Kirtan Artists

Ashley, a masterful guitarist, sings with an authentic warmth and truth behind each breath that induces an intimate folk music quality and setting for deep healing. She is an excellent cross-over artist that is capable of both playing to a traditional kirtan crowd as well as a general audience. She has just finished recording with Grammy nominated producer Ben Leinbach on a new single from her second album (out in 2015) to to be released on January 24, 2015. Her first album, “Love is the Answer Jai Ma,” a Mantra Acoustic inspired Kirtan album came out March 31, 2014. Featured on the Album: Saul David Raye, Govind Das, Jacqueline Maxwell, Masood Ali Khan, Clayton Joseph Scott, & many more. In addition, she is comfortable in numerous environments as both a musician and yoga teacher. Ashley has shared the stage with numerous headliners including: Govind Das & Radha, Saul David Raye, DJ Drez, Donna de Lory, C.C. White, The Kirtaniyas, Deepak and The Breath of Life Tribe, and Sri Kirtan as well as participated in the All Start Jam each Bhaktifest since the innagural festival.

Bhakti Messenger is an Atlanta-based kirtan group that brings devotional chanting to yoga studios and other spiritual centers in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast. The members of the band are long-time professional musicians with decades of experience in various styles of secular music who have turned their talents and passions to serving the Divine and those spiritual communities that are striving for peace and happiness throughout the world. The music of Bhakti Messenger is a true fusion of East and West, incorporating Sanskrit mantras and Indian music concepts with influences from American folk, rock and bluegrass. The resulting sound is one that is both uplifting and accessible, ranging from the sublimely meditative to the wildly ecstatic, and a good time is guaranteed to all! Loud singing and dancing are encouraged!

Blue Spirit Wheel is a progressive evolution in the world of mantra music. Based on the fundamental rhythms contained within the Sanskrit language, the band uses solid bass grooves, dancing tabla beats and an improvisational vocal style to create soundscapes that draw the listener into a deep state of meditation and consciousness expansion. The audience is invited to participate by chanting simple mantras along with the music, or interact with the sounds through dance and movement, or enter a receptive meditative space where the vibrations of the Sanskrit bija mantras create powerful energy shifts.

Brajamohan Das, left the UK at the age of 17 and traveled to India living and staying in various temples and ashrams studying, and practicing the ancient sacred traditions of Kirtan and meditation. His music, kirtan & retreats share unconditional love and joy with the chanters and listeners.

She is good singer and good performer. Regularly attached and performe with all india radio doordarsan kolkata.Already realised so meny reccorded cd.. with new kirtan and devotional song.She always devoted new creation product and welcome new genetation with research work to establishes to said separate theam.

Ecstatic Dance Kirtan: Fusion of Sanskrit chants and tribal world beats, creating Dance Kirtan events.

Clair Oaks is a Swarthmore, PA resident, musician, Lead Svaroopa yoga instructor, founder of Soul Source Yoga, co-founder of SOUL SOURCE Center for Conscious Living, mother of two fantastic sons, wife of one wonderful man. Clair has had a passion for playing music and singing, since she was a child. Only in the last 10 years however, has she enjoyed the fun of writing and performing her own music. Since 2000, Clair has had the great pleasure of performing with a wonderful group of musicians, creating musical meditation experiences for audiences in venues up and down the east coast. She spent several years as a back up singer for Kirtan artist Wah! and was featured as the leader of a chant band in the hit movie Eat Pray Love. More information at http://www.clairoaks.com and on Facebook at Clair Oaks Music

Tabla drummer and vocalist

Dave Stringer went to India in 1990 as a film editor and was transformed by the kirtan he heard at the ashram in Ganeshpuri. “The experience of chanting, which was at first total nonsense to me, was strangely compelling, not only musically but in terms of how I felt—completely ecstatic,” says Stringer. About a decade after returning to Los Angeles, he traded his career in film editing for one in kirtan. “I don’t ask people who come to my kirtans to believe in it. I ask them to suspend their disbelief for a long enough time to give it a go and see what happens.”

