Mahanadhi Shobana

Actress/Singer

Biography

Shobana Vignesh is considered one of the leading performing and recording Carnatic musicians in India. She has both musical legacy and phenomenal talent. Schooled in the Carnatic system of music by stalwarts in the field like Sri Swamimalai Janakiraman and Prof. T.R. Subramaniam from the age of five, Shobana had already stunned thousands with her prodigious talent by the time she touched her teens.  Her most recent and notable achievement has been the honor of receiving the ‘Young Achiever Award’ for 2007 in the field of Carnatic music by the highest circulated magazine in India, ‘India Today’. She is fondly known as ‘Mahanadhi’ Shobana for her brilliant performance as a child actor and singer in the National award winning movie ‘Mahanadhi’ in the year 1994.   She has blossomed from a child prodigy into one of the most valuable and versatile artistes in the music field. Shobana made her recording debut at the tender age of 13 and since then has released more than 120 albums ranging over 1000 songs in various Indian languages.  She is one of the top selling artists of Carnatic and Devotional music in India. Vocalist Mahanadhi Shobana’s voice has an inherent blend of sweetness and depth. She displays an astonishingly expressive range, acquired no doubt through meticulous training and practice. This research scholar in music, tutored by Swamimalai Janakiraman and Prof. T.R. Subramaniam, has a touch of class and polish in her delivery.  Education Shobana’s musical talents and academic expertise are unique. In addition to her acclaim and success as a performing artist, Shobana has very high academic credentials in the music field. She has given many lecture demonstrations, published book chapters and has presented papers on Carnatic music. Shobana is also a Carnatic Music Guru for several students in India and the US. Albums Shobana recorded her first album at the age of 13. She has more than 120 albums to her credit which range over 1000 songs. She has sung in several Indian languages like Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Sanskrit and Baduga. Shobana has released her albums for leading recording companies such as His Master’s Voice (HMV), Unique Recording Company, Symphony Recording, Indian Recording Company, Vani Recording, and many others. Shobana is a versatile singer and has released albums in different genres of music like Carnatic Music, Hindustani, Folk songs, semi classical songs, fusion, Hindu and Christian devotional songs and songs in Indian Films. Her songs reverberate throughout the world, from the remotest villages in South India to the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Shobana’s albums are among the best selling in South India and she is one of the most sought after recording artists.  With the advent of iTunes, Yahoo and MSN Music etc, her fans and well wishers can now download hundreds of her songs from across the globe. Recently, Shobana has sung a poem written by Dr. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, and the song is featured in the audio album titled ‘India- A Musical Journey'.