents. Sean eventually convinced Tina that she should pursue music as a career and, to that end, spent time working on a demo. Between her studies as a biology major at Rutgers University (where she eventually graduated on the Dean’s List), and weekend performances with the Sugandh Family, Tina would drive to Washington DC to work with Sean, who arranged photo shoots and studio time for her, and most importantly, encouraged her to write her own music. “I was never one of those girls who wrote poetry, so when I began songwriting, I approached it from a scientific perspective,” she says. “I listened to pop music, studied the structure and devised a formula. And eventually, the science experiment became a creative process.” The first song she wrote was “I Spit Fire,” which appears on her debut album. Once Tina completed the creation of her meticulous demo and promo package, Tina approached her future scientifically. “Every morning I’d send out a few demos, make about 30 calls to labels, and keep very detailed notes on each conversation,” she laughs. “I’d write down every time I followed up. It was studious and dorky, but when I want something to work, I create a plan and persistently follow through until I get what I want.” Her homework paid off when a friend introduced her to her soon to be manager, who was then working with Jessica Simpson and Mariah Carey. Whisking her off to Copenhagen to re-record the demo with up-and-coming producers the Supaflyas and the Monkeyboyz, Tina soon landed a publishing deal with Warner/ Chappell and a deal with Hollywood Records. Working with producers Ming & F. S., Dr. Luke, Lester Mendes and Track & Field, Tina co-wrote all 12 tracks on her debut. The songs are filled with optimism, longing and self-confidence. Flitting between fun nights of clubbing (“Inevitably”) to her relationship with her mother (‘You Without Me”), to the heart-wrenchingly beautiful love song (“Stay”) Tina is determined to keep her message positive and remain true to her heritage. Instruments, like the dholak, the tabla and the harmonium appear all over the tracks. Even the Sugandh Family make several cameo appearances on the album, which is both ancient and modern, listenable and danceable. With her Hollywood Records debut, Tina Sugandh unveils her blend of exotic Asian rhythms and show-stopping ballads to the world. “I’m excited to show the world a bit of the exotic sounds that I grew up with,” confesses Tina, who also hosts the popular cable program Asian Variety Show on Saturday mornings (“It’s the Entertainment Tonight for Bollywood.”). “There was a time when Latin music was a bit foreign, and now you hear its beauty everywhere. I believe it’s time for Indian music to explode.” By lighting the fuse, Tina Sugandh is among the first to ignite the Indian explosion.

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