David Newman took the bar exam in 1992, but less than two months later opened Yoga On Main in Philadelphia. He thought he would wait a year, and if the yoga studio failed he would practice law. He never did become a lawyer. Krishna Das and Bhagavan Das came to sing at the studio, reawakening Newman’s passion for music. Their guru, Neem Karoli Baba, “installed himself in my heart,” says Newman, and chanting became the keystone of his yoga practice. His non-traditional presentation has found fans in kirtan’s birthplace, as he recently signed a deal with a New Delhi–based record company to distribute his music in India. “The kirtan represents my inner world, and my musical presentation represents my present incarnation as someone who’s crazy about guitars and loves the singer-songwriter idiom,” says Newman, who fronted bands in high school and studied music in college.

Denisse Jonsson is a Kirtan artist from New York City. You can hear her Kirtan here. She is a good friend of mine and just started doing kirtan last

Deva Premal and Miten met in India in 1990 and soon began a journey into love and creativity that has taken their inspiring blend of song, mantra & meditation to a worldwide audience. Miten began his musical career in rock ‘n roll in the 60s and later led the evening meditation music at the Osho ashram in Pune. Deva grew up singing mantras as lullabies and was introduced to the Gayatri Mantra when still in the womb – her parents chanted it for her every night. In 1997, Deva recorded her first mantra album “The Essence” in her mother’s apartment. The album, which features the Gayatri mantra, rose to the top of New Age charts. Now she is called the Enya of mantra, and Eckhart Tolle notes that listening to Deva & Miten’s music is a “portal into Presence”. Deva Premal says of the mantras, “they run around in your head, like a pop song. Only instead of singing some superficial lyric, you’re actually subconsciously walking around the supermarket calling on the Divine.”

Donna De Lory is a singer, songwriter, producer and musician whose voice and music transcends time and genre. Fans will be familiar with Donna from her years of touring with Madonna, but her music has its own compelling vision. Inspired by Indian devotional music and dance beats from around the globe as well as western pop, Donna’s songs blend diverse styles for a sound that’s as natural as it is unique.

Music Medicine Mantra

At the age of six Gaura Vani left the US to study sacred music in a gurukula or temple school in the timeless town of Vrindavan, India. He learned ancient prayers in Sanskrit and Bengali and to sing and play ethnic instruments like the harmonium and mrdanga. 25 years later he continues to share the magic he received and performs extensively with his kirtan ensemble, As Kindred Spirits, throughout the world from Europe and Asia, to the Americas.

GuruGanesha describes the Guru Ganesha Band sound as "a unique blend of kirtan, raga, rock, and deeply meditative folk music. I will primarily be playing electric guitar and I've hand-picked the musicians not only for their musical virtuosity but also for their ability to channel the spiritual energy that the band will be serving. The vocals will be a group effort with plenty of rich two and three part harmonies though Michelle will regularly step out and blow people away with her amazing vocal improvisations. The audience will be encouraged to fully participate, whether it be singing along, dancing or just meditating deeply on the music."

A group of travling Yoga Teachers with a love of Bhakti and good music

Island Kirtan is a musical mantra group, Jon Crane (tabla) and Ann Strickland (vocals/harmonium) residing in the Pacific Northwest. We lead regular weekly kirtan here in the Seattle area and lead/co-lead retreats all around the world.

Jai Uttal grew up in Manhattan and began studying classical piano at the age of seven. He went on to learn old-time banjo, harmonica, and guitar; He was a musical experimenter from the beginning. At 18, he moved to California to become a student of India’s “National Living Treasure,” Ali Akbar Khan, from whom he received traditional voice training. You can detect this influence in Jai’s trademark vocals which, the first time I heard them, sounded to me like the yearning of my own soul. Says Jai: “I honestly feel that, since I was a teenager, all my music has been directed—even if not totally consciously—toward inner healing, finding a place of wholeness.”

Jim Gelcer infuses new life and spirit into the ancient heartfelt chants that influence today’s Kirtan movement. With a voice filled with depth and emotion, and impeccable musicianship, he tastefully blends flavours of vintage pop-soul with catchy melodies and the celebratory essence of Kirtan.

John travels both near and far spreading his love of Bhakti Yoga, which he holds so dearly in his heart. He is a teacher of yoga, in the Sivananda lineage..

