Anita Lerche (Interview)

Name: Anita Lerche

Nickname: Some people call me Anita Heer. My grandfather used to call me Nita.

DOB: 21^st December

Favorite quotes: Follow your heart in life and everything is possible.

We are all people with a heart so show Respect, Love & Tolerance for all people.

Inspirations: The rhythm of the beats in Punjabi music, the rich culture of Punjab, the warmhearted Punjabis and their hospitality, the colors, the food, the stunning Punjabi women with their beautiful clothes and jewelries, the legendary love stories of Punjab, the respect for elderly people, the Mela’s and getting to know about so many different religions and values – including all the rituals and ceremonies I have experienced while living more than four years in Punjab. The legendary Gurdas Mann and Surinder Kaur are great inspirations.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

I am born and raised in Denmark, just outside Copenhagen, and became deeply inspired by my dad’s singing and playing the guitar. So from 7 and onwards I sang in the school chorus and quickly realized that my passion in life was singing. I joined the Girl’s chorus of Radio Denmark from I was 13 years old and, had years of classical singing training and began singing professionally from 15 onwards. In London I got my formal education from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, graduated in 2001 with a musical theatre degree. My singing career has taken me around the world and I love being able to live out my dream.

Being a complete English speaking girl but singing in a completely different language what made you take this risk? 

Actually I grew up speaking Danish only and then learned English and German in school. Through out my career, before I even came to India first time in 2005, I got the chance to sing in 13 different languages. And since I have always loved challenges and believe in following my heart, then I did not hesitate to say yes to learn to sing in Punjabi. It happened on a trekking journey with a group of Danish people to Himachal Pradesh (Parvati Valley in Kullu-Manali, you can read more about this wonderful place here: www.shillatreks.com). It was a breathtaking experience and the tribal people touched my heart. Sitting around the campfire they taught me some of their local Himachali songs, and when my Danish friends went to visit Taj Mahal, I was invited to Punjab to record these songs with the tribal people. On the way I heard Punjabi music for the first time and I just loved it. I had a clear vision of recording Punjabi songs and before I knew it I got headhunted in Punjab to record a Punjabi album. It felt so right inside my heart, that I cancelled all my shows in Denmark, put my projects there on hold and decided to pursue the new dream. 

How hard was it to adapt a different language and how long did it take for you to get perfect in it? It was extremely hard work, most of all because it was so different from all the other languages. I learned it all by ear from my main teacher Anurag Sood and could take use of all the phonetic training I got from Mountview. Differentiating between all the consonants and being able to pronounce them correctly was one of my biggest challenges – besides from living in a for me new culture. Anurag’s family and his friend Rattan Singh Rajput also taught and rectified all the pronunciation and meanings of my lyrics and the stories behind my songs. More over it was not just a new language – it was also learning about a whole new exiting culture, because so many aspects of the Punjabi culture is reflected directly in my songs. After a couple of months I was able to sing fluently in Punjabi.

While you were working on your songs in Punjabi did your family support you? 

They could feel my excitement and love for this new culture, so they supported me with their love and blessings. Every day I spoke with my mother and she was like a rock for me, when I was going through difficult phases.

Any religious inspiration from the Sikh religion, what inspired you about them a lot? 

I like the fact that Sikhs believe in the equality of humankind and the concept of universal brotherhood. They are brave and stand up for the weaker ones when it is needed. I have always loved when I heard them singing Kirtan and get inspiration from the music itself and the more spiritual messages of love and one God. For me God is reflected in every human being on this earth and I believe that you just have to breath deep to feel the presence right inside your heart. Singing devotional songs – be it a Shabad, Hindi Bhajan, Hymn or any other devotional songs – is a unique way of singing directly from heart to heart in a very intimate and intense way. For me personally it is important to connect people across boarders, religions and cultures and for this music is amazing, because it has got one universal languages everyone can relate to.

If you were to sing in one other different language what would it be? 

I have a feeling that it would be very interesting and exciting to learn more about the culture and music of Rajasthan. But I am open for any new challenges and adventures.

Your song Sadke Punjab Ton has become a massive hit, tell us the story behind it? 

