New York’s Latest Hit: Nishi Rajan

By: Daniel H. Milea

Multi-talented Indian-American Singer/Songwriter & Actress Nishi Announces New Music, Movies, Theater Productions & More

 

Beautiful, sexy, smart and talented. A lawyer by day, chanteuse, film and stage actress by night. Indian-American entertainer Nishi Rajan is making quite a name for herself with the release of her new dance single ‘Release Me’ and the launch of her highly anticipated dance album ‘Master of My Fate’, but this is not all. Her career as a stage & musical actress and roles in feature films with award-winning directors are gaining the spotlight. Her accomplishments are all the more remarkable when you learn she works full-time 9-5, as a personal injury and insurance defense litigation attorney with a large law firm in New York City, runs her own human rights non-profit and volunteers pro bono for women’s and children’s charities.

Originally born in New Delhi, India and from the South-Indian state of Kerala, Nishi Rajan is the oldest of four girls from a close-knit and traditional Indian family. She grew up in upstate New York from the age of five, has no accent and speaks perfect English, but can also speak Malayalam, Hindi, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, studied Cantonese briefly and is learning French currently. Asked how she manages to find the time to do it all, Nishi replies, “When you’re passionate about something, you find the time. For me, I have no choice, this is what I was born to do – it’s my soul’s calling.”

Since February 2011, Nishi has been in the recording studio with producer Anand Gan of FlyTrap Music Productions in New York City working on her new album, a dance EP she has titled ‘Master of My Fate.’ Nishi came out with first album in 2006, a self-titled EP containing six original songs that ranged in style from Indian dance, to soulful pop and alternative rock ballads. Nishi’s voice has a soothing, lyrical quality and her music combines Indian and American sounds. All Nishi’s songs are written and sung in English but contain a distinct Indian style that is all her own. She credits as her early influences Indian Hindi music and American 80′s music and artists from Madonna to Debbie Gibson and bands from Guns ‘n’ Roses to Aerosmith. Her later influences include her favorite bands the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Creed and System of a Down and artists Sarah MacLachlan, Dido and Jewel.

Nishi’s new dance single, ‘Release Me’, a rhythmic, sexy and romantic dance number, was released on May 14, 2011 in Washington D.C., at a Bollywood-style dance party arranged by her friend, filmmaker and director Manan Singh Katohora. Thereafter, Nishi appeared for a live on-air radio and television interview broadcast to 120 million viewers and listeners on Voice of America’s program Border Crossings, hosted by Larry London. Since then, Nishi’s life and careers were featured and profiled by international press and media from Canada and Kosovo to India and the United States, and her song began receiving radio airplay with promotions and rotations on U.S. based American and Indian radio stations in California, Virginia, New York and New Jersey. Nishi also appeared on local New York City Indian television (Time Warner Cable QPTV’s India Talks) where she was interviewed and her music and films featured.

Nishi will be filming the music video for ‘Release Me’ in late-Summer 2011 for a mid-Fall 2011 release with her new album. Her music video is to be directed by her friend Eliyas Qureshi, a New Jersey based filmmaker, and is to co-star, as her romantic lead, Kal Parekh, another young Indian actor who is currently co-starring in the new ABC TV series ‘Pan Am’.

“‘Release Me’”, says Nishi, “is a very romantic and sexual Indian dance song and its video incorporates my Indian heritage and American upbringing.” Nishi will wear a mix of traditional Indian clothing and modern American dresses designed by Indian designer Citra Gala of Citrolina Designs. Nishi explains the concept of the music video is to convey intense desire, from the colors to the dance movements, to the story which revolves around Nishi’s character holding back from giving in to her desires for the man she is falling in love with.

While she works on her music, Nishi is also filming movies and performing on the New York stage in plays and musicals. Award-winning Pakistani and British-American filmmaker Babar Ahmed cast Nishi as the female lead of his supernatural thriller feature ‘Sid’s Paralysis’ where Nishi played a woman “possessed.” She then starred as a neurotic and bipolar photographer in the short independent film ‘The Process’ for Philadelphia-based filmmaker Ethan Sacchi.

This past Spring she starred as Princess Labam, in the indian musical ‘How Rajah’s Son Won the Princess Labam’ with Galli Theater in New York City and then played one of the leads, Jamie, in Tom Slots dramatic comedy play ‘Killing Time’ which premiered and ran for an extended run in Times Square at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre. Over the summer, was cast and performed as one of the leads in the staged reading of the musical ‘The Centurion’ directed by Debbie Orloff, playing ‘Julia’, the orphan ward of the Centurion Cornelius in this Roman-era Christian musical that showcased the message of sacrifice and love. Nishi also worked on two new feature films, ‘J1′ a Russian drama directed by Geoffrey Guerrero based on the true story of Russian women who were sexually trafficked into the United States, and on ‘The Class Reunion’, a horror thriller by Emmy-winning director Tyrek “Keyz” Washington.

This Fall 2011, Nishi returns to the stage as a Vampire Vixen in the upcoming full-costume production of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ as adapted by Steven Deitz at the Brooklyn Height’s Player’s Theatre in New York City. Nishi will also be filming a new Sci-Fi Fantasy Thriller directed by award-winning filmmaker Joseph Villapaz who cast Nishi in one of the principal lead roles, an alien assassin from another planet. For the film, Nishi will have to draw on her martial arts training background and train in weapons, and for ‘Dracula’, Nishi draws on her dance and movement background.

Dracula opens September 9th and runs until the 25th with performances every Friday & Saturday at 8pm and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Tickets may be reserved and purchased at http://heightsplayers.org and more details can be found on the show’s event page on Facebook at: http://facebook.com/event.php?eid=115988288499080

Nishi is also in talks to portray the Egyptian Queen Pharoah this September in a new musical ‘YWHW on Broadway’ which tells the story of the Biblical Exodus from Egypt. This musical will run for three nights only September 26th-28th Off-Broadway. The venue and details on tickets have not been released as yet.

Nishi is expected to release ‘Master of My Fate’ in the Fall together with the music video for ‘Release Me’ at ance party celebration in New York City and New Jersey. For now, Nishi continues her work in the studio and preparations for the music video and her upcoming stage & film works. More information about this entertainer is available at http://www.nishimusic.com and http://facebook.com/nishimusic

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