Dr. Kurt “Kailash” Bruder (Ph.D., M.Ed.) Unique among chant leaders and spiritual teachers for his penetrating insight into human motivation, interaction, and personal growth, Kailash’s work is a groundbreaking guide to devotional chanting accompanied by a CD of authentic mantras.

Kevin James is a humble musician whose songs reach out and touch the hearts of many. Kevin’s music is a world fusion of chanting reflecting the newly emerging “cultural creatives” Weaving ancient Mantras

If one artist is synonymous with kirtan in the Western world, it’s Krishna Das. He has been recording since 1996, but has been on a spiritual journey his entire life. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, he has been featured in Time magazine, the L.A. Times, and the Washington Post. The New York Times calls him “the chant master of American yoga”. Krishna Das’s music stays true to the path of Bhakti Yoga (the Yoga of Devotion) while incorporating modern grooves and harmonies.

Lana is a kirtan artist and yoga teacher based in Toronto, Canada. Lana began her study of Sanskrit and sound in 2004. Inspired by Marla Meenakshi Joy of Swaha, her first kirtan with Bhagavan Das, years of practice at Jivamukti Toronto, and the many traveling artists who shared their music, she began to lead kirtan throughout Canada. She has been teaching Jivamukti and Yin Yoga since 2009, and leads annual retreats. Lana's music has been described as 'a sweet and sultry dose of heart opening mantra music.' Her first album, Invocation, was released in 2013, and her second, Reverence, in spring of 2017. She has had the opportunity to sing and play with Brenda McMorrow, Dave Stringer, David Newman, Girish, Adam Bauer, Mike Cohen, Narada Wise, and many other traveling kirtanwallahs. When not chanting her heart out, Lana works as an actor in Canadian theatre in both musical and classical productions.

Spiritual based mantra rock and some mellow stuff too! Steve Koc is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, chiropractor and healer, who worked for decades with entertainers such as Michael Jacks

Traditional and contemporary Kirtan music

Mirabai Moon, is known in the Northeast, USA, for her immensely versatile and powerfully expressive voice which veers from ethereal dreaminess to soulful blues & jazz. She honed her craft studying vocal improvisation with Jazz legend Bobby McFerrin and Rhiannon of Voicestra. After nearly 2 decades of songwriting and 3 original albums, Mirabai devoted herself as a Bhakta, singing sacred chants in Sanskrit, sharing her love of Spirit through her music. Mirabai Moon, is known in the Northeast, USA, for her immensely versatile and powerfully expressive voice which veers from ethereal dreaminess to soulful blues & jazz. She honed her craft studying vocal improvisation with Jazz legend Bobby McFerrin and Rhiannon of Voicestra. After nearly 2 decades of songwriting and 3 original albums, Catherine devoted herself as a Bhakta, singing sacred chants in Sanskrit, sharing her love of Spirit through her music. “Mirabai Moon of ‘Mystical Kirtan’ is a wonderful singer/songwriter/guitar player whose voice uplifts the spirit. She is a kirtan soul angel. Her voice is exquisitely tuned and her warmth fills your heart. Dont' miss her!” Gary Goldberg of WRPI, In The Spirit RadioIn 2012, Mirabai released a kirtan EP featuring legendary tabla player Badal Roy of the Miles Davis group, and the exceptional Amit Chatterjee on guitar, sitar, and vocals. This EP has just been completely re-mixed and re-mastered and is being re-released with the addition of a new track of the epic mantra "Hanuman Chalisa." "The Bridge To Where You Are" is Mirabai's first full length kirtan album. This album features renowned bansuri flutist Steve Gorn and the fabulous folk pop duo "The Levins" on harmony vocals. It also features guest appearances by members of One Love Chant, Bhakti Fest's Best New Kirtan Band in 2013. The album's release date is set for December 5th, 2015.With the release of her new album Mirabai hopes to start touring nationally and internationally bringing her unique style of kirtan to larger audiences. She currently leads kirtans, and provides live music for yoga classes in the Northeast USA (tri-state area).

Premo Durga had been a singer for many years. She was not active on the music scene at the current time because she started writing her own music, which she found was wonderful. She wondered where the mu

Radharani is a singer and producer of devotional music. Her love for this kind of music began with a series of dreams that led her to India, Indian music, and a whirlwind of profound experiences and guidance from several very powerful teachers. During her 4+ years of study and pilgrimage in India, the teachings she was led to involved sacred sound. During that time she found her unique voice, and her music developed. She is now touring and recording music inspired by divine love and inner vision.

