“Rising star from India Subhi aims for the US pop scene with latest single “Wake Me Up”
— Culture Collide
Originally from New Delhi, Subhi was always surrounded by music whether by the Punjabi folk music sung during family celebrations or the Indian classical music her grandmother enjoyed listening to. At the age of eight, Subhi started receiving formal training in Hindustani classical music. As a child, she enjoyed listening to her grandfather recite Urdu poetry and would write down the poems that touched her heart. She started writing her own songs in middle school. During her years in middle and high school, Subhi was a part of the English music choir and also played Indian percussion instruments, namely tabla and dholak for the Indian Music Choir.
Subhi immigrated to New York City in high school and after graduating college interned with famed Oscar-nominated film director Mira Nair for the Broadway musical Monsoon Wedding. She was also an entertainment reporter for South Asian outlets, all while working full-time at a prominent Wall Street banking institution. Even after winning a coveted employee award, Subhi's strong feeling of emptiness gave her a sign to fully pursue what she wanted her entire life: to create music. She quit her job and packed her bags to try her luck in the Hindi-cinema capital, Mumbai, a city completely unknown to her. While in Mumbai, Subhi composed music for National Award-winning director Nila Madhab Panda on his feature film and also worked on projects with leading Indian Digital platforms including The Viral Fever and Y-Films (Yash Raj Films). Subhi’s original composition ‘Lovely’ is the title track of a Netflix Series called ‘Zindagi In Shorts’ released in February 2021. The song is also featured in one of the stories ‘Sunny Side Upar’. The series is produced by the prominent producer & director Anurag Kashyap and popular production house Sikhya Entertainment in India. Mumbai further honed her skills as an engaging performing artist. Subhi shuttles between Chicago and Mumbai and in this travel and cultural diversity creates lyrics and music that are both personal and universal.
Subhi's songs have appeared on NPR, SXSW, Apple & Spotify curated playlists. She has performed at various prestigious venues and festivals including SXSW Music Festival, The Kennedy Center, TEDx, Talks at Google and Facebook. ABC Chicago showcased Subhi’s musical journey on their Emmy award-winning show Asian Influences. Subhi is a proud recipient of the 2019 & 2020 Individual Artist Program grant awarded by the City of Chicago. She was nominated as 'Best Asian Entertainer 2019' by the Chicago Music Awards and in 2020 was nominated for the prestigious 3 Arts Award. Her debut album Shaitaan Dil, co-presented by the Jazz Institute of Chicago, received much appreciation for its authentic sound and storytelling. Subhi's single 'Chaand Ka Chilka' won Honorable Mention in the World Music Category of the International Songwriting Competition 2019. Her English original 'Wake Me Up' is a semi-finalist in the Adult Contemporary Category of Unsigned Only 2020 competition.
She has been featured and written by prominent Media outlets such as Rolling Stone India, Vh1 India, MTV India, American Songwriter, Times of India, Vancouver Sun, Miss Malini, and Score Magazine to name a few. Her latest English composition ‘Better’ won Songwriter Universe ‘Best Song of the Month Contest’ in February 2021.
Subhi loves yellow-colored flowers, traveling through Europe, and drinking masala chai. In fact, if sent to a deserted island she would bring packets of masala chai, a lavender-scented candle, and Selected Poems by Gulzar with her. Those who know Subhi describe her as exuberant, genuine, and elegant.