“There isn’t really much music out there that captures all the different aspects of who we are as second, third generation immigrants, who have really integrated into the culture here, but still retain part of our identity.”
Rushil Ranjan
Introduction
I came across the Qawwali Orchestral Project by chance. A Facebook post about a concert in Birmingham intrigued me, and I had to delve further into their music. After hearing them, I was blown away. It is a beautiful fusion of traditional Asian music accompanied by a classical orchestra. A unique combination of Sufi poetry, Indian Classical dance and orchestral arrangements. This music transports you to a heavenly plain, a blend of Sufi music at its best. Written and directed by the acclaimed Rushil Ranjan and using the entrancing vocal range of Abi Sampa, this powerful combination of orchestral arrangements and powerful chants produces the desired effect of spiritual rapture. It is a project that has had a meteoric rise to fame and deservedly so. A fusion that has played to packed-out venues such as the Southbank Centre with a future date at the iconic Albert Hall.
Perfection
The duo of Abi Sampa and Rushil Ranjan works so well together. First gaining prominence with the debut qawwali, Man Kunto Maula, in 2020, the video of the performance attracted over 4 million views for this arrangement of a 700-year-old. Sampa, raised in London by Hindu Tamil parents, started playing the veena, a classical Indian string instrument, at seven. When she began singing lessons in Carnatic, south Indian devotional music, which evolved from ancient Hindu traditions, Sampa discovered she had a good voice. Performing at interfaith concerts for several years, she was first introduced to qawwali by tabla player Amrit Dhuffer and from then on, she was hooked. She appeared in the second series of The Voice with her, a fusion of pop music and Indian classical influences, but knew that qawwali was her calling.
However, when Abi met Rushil Ranjan in 2016, that chemistry happened. Rushil, the son of second-generation Indian Catholic parents who migrated to Cyprus, is a self-taught musician. A composer who briefly had to take up a law firm job during the uncertainty of Brexit but thankfully returned to music to create a burgeoning troupe with a stunning interpretation of qawwali from the South Asian diaspora experience. The tabla and the harmonium are the heartbeat of this project, and Qawwali remains revered today by millions across South Asia with artists like the Sabri Brothers, Mehdi Hassan, Nusrat and Rahat—a male-dominated arena except Abi Sampa and Abida Parveen. Yet Abi has found her niche, using some of the lyrics penned initially by 14th-century Sufi poet Amir Khusrau, which were written using a female persona. It is a brilliant brand of music that I encourage you to get tickets to go and see.