Drawing upon her unique Indo-Trinidadian roots, Rishima created Ray of Light Music (a direct translation of "Rishima") to share her knowledge of Indian devotional music with those who would like to learn and experience the deep roots of spirituality in music. Initially singing spiritual Indian songs rooted in the temple traditions of bhajans, kirtan and other devotional music, she later studied and performed formal music in piano and violin, voice, harmonium, and some Indian percussion. She has worked under the guidance of Elena Steele, polishing her Western repertoire and her Indian vocals with Neeraja Aptikar. She has been enriching her vocals in North Indian music with the Shankar Mahadevan Adademy in India. Since 2016, she has been learning Dhrupad (Naad yoga - yoga of sound) an ancient meditative style of singing that originated from the Sama Veda. She is taught by Manish Kumar, one of the "Bihar Brothers" and a senior disciple of the Gundecha Brothers. She continues to be influenced by the many talented musicians and teachers surrounding her. She has sung at local cultural and charity events, yoga centres, international TV interviews, festivals locally and internationally, weddings, spiritual centres, temples and workshops. Rishima also teaches locally and internationally online in Spanish and English. Rishima is a strong believer in the positive impact of music, and has taught music as a teacher both on the Vancouver School Board and internationally through volunteer and private events. She is presently an elementary school teacher in Vancouver. She holds a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Development as well as a Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. In her off time, she volunteers as a coordinator for the Canadian Institute of Sathya Sai Education in Human Values and is the founder of Sol Community Education Society, a society that supports rural education in Northern Peru. She is also the proud mother of 2!

Robin Renée’s kirtan concerts find new and traditional sounds to evoke stillness, bliss, and a sense of Oneness with All. She has shared the stage with some of the West’s best-loved kirtan singers includ

Ecstatic Gypsy Kirtan, unlike anything you've heard before!

Gypsy Mantra Music

Sean Johnson’s music is a product of his roots in New Orleans. His music draws from multiple cultures & religions, the chanting of ancient India merged with the steamy jazz of the bayou. It’s an invigorating merging of cultures. Johnson & his band have been featured in Yoga Journal, L.A. Yoga Magazine and more, and they frequently put on benefit concerts to help rebuilding efforts in their New Orleans home. Sean says; “Kirtan has been called the gospel music of India. It’s got that flavor to it. It’s devotional music from the heart”.

Benjy and Heather Wertheimer lead kirtan worldwide as the duo Shantala, with soul-stirring vocals, sacred lyrics and exotic instrumentation. The weaving of Benjy’s Indian classical singing and instrumentation with Heather’s soaring vocals is freshly original and profoundly moving. Together they create music with beauty, passion, and reverence. Shantala has performed and recorded internationally with such sacred music luminaries as Krishna Das, Deva Premal & Miten, and Jai Uttal. In summer 2008, they were named as one of the top “Wallahs to Watch” by Yoga + Joyful Living.

Sharada Devi, is the name that was given to her in India in 1974 by the Ma\\\'s at Neem Karoli Baba\\\'s temple. She has traveled throughout India for the past thirty plus years. Most of her time was spent in various temples playing music with the kirtan musicians, where she began to soak up the melodic tunes and found her heart in constant rhythm with the beat of the drum. She says \\\"The simple repetitions of the chants fill my spirit and bring forth a greater understanding of the dance of true love.\\\"\\\"Krishna Das and I were married for some years and have a daughter, Janaki....I also have a daughter, Sakina, from a previous marriage.\\\" Her band mates have an eclectic sound of instrumentation:Sharada Devi - ektaraMaggie Skau - harmoniumBill Ruyle - hammer dulcimerLaura Seaton Finn- violinTom Tedesco- tablasJohn McDowell - african drums

Susan Shehata (Sitara), Colleen Buckman (Kalyani) and Keith Helke (Pavan Kumar), combine decades of musical expertise and theatrical performance experience, as well as a passion for yogic traditions, to

Snatam Kaur was brought her up in the Sikh tradition as taught by Yogi Bhajan. Schooled in kirtan, meditation, and Gurmukhi, the young Snatam Kaur began to develop the devotion and skills that have grown and blossomed into a compelling, profound talent. “I learned about the importance of sound currents from Yogi Bhajan,” she says, “but I also had the personal experience of how the energy of these sacred words can have a very real, positive effect.” Snatam further explored the power of sound in India. After touring and performing Kirtan in northern India, Snatam settled in Amritsar where she studied music with the accomplished ragi (Indian master of Sikh-style kirtan) Bhai Hari Singh. While in Amritsar, Snatam lived next door to the Golden Temple, considered the world’s holiest Sikh temple. Sacred music resonates from inside the temple from about 2:30 in the morning to midnight every day-sounds created by world-class masters of Sikh kirtan. This enabled Snatam to continually soak in the essence of the Sound Current. Upon returning to the US from India, Snatam began her career as a recording artist with a band called the Peace Family. She served as the band’s lead singer and, with two skilled and accomplished musicians – Livtar Singh and GuruGanesha Singh, had her first opportunity to write songs. Two years later she began to develop her own sound and style and embarked on a very fruitful solo career.

Inspired by their teacher Herakhan Babaji and influenced by worldbeat, african, and african-american soul music, this group brings a rich, earthy flavor to kirtan music. Lots of drums, some rock guitar,

Spring is a spiritual soul singer from New York City that brings secular and sacred audiences together. She is a former Broadway performer and award winning, singer-songwriter honored by Billboard & The LA Music Awards. With 7 critically acclaimed CD’s Spring’s music ranges from folk, pop, dance to ecstatic kirtan and meditative mantra. Her passion is fusing the genres. Spring’s music has been described as Medicine for the Soul and her concerts Authentic, Eclectic and Uplifting. Her greatest joy is bringing different walks of life together to open their hearts, unleash their voices and experience the magic of joining as ONE. www.springgroove.com

Critically acclaimed for their new take on mantra rock. On the Grammy Ballot for Best New Age Album of the Year 2017.

Susan has been chanting since 1980 . Please see website for more bio.

SWAHA performs music that is both inspired and uplifting. It is an enticing blend of ethereal Sanskrit vocals soaring over rich earthy rhythms. The songs are composed by Meenakshi and Ron Reid. Swaha inv

Swami Omteertha was initiated into the yogic path in the early 1980s, and since that time yoga has been a dedication and lifestyle - with many of those years spent in an ashram.As a classically trained musician, she found her yogic sadhana and creative expression in kirtan, which she has been practising and performing for over 30 years now. It is only recently that she has made her kirtans available digitally. Her style of kirtan blends the traditional Indian sounds of tabla, mridangam, sitar and percussion with more modern elements; and ranges from the melodic and meditative, to the more upbeat and joyful. All the kirtans on her CDs are performed in the call and response style, and feature soaring vocal harmonies. A recent reviewer wrote : Om's crystal clear voice combined with the excellent musical arrangements is a truly divine experience and I can say that for the first time I have experienced that special blissful state everybody has been talking aboutI am happy if you change the words a little, but this is the general idea! Thanks Kitzie for your help in this,Om and Prem

Please change the last sentence in the blurb above as that was not meant to be a public statement. Thanks very much, Omteertha

Based in Boulder CO, Danya and Eyal travel the world sharing their form of sacred Hebrew Chanting in the service of boundless love and contagious peace. Their CD Coming Home" was released by S"

Join Nada Bhakti Yoga/Kirtan Chant Artists Randall and Kristin Brooks for an uplifting journey into yogic celebration, combining the sacred sounds of ancient Sanskrit with a modern East-Meets-West rhythm

amazing young kirtan group

Vishnu Blue is Abby Durga Devi, David Shiva Das and Tom Price. They are based out of Berkley, Michigan and lead kirtan, mantra workshop, yoga class, etc in the Detroit, Windsor and Toledo area. They are past presenters at Bhaktifest Midwest and other regional yoga festivals. Abby and David also operate a yoga studio called House of Yoga also located in Berkley, MI. Most recently they played along with Bhagavan Das and Sharada Devi at the Wild Woodstock Chant Weekend in Woodstock, NY.

Stewart and Rupa