biography

Prema is one of those artistes whose voice and music never fails to make a deep impression on the listener. Her style is distinctive and always soulful. Her presence as an artiste and performer is formidable and Prema is the voice that the world is waiting to hear.

Music has always played a definitive part in Prema’s life. From an early age, she learnt the piano and violin, playing classical music. Her passion however, soon became evident when she picked up the guitar at the age of 13. Her voice however was a ‘late bloomer’. Always singing in falsetto, Prema did not discover her true voice until her later teens, but when that sound emerged, there was no stopping the outpouring of her incredible talent. She began to compose feverishly as if possessed by some greater force, and she continues to do so; at last count somewhere around 200 songs!

While studying at University in Australia for her B.A., Prema decided to put her talent to the test. Although her friends and family gave her positive feedback about her music, Prema had a deeper urge to share her voice and words to the general public. Her first public performance was busking, alone with her guitar in the middle of the Adelaide Mall in Australia. Not only did she make a great impression on the passers by, but also with the other buskers and musicians (she was the only female busker at the time), and she managed to earn a good few quid as well!

Soon after that Prema began to make a name for herself, performing at the University and also all around Adelaide, often doing support gigs for major name Aussie acts like ‘The Bachelors from Prague’, Dave Mason (from the Reels) and Jonathon Jones (from the Rockmelons), ‘Not Drowning, Waving’ and a few others. She even performed at the prestigious Sydney Harbourside Brasserie and was very well received.

Upon her return to Malaysia (where she is originally from), Prema caught the eye of the country’s then top record label, Roslan Aziz Productions (RAP). The highlight of her time with RAP was performing as a guest artiste in front of 45 000 people at a concert held by RAP, showcasing its stable of artists.

In 1994, Prema moved to Warner Music Malaysia, where she began work on her debut album and continued to perform live around Kuala Lumpur, around Malaysia and in Singapore. Her album was critically acclaimed for being the best Malaysian produced English album. She was nominated for 4 awards in the AIM awards which is equivalent to the Grammy’s. She received rave reviews from Malaysia’s most respected critics, ‘She has embedded herself in the discerning music listener’s subconscious. And that, is the mark of a great artiste’ (Galaxy, Jan 1997) and from the Sunday Star Newspaper, Jan 1997, they said ‘She deserves every bit of success and adulation for delivering such a classy piece of work. If this were the USA she would have been noticed by now’

Two years following the release of her album, Prema left Warner Music, in 1999. Just before separating from her label, Prema was sent to Melbourne and Sydney to collaborate with other Warner Chappell songwriters. The trip was sponsored by Warner Music and Warner Chappell and is a testament to the high regard they had for Prema as a songwriter.

Prema also built a name for herself with the Malaysian public through her music and her actions. She was a highly respected artiste whose involvement with the public did not just stop at music. Prema was a firm supporter of charities and was always the first port of call for the Malaysian Aids Foundation, AWAM (Center for battered women) Youthquake (a youth programme run by Malaysia’s main newspaper, The New Straits Times), WWF and many more. Her commitment to these organisations was invaluable and the organisers knew that they could count on Prema for her support as a person and as an artiste; her music was always a true inspiration.

As a newly unsigned artiste, Prema gigged live, extensively around Kuala Lumpur. As Prema's music continued to evolve, she went into the studio with her Malaysian backing band to record a brand new track called ‘So Right’. Her unreleased effort, 'So Right' has been given extensive airplay in all of Malaysia's leading radio stations, which is an indication of the level of respect the industry has for her talent. At this time she was also asked to be the voice of Telekom Malaysia (Malaysia’s government run telecoms agency), resulting in the highly successful, award winning advertising campaign, ‘We’re Here For You’ which Prema performed in two different languages.

In 1998, Prema was invited by the Women Take Centre Stage jazz festival in the UK, to perform at the Jazz Café in Camden and also at The Bonnington Theatre in Nottingham, and later again in 2000 at the Scala in London for the same festival. During the 1998 concerts, Prema was invited as a guest on Jenni Murray’s Women’s Hour on the BBC. She won the heart of Ms. Murray and even obliged an impromptu ‘live’ acoustic rendition of one of her songs! Her music, once again was a testament to her calibre as an artiste and a person.

In December 1999, Prema moved permanently to the UK and is now a fully fledged Brit. Prema decided to get her feet back into the British music scene in mid 2006, having been invited by Raison D’être (a wonderful outfit who nurture blossoming talent) Prema performed at a showcase evening at the prestigious Jazz Cafe in Camden. It was an outstanding gig and Prema wowed her audience with her original, soulful, funky music. It was a momentous time for Prema, coming full circle from 1998 where she made her first appearance at the Jazz Cafe. Later that year, she also did a showcase at Cargo and again at the Jazz Cafe. After these gigs, Prema came to a decision about her future. She wanted to make her album – her way.

Prema is now working on her long awaited 2nd album. She is at the pre-production stage, producing all the music herself as well as playing all the instruments and is thoroughly enjoying the process. She plans to take the songs to the studio when ready and will engage the finest musicians (she has already picked and approached these talented musical heroes of hers). Prema will release her album under her own label MoreReverb which will use the internet as the main source of distribution.

Prema will also be doing all the artwork, the promotions, the pr, the whole lot herself with the help of her other half Simon. She has always said that it is imperative that she use all the lessons she learnt and experience she has gained, to develop and distribute her music in the most all encompassing way. This album is set to be the definitive sound that Prema has wanted to create and will no doubt be successful in every sense of the word. It has been a long time coming, but it will definitely be well worth the wait!

Prema is a rare breed in the music industry, one of those truly consummate artistes. As a performer, there is something deeply mesmerising about seeing Prema ‘live’. Her energy and vitality transcends the stage straight into the heart of the listener. Her music is all heart and soul, her talent is mind blowing, her voice is molasses, rich and utterly delicious. Wherever she performs, you can be assured that the audience will come back over and over again to hear this stylish lady sing; as has always been the case throughout her career.

As a songwriter, producer, arranger and musician, her skills and sensitivity to the song as a whole become dazzlingly obvious. Her mastery of telling the story through every nuance of sound as well as through pure, raw emotion is astounding; she always manages to keep a fine balance between the two. Prema’s talent gleams with even more brilliance when she is a part of the whole process of making her songs come to life; from conception to completion - then her music takes on an entrancing quality, one where the sounds and stories ring true in her listeners’ hearts. That is the mark of a truly talented artiste – Prema is the real deal.