Dheepa Chari
From velvety softness to sultry blues, vocalist Dheepa Chari plumbs the depths of human emotion. The New York-based singer has wowed the East Coast jazz scene with her dazzling versatility and impeccable range, a young crooner who already has corralled substantial praise from some of the genre’s guiding lights such as All About Jazz, Jazz Corner, and Jazz Times.
With only two releases to her credit, Chari’s creative development has revealed astounding growth, from the gripping renditions of standards on her 2010 debut EP, On 4th Street, to her jazzy makeover of Depeche Mode’s synth-pop classic “World in My Eyes” on her first full-length album, Some New Fashion. Chari’s fluid, compelling delivery transcends time and musical styles; there are no boundaries with a voice as crystalline and warm as hers.
Inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, and Billie Holiday, Chari began singing at the age of five. Her grandmother was a professional Hindustani singer in India so music has always been a significant aspect of her life. Chari began taking voice lessons and later joined a number of singing groups. After studying Indian music she started learning about jazz in high school. When Chari relocated from her native Vancouver, B.C. to Dallas, LA, and then New York, her transition into jazz suddenly bloomed.
For an artist who has just recently broken into the jazz community, the number of critical raves Chari has acquired is stunning. “She is a smooth operator…seducing ears with lovingly crafted melodies,” Jazz Times wrote. “She sings with the incandescent flow of a waterfall,” described Jazz Corner. While All About Jazz called Some New Fashion “a spellbinding effort.”