She’s Danish and sings peppy numbers in Punjabi

NEW DELHI - Her peppy numbers in Punjabi are a hit and only that tiny hint of anglicized accent suggests she may not be of Indian descent. Meet Danish singer and songwriter Anita Lerche who performs in no less than 16 languages - but Punjabi is her favourite.

People in the national capital got a taste of Lerche’s talent at an event hosted by Danish brewery major Carlsberg Wednesday during which she charged the evening with numbers such as “Aao Ji”, “Chandni”, “Gori”, “My Heart is Beating” and “Maahiya”.

“I just love to sing in Punjabi. The music and the beats are lively. There’s also this certain spirit, which makes people love this type of mucic,” the singer, who recently released a new album “Heer From Denmark” in India, told IANS after the two-hour performance.

According to Lerche, who is in her 20s and is based in Copenhagen, she took to Punjabi music in 2005 during a trekking tour in Kullu and Manali in Himachal Pradesh following which she ended up in Hoshiarpur with an offer for an album, and grabbed the opportunity. “I was mesmerised by Punjabi music.”

She has another solo album to ger credit, “I Love Piano”, and is currently working on the third, which she says is a fusion of Western and Indian music. Little wonder, she has been approached by some Bollywood music directors to sing and appear in films.

Lerche also won the World Track of the Year award at the Danish World Awards in 2009 that was held at the Copenhagen Jazzhouse in October. She was also declared the Best Non-Resident Female Debutant at the MH1 Music Channel awards earlier this year.

Apart from India and Denmark, the countries where she has performed include Britain, the US, Canada, Germany, Norway, China, Israel and Greenland. She also has to her credit a song specifically written for the Indian cricket team during the World Cup in 2007.