Born and raised in a musical family in Kolkata, Paushali Sahu has music flowing through her veins. Trained under her grandmother and mother, who were disciples of Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh and Neeta Sen, Paushali started singing at a very young age, as soon as she learned to speak. Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul-geeti and light melodies were the genres she began with, crooning the old songs of Hemanta Mukherjee, Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar all day long as a child.
In her early years, Paushali did shows, TV appearances, radio programmes and jingles as a child artist. She was a sincere student and pursued a Masters in science. Beginning a corporate job in Mumbai, music took a backseat due to her demanding work and insane commute times. However, she continued her music practice on weekends and even managed to perform for retro-music aficionados at prestigious venues across Mumbai.
Subsequently, she pursued an MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute to further her corporate career. Paushali was in a high-flying job when tragedy struck and she lost her father suddenly to a lung infection. It was a huge shock, as he was fit and still working. While going through emotional turmoil, the pandemic struck the world. It made Paushali question life’s meaning. Finding solace in music, she rediscovered her father’s dream for her to pursue singing.
She started posting reprise renditions of her favourite old Bollywood songs on social media, without realizing that her songs would go viral overnight. Leading media houses took notice, featured her, and, before she knew it, Paushali’s music was connecting her to lakhs of music lovers globally.
Transitioning from reprise renditions, she is now focusing on creating original compositions. In January 2023, she quit her job to focus full-time on music, producing her own music videos. She has released multiple songs across platforms with labels like Zee Music, Saregama and T-Series.
Paushali’s soulful singing in her original song “Haule Haule Piya” composed by Shamik Guha Roy, was applauded for her mellifluous voice and retro feel. The song pays homage to vintage Bollywood styles through its retro instrumentation, blending traditional and folk sounds, vocal-centric composition reminiscent of old film melodies, and playful lyrics. The song’s nostalgic musical and lyrical choices transported listeners back to Hindi cinema’s rich musical past.
The music video of “Haule Haule Piya” released on Zee Music, garnered over 10 lakh views and lots of critical acclaim for the song’s old-world charm, sweeping listeners off their feet. You got to hear it to believe it!
This song was quickly followed up with yet another number “Taaron Ke Sang,” again with Zee Music. The song with its traditional composition once again was lauded by listeners.
Paushali has reacted to acclaim for her musical prowess with humility and grace, expressing gratitude rather than pride. “I’m truly humbled and grateful for the glowing praise for my voice and renditions. Connecting with listeners motivates me far more than accolades,” she says, adding that she intends to release more of her own original songs soon.
Given her versatile voice and musical pedigree, Paushali Sahu could rightfully be termed the ‘Princess of Melody’. She also dreams of film music rekindling its golden era of melodies. We wouldn’t be surprised if Bollywood comes knocking to tap into her talent.