Kiran Ahluwalia

Kiran Ahluwalia is a vocal composer and an exponent of two traditional singing styles from the Indian subcontinent: ghazals and Punjabi folk songs. She was born in the state of Bihar in Northern India to Punjabi parents who moved to New Zealand for four years, back to India for another five, before settling in Toronto, Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Industrial Relations, and was gainfully employed in a credit union, but seeking to make more of a mark on life, she quit her job and travelled to her India to study classical music in Bombay; and in Hyderabad, became a student of Vithal Raos, one of the city's last living court musicians. After a decade of studies and various jobs, including working for Putumayo World Music, Ahluwalia released her debut album in 2001. Wife of Rez Abbasi.