Win at the 2025 Global Music Awards reiterates my faith in the power of music, says singer Sonam Kalra -OxBig News Network

Sonam Kalra wants to heal the world through music
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“In February 2010, I was invited to perform at the Urs of Sufi Inayat Khan’s dargah in Delhi. It proved to be a turning point in my musical journey,” says singer Sonam Kalra. “A Sikh girl singing Gospel music being welcomed into an Islamic space. That moment made me feel like the universe was trying to tell me something.” It was then that Sonam thought about The Sufi Gospel Project. “I wondered why can’t I blend an Irish chant with a Buddhist chant or ‘Hallelujah’ with ‘Alla Hoo’ or ‘Abide With Me’ with Bulleh Shah’s verses. I also know the Gayatri Mantra by heart. So why not reflect this unity through music?”

Today, Sonam’s belief has found global affirmation. At the 2025 Global Music Awards held last month, she won three silver medals — two for her rendition of ‘Hum Dekhenge – Where the Mind is Without Fear’ in the categories of Protest Music and Female Vocalist, and a third for her moving piece ‘Hallelujah – Allah Hoo’.

Sonam Kalra’s The Sufi Gospel Project celebrates inclusivity and diversity
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangament

In both, Sonam’s music blends poetry, cultures, and faith. Her interpretation of ‘Hum Dekhenge’ combines Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s revolutionary verses with Rabindranath Tagore’s call for freedom.

Speaking over the phone, Sonam says, “This recognition means a lot to me as it is peer-reviewed — by musicians and experts worldwide.”

She adds that becoming a voting member of the Grammy Recording Academy felt equally significant. “It is an honour because the global music community sees value in the kind of music I am trying to create.”

Validation of her belief

Sonam also sees the Global Music Award as a recognition of her The Sufi Gospel Project. “It is a huge validation,” she says.  Recalling a recent message from Matt Koch, a Los Angeles-based symphonic composer, inviting her to contribute to a global music curriculum, she says, “To be recognised for music that goes deeper is a different validation. It tells me I may not be on the mainstream path, but I’m on my path, and that’s what matters.”

Sonam was initiated into classical music at the age of four by her sitarist-mother
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Sonam acknowledges that launching The Sufi Gospel Project was a significant risk, especially in a polarised climate but says her conviction in its message outweighed any fear. Drawing from her own experiences of growing up during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Sonam held on to the values of equality and co-existence instilled by her parents. Despite questions about why a Sikh woman would sing Gospel music or blend it with Sufism, she stood firm in her belief that “faith is personal” and that “art must reflect the truth, otherwise it is just mimicry.”

Rooted in classical

Sonam’s musical journey began in childhood, inspired by her mother’s deep love for music. “She used to play the sitar and encouraged me and my siblings to pursue music. I began learning formally at age four,” says Sonam. While her sisters moved on, Sonam stayed immersed, later training under the Dagar Brothers, Shubha Mudgal, and Pt. Sarathi Chatterjee.

Though she pursued graphic design in art school and worked in advertising, music remained her calling. “I quit my job to sing professionally, and almost immediately lost my voice for a year. I felt like Saraswati was testing me,” she laughs. During this emotional period, especially as she cared for her ailing mother, Sonam found refuge in theatre: “Theatre helped me express myself when I couldn’t sing. It opened a different part of my soul.”

One of her greatest theatre influences was Amal Allana, daughter of theatre legend Ebrahim Alkazi. “Working with Amal was great. After 14 years of music, she brought me back for a staged reading of her book on Alkazi sir.”

Sonam has also released well-loved songs such as ‘Man Manam’ (a Coke Studio production), ‘Amazing Grace’ (2014), ‘Bol’ (2015), ‘Alfat’ (2019), ‘Hum Dekhenge… Where the Mind is Without Fear’ (2020), ‘Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaya’ (2021), ‘Gayatri Mantra’ (2022), ‘Chal Bulleya’ (2022) and more. Each of these songs explores emotions like self-reflection and reverence for the divine.

Sonam resists being boxed into any genre, choosing instead to let her music flow freely beyond boundaries.