Collection: Asha Puthli

Born 4 February 1945 in Mumbai, Asha Puthli trained in Indian classical music and opera from an early age. She fell in love with jazz through Voice of America radio broadcasts, performing at local clubs. She became a British Airways flight attendant to travel internationally, later winning a dance scholarship from Martha Graham's company. She arrived in New York in 1969, where legendary Columbia Records executive John Hammond discovered her through Ved Mehta's book Jazz in Bombay. Hammond sent her to audition for avant-garde saxophonist Ornette Coleman, who made her the first vocalist on his album Science Fiction (1972). She sang "What Reason Could I Give" and "All My Life", earning the DownBeat Critics' Poll award for Best Female Jazz Vocalist alongside Ella Fitzgerald. Hammond also produced an unreleased single, "Asha's Thing", and she recorded "Ain't That Peculiar" with the Peter Ivers Blues Band before her breakthrough with Coleman.

Signed to CBS Records, Puthli released her self-titled debut in 1973, produced by Del Newman, featuring covers of JJ Cale, Bill Withers, John Lennon's "Love", and a sultry version of George Harrison's "I Dig Love". The album included a disco version of Neil Sedaka's "I Am a Song" and her own composition "Truth". She Loves to Hear the Music (1974) gained audiences in European clubs before The Devil is Loose (1976) saw her move into full-fledged disco. The single "Space Talk" was later sampled by Notorious B.I.G. in "The World Is Filled" (1997) and by Jay-Z, 50 Cent, The Pharcyde, G-Unit, Chris Brown, and Action Bronson. L'Indiana (1978/79) featured the nearly-eight-minute "Music Machine", dedicated to Studio 54. A regular at the legendary nightclub, she became friends with Andy Warhol, Manolo Blahnik, and Salvador Dali. Her breathy, slinky vocals were said to have influenced Donna Summer. In 2024, aged 79, she performed at Glastonbury Festival and We Out Here. In 2025, she was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame.