Sunita Devi has had a remarkable few years to say the least; 2003 saw her leave her family home in a modest Wolverhampton suburb to pursue her musical dream via a transatlantic move to New York City. Many have tried and failed at this with Sunita being an exception. Her unique brand of sophisticated R&B and dance has been making waves in the UK and the USA alike and she is a refreshing change from a musical landscape that is being blighted by a barrage of manufactured band and 80s emulating singers. Since 2003, this British Asian sensation who has the likes of singer, songwriter and DJ on her list of credentials has recorded 2 albums, sung for some of the music world’s elite as well as setting up her own entertainment company, Kaur Entertainment in 2007. At the age of 24, this is quite a feat but she is only just getting started! A new album and several other projects are yet in the pipeline. I caught up with this up and coming starlet on rare visit back home to see how she has adapted to her new life across the pond and exactly how it all got started in the first place…
I am sitting in a stuffy and dimly lit pub in the centre of Wolverhampton with Sunita Devi and her sister who is also her manager. She’s even brought her newly acquired sister in law along with her! At this point I was slightly nervous at being outnumbered by family, but they were charming to say the least throughout. One thing that comes across immediately is the closeness between Sunita and her family, even though the majority of her the time is spent in New York. Upon asking her about how it feels to be back she answers, “It’s so humbling to come back home. I get people coming up to me saying ‘Hey, I saw your videos on YouTube’ and ‘I love your music’ and it keeps me grounded. I feel such a sense of pride.” Citing the likes of Aaliyah, Gemma Fox and Celine Dion as her main influences Sunita took to the stage for the first time aged 15 when she performed Aaliyah’s ‘Try Again’ at a school function. This was a defining moment for her and the positive response from the crowd along with the sheer emphatic buzz that she felt on stage made her realise this was her true calling. This euphoric high however was brought down to a thumping low with Aaliyah’s untimely death in the August of that year. This tragic event made Sunita want to embark on her musical her dream even more. “It made me realise that life’s too short and I became even more determined to go to New York.”
Following on from that performance her talent was spotted by a local youth leader who encouraged her to take the singing further which led to Sunita recording her first major single ‘Angel or a Star’. The single was an underground hit and gave the songstress the final push to make the move to New York. “I already had contacts in the music world out in America. Moving there was something that I had always said I would do.” She has received criticism for leaving the UK and was accused of denouncing her roots but as she reiterates it was something that she did because the opportunities available to her in America were more ample than those in the UK, even though the UK industry is easier to break through. Recent casualties of UK stars who have categorically blundered in America include Oasis, Craig David and Robbie Williams who charged into the country all guns blazing on a first class flight and were forced to embarrassingly leave on a coach ticket. The catalyst of this failure being mainly down to these acts thinking they could conquer the market alone and required no support once there. However, as Sunita emphasises, having contacts is paramount and she has forged links with several notable figures of the industry.
“In the city, everyone always knows someone connected to the industry and keeping these contacts secure will benefit you later on in someway or another”. In late 2003 Sunita set up home in a meagre apartment in the Bronx borough of the city, a short distance away from the renowned ‘Avenue of Americas’ in Manhattan where all the distinguished record companies are based. “It was very hard at first… I had to get a graphics related job to make ends meet”. It was not all the glitz and glam that the modern media portrays nowadays but she was determined to succeed. It was in the Bronx that Sunita met local rapper RED (formerly known as The R.E.D) and the two formed the duo ‘Boisterous Rouge’. They hit it off immediately and recorded two albums, the proceeds of which went to charity and then in 2005 the girls received more recognition when they reached the regional finals of ‘Joe Jackson’s Hip-Hop Boot Camp’. The fact that it was a reality show is what deterred the girls from going any further. Creative differences eventually prised the duo apart and 3 years later they did reunite to record tracks on each other’s albums.
Although she calls New York home Sunita cannot contain her excitement for the music scene here in the UK and flies the flag for home-grown talent on her hugely successful radio show entitled ‘The One Foot Skank Show’ co-hosted by her sister. “I love the music scene here…the dance music is amazing, but they [the Americans] don’t really like it”. It’s hardly surprising that our own brand of hip-hop isn’t favoured upon by the majority of American listeners. The rap scene across the pond is arguably the most powerful music force in the world. They are the front runners of the ‘game’ as it is commonly known among the elite, ahead of everybody else with heavyweights such as P. Diddy and Jay-Z, whose fortunes accumulate to a more than lucrative $600 million. So, frankly they are in a more than comfortable position to dismiss any talent outside of the US much to the dismay of Sunita Devi who tries to champion UK talent whenever possible.
Since her arrival in the industry Sunita has written over 300 songs; some for her self, some for other artists - for some of the songs she doesn’t even know where she’s placed the paper she wrote them on! Now, I love my music but only as a listener and a reviewer, writing a song for me however is something unfathomable and I am awestruck that this girl has managed to write so many songs as for me, writing one would be a huge feat. Writing for Sunita is something that comes spontaneously and the songs that she has written cover a range of emotions and sentiments, from losing a loved one to personal trials that one might face. Her first single ‘Angel or A Star’ was written after Aaliyah’s death and can be interpreted in many ways. “It doesn’t just have to be about being a relationship; it could be about missing a friend who isn’t there anymore…or just wanting a hug from my mum!” It is easy for singers in the R&B genre to fall into the trap of sounding dated and similar to other artists and for any critics thinking that Sunita’s offerings are a new rehashing of old Aaliyah songs, think again. Sunita’s maturity as an artist is evident along with the versatility of her sound; the subdued tempo of ‘Faded’ that is perfect rainy-day listening is powerfully juxtaposed by the 60s inspired ‘Slippin’’ produced by Ryan Pinson. Her vocals have clearly improved over the years and the sound that she presents on ‘Slippin’’ has surprised Sunita herself above everyone else. “If you told me 4 years ago that I would be singing a song like ‘Slippin’’ I would not have believed you…I wanted to show how versatile I am and when I sat down with Ryan and explained what I wanted and ‘Slippin’’ was born. This track makes me feel good I just wanted people to realise that there are so many sides to me…I have no restrictions when it comes to my music”.
So, what’s next for Sunita? She is currently working on her new album entitled ‘Standing in My Own Way’ claiming “I am on the only person standing in my own way”. This album promises to be a lot more autobiographical and personal…previously I have written a lot of songs about going out to the clubs, having a good time and so on but now I am going to get more personal”. Another reason to get excited about this album is that Sunita will be collaborating with producers such as The RED, Ryan Pinson and G.Flex, who has worked with the likes of Nas and Run DMC. She’s heading back to New York in August to record it and you never know, this may become the platinum album she dreams of having under her belt one day. Good luck Sunita!
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
Sunita Devi has had a remarkable few years to say the least; 2003 saw her leave her family home in a modest Wolverhampton suburb to pursue her musical dream via a transatlantic move to New York City. Many have tried and failed at this with Sunita being an exception. Her unique brand of sophisticated R&B and dance has been making waves in the UK and the USA alike and she is a refreshing change from a musical landscape that is being blighted by a barrage of manufactured band and 80s emulating singers. Since 2003, this British Asian sensation who has the likes of singer, songwriter and DJ on her list of credentials has recorded 2 albums, sung for some of the music world’s elite as well as setting up her own entertainment company, Kaur Entertainment in 2007. At the age of 24, this is quite a feat but she is only just getting started! A new album and several other projects are yet in the pipeline. I caught up with this up and coming starlet on rare visit back home to see how she has adapted to her new life across the pond and exactly how it all got started in the first place…
I am sitting in a stuffy and dimly lit pub in the centre of Wolverhampton with Sunita Devi and her sister who is also her manager. She’s even brought her newly acquired sister in law along with her! At this point I was slightly nervous at being outnumbered by family, but they were charming to say the least throughout. One thing that comes across immediately is the closeness between Sunita and her family, even though the majority of her the time is spent in New York. Upon asking her about how it feels to be back she answers, “It’s so humbling to come back home. I get people coming up to me saying ‘Hey, I saw your videos on YouTube’ and ‘I love your music’ and it keeps me grounded. I feel such a sense of pride.” Citing the likes of Aaliyah, Gemma Fox and Celine Dion as her main influences Sunita took to the stage for the first time aged 15 when she performed Aaliyah’s ‘Try Again’ at a school function. This was a defining moment for her and the positive response from the crowd along with the sheer emphatic buzz that she felt on stage made her realise this was her true calling. This euphoric high however was brought down to a thumping low with Aaliyah’s untimely death in the August of that year. This tragic event made Sunita want to embark on her musical her dream even more. “It made me realise that life’s too short and I became even more determined to go to New York.”
