After Punjabi, Danish singer eyes Rajasthani, Bollywood

NEW DELHI - After enthralling performances in Punjabi, among the 16 languages in which she performs, Danish singer and songwriter Anita Lerche is set to debut in Rajasthani and has Bollywood offers too.

Lerche, whose suname in German literally means a “singing lark”, makes India her second home and has to her credit an album titled “Heer From Denmark” sung in Punjabi. She is also already in talks with some music producers for an album, besides has received offers to act and perform in Bollywood films.

“The audience in India - just like Indians elsewhere around the globe - has been encouraging. I am pleased with the overwhelming response. I am looking forward to my forthcoming performances in India,” Lerche said after a recent concert here.

“My love for Indian music started around a campfire in Manali, learning a couple of Himachali songs. I fell in love with the culture, the music, the food and decided to release my album in Punjabi,” she told IANS.

“I felt spiritually connected to India. It’s like my second home. I am now looking forward to experiments with Rajasthani music and a debut in Bollywood. My aim is to connect the world through music, and spirituality, transcending global boarders,” Lerche said.

A fitness freak for whom yoga, meditation, workouts, dancing and running are an essential part of her daily routine, Lerche also has the support of Danish Ambassador in India Freddy Svane and well-known Scandinavian designer Inger Solberg.

“Business and economic ties apart, cultural exchanges are also very important to bring people of two countries together. Anita Lerche and Inger Solberg are doing just that. People like them will further Indo-Danish cooperation,” Svane said.

During some of the performances, the Indo-Western outfits sported by Lerche and her troupe were designed by Solberg, and one in golden with intricate embroidery and thread work particularly attracted a lot of attention.

Lerche’s association with all things Indian started in 2005 during a trekking tour in Manali in Himachal Pradesh. Captivated by Himachali and Punjabi songs, she soon found herself in Hoshiarpur with an offer to cut an album, and grabbed the opportunity.

She now has to her credit, the World Track of the Year award at the Danish World Awards in 2009 held at the Copenhagen Jazzhouse. Her latest hit “Maahiya”, featuring Cheshire Cat, was chosen as the winning song.

Now working on her third album in the Indo-Western fusion genre, she also won the Best Non-Resident Female Debutant at the MH1 Music Channel awards earlier this year.

Lerche has rendered a song specifically written for the Indian cricket team during the World Cup in 2007, and has performed in a host of countries, including Britain, the US, Canada, Germany, Norway, China, Israel and Greenland.