Initially senior producer Agiapal Singh Randhawa from Doordarshan wanted me to sing a song for their New Year show, so he contacted lyricist Dr. Tejinder Harjit. The song should be a celebration of the rich and vibrant culture of Punjab. Tejinder ji got so inspired by my love and passion for Punjab, so she wrote some great and very personal lyrics. “Sadke Punjab Ton” is the story of a girl whose soul was always Punjabi and her destiny had to bring her here. She sings and transforms gradually during the video into a Punjabi lass who is willing to give it all for the love of Punjab and the fragrance of this soul.

Because I had to go overseas, I missed the show and decided to shoot a video for “Sadke Punjab Ton” instead. Filmmaker Harjit ji had a strong vision about how we could visualize the song and wanted to include a lot of new and innovative formats. The young and talented producer Gurmoh made the music come alive and Jassi Sidhu was in charge of a big team of people creating a miniature set, miniatures and more than 30 handmade paintings and drawings especially for this song. Param Shiv made the stop motion animation and filmed the music video, while filmmaker Harjit directed the video. The whole project took more than 3 months to complete and it is also the tittle song of my new and upcoming album.

While learning singing in Punjabi what’s that one Punjabi phrase that consumed you most of the time learning? 

There is not a special Punjabi phrase, but “Heer” is my favorite song of all. From the first time I heard it I just loved it. To understand it fully I read the whole story of Heer Ranjha by Waris Shah and spend many hours talking with Anurag ji and his family to really understand each and every word of the song and the deep feelings and metaphors of this song. I got inspiration from Jasbir Jassi’s recording of “Heer” – noted down every little phrasing he made and also noted down the phonetics and meanings of every word. The surprising thing was that after all this work, it only took me around 2 weeks to learn to sing “Heer”.

The lyrics of your songs, does anyone write that for you or are their your own creation? 

The lyrics of my songs have to be very meaningful and appeal to the whole family. On my new album “Sadke Punjab Ton” I have written the song called “Merea Ranjha”, which is a mix of English and Punjabi. The legendary late Dev Raj Jassal have written four of the songs and Dr. Tejinder Harjit and Stephan Grabowski have each written two songs for this album. On my first Punjabi album “Heer from Denmark” I also wrote one of the songs, where as the rest were written by other lyricists like the great Chann Gorayanwala and Satwinder Bhanewala. Sometimes I also use traditional folksongs – as when I recorded my “Classis Remix”, “Heer” and “Sammi”.

Any funny and embarrassing moment in your life?

During the shootings of my first music video “Gori” there was especially one unforgettable experience. While I was singing and and dancing in the middle of a roundabout in Patiala, there was heavy traffic and suddenly I saw the cars stopping and people jumping out of their cars starting dancing with me. After some time the traffic police came up and said with a smile on their lips: “Madam, Madam, you must go now, traffic is not moving”.

Any upcoming projects and would the audience be seeing any English or would you be going for Punjabi? 

Filmmaker Harjit ji has made a documentary called “Imroz”, where I have sung and composed the title song “I will meet you yet again”. The painter Imroz lived together with the late writer and poet Amrita Pritam for almost a lifetime, and when Amrita ji laid on her deathbed, she wrote her last poem “Main Tenu Phir Milangi”, which has been translated into English. It is yet to be released.

For Disney’s new film “Planes” I have been so lucky to do the Danish dubbing version of the character of the Indian plane Ishani, which is originally played by Bollywood Star Priyanka Chopra. Moreover Ishani has a fab song, which is being showed on Disney channel. If you want to hear my dubbed version into Danish, you will have to go to Denmark, where it is having premiere in September.

My third single “Merea Ranjha” will be released round late September and my whole album “Sadke Punjab Ton” later this year.

Any message for your fans? 

Your support means everything to me – it gives me so much inspiration and energy to continue my work promoting the Punjabi culture everywhere I go.

Stay tuned and updated with all my upcoming releases and tours on Facebook, Twitter and my Mobile App. Moreover you can check out all my music videos, interviews and documentaries on my YouTube channel. Find all links here on my website: www.AnitaLerche.com

Thoughts on Le Spectra? 

The whole Team on Le Spectra is doing a great job promoting talents from all over the world - thanks for including meJ