Rashmi Agarwal is an established Indian Classical singer and composer based in Delhi. She specializes in Light Classical Sufi/Bhakti and Ghazal singing. The beautiful interplay of her crystal clear voice and soulful compositions are a delight to hear. She is well known for her devotional and spiritual music.
Rashmi is an empanelled artist with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) as well as the Ministry of Culture. Besides TV and Radio, she has also performed on various national and international forums, including the USA, UK, Mexico, Indonesia, Uzbekistan,Turkmenistan, Australia etc. and has won many a heart with her soulful and power packed performances. Recently in October 2018, under the ICCR banner, she did a concert tour to Mexico, representing India in Sufi music at the prestigious Cervantino International Festival where she received standing ovations in all her performances which were hugely successful.
She is the first and only Indian woman to win the Grand-Prix Award at the prestigious IX International World Music Festival SharqTaronalari (Melodies of Orient) in August, 2013 at Samarkand, Uzbekistan, organized regularly under the patronage of UNESCO.
She was invited to perform at The Ethnic World Music Festival, Bali, Indonesia in Nov,2013.
In December, 2015 she was invited to perform at the prestigious 20th Anniversary Summit of Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan.
Some festivals she performed recently in India include, the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj, Jashn e Rekhta in Delhi, The Delhi Government’s Urdu Heritage Festival in Delhi, Sahitya AajTak Festival, Delhi, Dehradun Poetry Festival, Kashipur Chaiti Mahotsav,2019, Delhi Poetry Festival, Sufi Music Festival at Bhubaneshwar, Jashn E Ittihad, Delhi, Phaag Utsav in Bhopal, Jashn-e-Adab in Delhi, Allahabad Sanskritik Parv, Mahindra Kabira Festival in Varanasi, WeThe Women Festival in Mumbai, The Sacred Pushkar Festival , Jaipur Literature Festival and the Jaipur Sufi Festival of SAARC Writers and Literature.
She has had successful re runs of her solo musical project, Soul Box -The Mystic Songs and collaborative projects like Majabeen – A musical tribute to Meena Kumari, The Z Factor project, combining the Indian Ghazal singing with Jazz music and Roohdari project combining Sufi songs with Kathak dance.
She was awarded with the Sambhavna Sammaan 2014 and Utthan Natraj Samman 2018 in Delhi for her contribution and achievements in the field of music.
She was awarded the Best Female Singer by Artistaloud.com (Hungama Digital Media) in their 3rd Annual Awards, 2013, for her Sufi song Ranjha Jogida.
She composed and sang the anthem against corruption written by celebrated lyricist Prasoon Joshi, for Headlines Today News Channel.
She released a video as tribute to the legendry Sufi singer Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on his Birth anniversary on October 13th 2015.
Besides her debut Sufi album Rang De Maula by Mystica Music, and a number of digital Single-Indie fusion song releases, she also has a number of audio albums to her credit, namely a Ghazal Album, Sentiments, by Red Ribbon, Songs of Kabir by Osho World , Folk Songs From Uttar Pradesh by Beatofindia.com, Enchanting Chants by Pragnya Music, Deep Electric India by Soultribe Records and Soul Box-A Sufi Treasure by Red Ribbons. Most of her songs are available for purchase on iTunes.
Born and brought up in Allahabad, Rashmi was exposed to a variety of music as her father was an avid music listener. She started learning music academically, and pursued it through graduation, finally doing her post graduation in Hindustani Classical music from the University of Allahabad. She has also trained under Gurus like Smt. Kamala Bose in Allahabad, Smt. Savita Devi in Delhi for Thumri-Dadra, and Smt. Shanti Hiranand for Ghazal gayaki. In the past she has conceptualized and structured a variety of thematic concerts like- Aarambh Se Anth- The Sanskaar geet sung in Uttar Pradesh on all the major occasions of a man’s journey from birth to death. Chal Khusro Ghar Aapne- A tribute to Hazrat Amir Khusro, Ghazal-The Feminine, Ang Ang Shyam Rang, Echoes from Uttar Pradesh, Rainbow of Holi, Moods in Dadra and Tu Ek Naam Anek , to name a few.
In collaboration with Mr. Pran Nevile’s K.L.Saigal Memorial Circle, she has paid glorious tributes to the Gramophone Era Singers and other great artistes like Begum Akhtar, Smt. Naina Devi, Mallika Pukhraj, Meena Kumari, and some great poets like Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Kaifi Azmi, Ali Sardar Jaffery, Mohiuddin Maqdoom, Shakeel Badayuni and Daagh Dehlvi, through their poetry and compositions.
She has also worked with Assistant Professor Kai TurnBull of Berklee College of Music, USA, on the project “Indian Music Concepts in Contemporary Synthesis Production”