Vandana Vishwas is an Indo-Canadian singer, songwriter, and architect who is a popular contemporary South Asian expressive musician. Her fame lies in blending classical North Indian music with various genres such as flamenco, rock, ghazal, thumri, new age, Afro-Indian, African beats, ballads and country. She also uses the same sound as the Chinese Erhu in traditional Urdu Ghazals. Vandana has been living and working as a professional musician in Toronto, Canada since 2009.
Wiki/Biography
Vandana Vishwas was born on Friday, July 17, 1970.53 years old; As of 2023) is located in Lucknow, India. Her zodiac sign is Cancer. She grew up in Korba, Chhattisgarh. Vandana was born with a natural talent for singing. Even at age 4, she could easily sing difficult songs. Her parents noticed this and enrolled her for vocal lessons in Indian classical music at the renowned institute Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal (ABGMM) in Miraj, India. She started music lessons at the age of five from Pandit Parashuram Sharma and later learned from Mrs. Vimala Soni. She obtained her BA (Sangeet Virashad) from Indian Classical Music Forms ABGMM in 1986.
A childhood photo of Vandana Vishwas with her brother. On the occasion of Janmashtami, people are singing ‘Bhajan’ in temples.
Along with her schooling, Vandana started composing music and sang as an artist on All India Radio and Doordarshan on a contract basis. Here she met Ustad Ahmed Hussain and Mohammed Hussain and taught her the details of ghazal singing.
Ustad Ahmed Hussain and Mohammad Hussain, gurus of Vandana Vishwas.
From 1987 to 1992, Vandana obtained his B. Arch degree from the National Institute of Technology, Raipur, India and worked as an architect for several organizations in Dubai and Canada. After working as an architect for 22 years, she took up singing again.
physical appearance
Height (approx.): 5 feet 4 inches
Weight (approx.): 60 kg
Hair Color: black
Eye Color: black
family
parents and siblings
Vandana Vishwas’ father is Krishna Tripathi and her mother is Madhuri Tripathi. She has a brother named Nitin Tripathi who loves to play the tabla.
Vandana Vishwas with his mother
Vandana Vishwas with her father
husband and children
Vandana Vishwas is married to Vishwas Thoke, an architect turned music co-producer from Bangalore. He provides guitar music for all Vandana’s songs. The couple has no children.
Vandana Vishwas and her husband Vishwas Thoke
Relationship/affair
Vandana Vishwas was dating her college friend Vishwas Thoke and they got married in 1994.
Vandana and Vishwas singing a duet at a friend’s private event during their college days.
Religion/Religious Views
Vandana Vishwas follows Hinduism.
job
singer
Vandana Vishwas’ singing garnered attention when she was a college student, and she worked as a part-time singer at All India Radio. Soon after completing her architecture degree in 1993, she was invited to perform by Doordarshan, India’s national television channel.
She also got the opportunity to perform on the famous stage of Acharya Brihaspati Sammelan conducted by Sur Singar Samsad in Mumbai. After this performance, many Bollywood music directors approached Vandana, but due to her physical limitations, she chose a career in architecture instead of singing and moved to Dubai. Vandana, who had a full-fledged career in the architectural field for 22 years, announced his return as a singer with his debut album ‘Meera, the Lover’ in 2009. The song is based on the story of the 16th-century Indian queen Mira Bai’s unconditional love for Krishna.
The cover of Meera, the Lover was designed by Vandana and her husband Vishwas. The musical instruments ektara and flute symbolize Meera and Krishna and the printed words are taken from Meerabai’s poetry.
In an interview, she announced her return to singing and said:
I feel really, really happy when I sing. I feel very satisfied. It’s just me and the music. I love music. “Music makes me happy.”
Her other albums include:
- Monologues (2013) – Vandana’s collaboration with various genres, mixing South Asian melodies with jazz and rock. This received her great acclaim. It was launched in India by Suresh Wadkar.
Vandana Vishwas and legendary Bollywood playback singer Suresh Wadkar have released their album ‘Monologues’ together.
- Samarsiddha (2014) – A single sung by Raag Ahir Bhairav, released as a promotional track for Sandeep Nayyar’s debut novel ‘Samarsiddha’.
- Parallels (2016) – An album that fuses South Indian melodies with Westernized styles including flamenco, country, new age, rock, African, and ballads. Vandana debuted as a lyricist with this album. The song ‘Mai Beqaid (Flamenco)’ became popular. Inspired by the Sufi poetry of revolutionary philosopher Baba Bulleh Shah.
- Nav Varsh Mangalkamna Geet (2021) – A Sanskrit hymn released in the New Year during the Covid pandemic.
- Kabeera-The Thinker (2023) – Influenced by the bhajan of the 15th-century Indian philosopher and poet Kabir.
Since 2009, Vandana Vishwas has been performing live at various concerts and events such as the Latin-African-South Asian Cultural Concert and the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). Her unique style, fusing Indian and Western music, combining rock and pop with ghazals, nazms, thumri and geet, has captured the attention of Canadians, Americans and Indians.
Awards and Honors
- ‘Meera the Lover’ (2010) Toronto Best World CD
- Vox-Pop won Best Traditional World Song at the US Independent Music Awards (2011) for the song ‘Badara Re’.
- Marty Award for Original Performing Arts from the Mississauga Arts Council of Canada (2010, 2011)
- ICACI (Indo-Canada Arts and Culture Initiative) Women Heroes Award in Performing Arts (2015)
Vandana Vishwas receiving the Woman Hero Award from ICACI.
- His album ‘Parallels’ (2016) won him the Best World Music Award at the Toronto Independent Music Awards.
Vandana Vishwas won the Best World Music Award.
- Silver medal in the Global Music Awards Best World Music and Female Vocalist category for the flamenco-based song ‘Mai Beqaid’ (2016)
Silver medal awarded to Vandana Vishwas in both categories
- Academia Awards Best World Beat Album (Parallel) and Best World Music Video (‘Mai Beqaid’) (2017)
achievements
- Ranked #1 on Canada’s Reverbnation World chart (2014)
- She was featured in major newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations in India, the United States and Canada without the help of an artist manager or booking agent.
- ‘Parallels’ topped the RMR (Root Music Report) World Chart and maintained that position for four consecutive weeks.
- The album ‘Parallels’ reached #1 on Canada’s Earshot National International chart.
Favorites
- food: Indian and Ethiopian cuisine
- singer: Lata Mangeshkar, Jagjit Singh
Facts/Quiz
- Vandana Vishwas’ maiden name was Vandana Tripathi.
- Vandana Vishwas has suffered from partial immobility of his left leg his entire life and septic arthritis that developed at the age of two days. A nurse accidentally injected a non-sterile syringe into my left hip, resulting in septic damage and 24/7 chronic and acute pain.
- She loves coffee and her favorite coffee shop is Tim Horton’s.
Vandana Vishwas’ Instagram post about Tim Hortons
- When she was eight, a serious illness called tonsillitis began damaging her vocal cords, preventing her from singing. Vandana had not sung for four years and received homeopathic treatment from Mrs. Vimal Soni until she resumed her singing training.
- As a schoolgirl, Vandana participated in many local and regional singing competitions and won many.
- She is a foodie and loves trying authentic food from different places. Her social media is full of photos of drinks, snacks, and food. She loves Indian snacks and sweets.
Vandana Vishwas’ Instagram post about her love for food
- Vandana received ‘Sangeet Virashad’ degree from ABGMM Institute on an exceptional basis as she is a minor (16 years old).
- She met Mr. Mister, who composed music for her during her All India Radio days. I was mentored by DK Gandhe.
- I am a nature lover who believes that spending time with nature is the best therapy.
Vandana Vishwas’ Instagram post about her love for nature
- Vandana Vishwas was also trained by legendary South Asian composer Sohail Rana, known for songs like ‘Aaj Jaane ki zid na karo’ and ‘Mujhe tum nazar se gira to rahe ho’.
- She has been a principal and teacher at Vandana’s School of Indian Music in Mississauga, Canada since 2007.
- Vandana often consumes alcoholic beverages such as beer, scotch, and cocktails. She loves home-made wine.
Instagram post by Vandana Vishwas, who loves spicy tea wine
- Vandana Vishwas is lending her voice to a variety of music directors through her participation in the arts project Our Temple Of Madness: The Summoning in Nelson, BC, Canada.
- She enjoys reading, solving Sudoku, and traveling.
