Raghu Dixit

Transcendental, folk-rocking singer-songwriter

Microbiologists don't tend to make pop stars. Raghu Dixit has bucked that trend. A huge star back home in India, the scientist-turned-singer-songwriter is now marking out a presence for himself across the world. The UK has already been charmed, following multiple appearances at last year's Glastonbury and an audience-silencing performance on Later With… Jools Holland (remember how that show gave a massive bunk-up to Seasick Steve's career). That's not all. Raghu has also played in the Test Match Special commentary box during a rain-affected game and bagged the Best Newcomer gong at the Songlines World Music Awards. The appeal of his music is immediate, an alluring compound of Indian traditions and Western folk-rock. As he told The Guardian, his songs "represent what India is today … deeply rooted in our tradition but marrying influences that the internet boom and globalisation are throwing at us". Globalisation has its critics, but the transcendental music of Raghu Dixit offers an argument or two in its defence.

(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2012)