deva premal

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Deva Premal grew up in Germany in a spiritual family where she was introduced at an early age to chanting and meditation. Her mother is a musician and her father an artist.

"My father has been on the spiritual path since the 50's, studying Yoga, spiritual scriptures and whatever books were available back then, making it his daily discipline to meditate every morning between 3 and 5 am," she says.

"When I was growing up he devised exercises for my sister and I, to help us become more aware of the moment: We were taught to say 'Om' whenever we placed something on the table, for example. Another was to say 'Ram' whenever we switched on the light!"

As a child she studied the violin and piano but it wasn't until she met Miten, at the Osho Commune in India, that she began exploring her voice.

"When Miten began encouraging me to sing harmony with him, I didn't need a big push! I had grown up with music so the ground work was already done. And we sounded pretty good together! At first I played a supporting role, singing second voice, playing keyboards, and co-leading our workshops, which used mantras and chants from different cultures. I was very shy to sing alone, but encouraged by Miten, I became more confident and eventually discovered my voice."

Mantras are rapidly becoming the music of choice for people seeking solace in sound, and deva premal, dubbed by one reviewer as 'the Enya of mantra,' is the voice they're turning to.

With close to 400,000 CDs sold worldwide and a buzz of interest from ardent fans ranging from yogis, therapists and alternative health practitioners to Cher and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, deva premal and her partner Miten have achieved a huge degree of recognition in the blossoming niche world of yoga music.

deva premal's music is driven by a simple yet elegant vision: 'everybody with a voice can sing, and everyone with a breath in their body can experience their divinity...we share with others the healing power of music, and the bliss that it brings.' The phenomenon of her groundswell of listeners is living proof that mantras are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago.