Tina Sugandh

Throughout Tina's school years, The Sugandh Family performed all over the U.S. and the Caribbean, and gained a huge following in the Indian community. At one concert, Tina begged her father to let her take over for one song and play the drum that he played, (called the dholak). As she began to play, the audience was dumbstruck. "My father wondered how a seven-year-old could have a sense of rhythm like that." Tina's parents decided to introduce her to a more intricate drum, the tabla, a two-barreled percussion that takes years to master and is predominantly played by men. "Dictating rhythm came so naturally to me. I loved playing live. At the start of the show, people would see me sitting behind the drum and think, oh, how cute-she's tuning the tabla for her father to play. No one suspected that I would actually have the strength or ability to play - then I'd blow them away." Her proficiency earned her a nickname: TablaGirl. As a 15-year-old, Tina was discovered by Sean Harris, a screenwriter and creative mentor who would help shape Tina's talents. Sean eventually convinced Tina that she should pursue music as a career and, to that end, spent time working on a demo. Between her studies as a biology major at Rutgers University (where she eventually graduated on the Dean's List), and weekend performances with the Sugandh Family, Tina would drive to Washington DC to work with Sean, who arranged photo shoots and studio time for her, and most importantly, encouraged her to write her own music. The first song she ever wrote, "I Spit Fire," appears on her debut album. Once Tina completed her demo and promo package, Tina approached her future methodically. "Every morning I'd send out a few demos, make about 30 calls to labels, and keep very detailed notes on each conversation," she laughs. "I'd write down every time I followed up. It was studious and dorky, but when I want something to work, I create a plan and persistently follow through until I get what I want." Her persistence paid off when a friend introduced her to Sean Sullivan, who had been working with Maxwell, John Mellencamp and Jessica Simpson and was starting a new management company. Sean was impressed and had her perform for Jay Jay French (Twisted Sister, Sevendust), his partner in the new venture. Jay Jay was equally impressed and the duo signed her to their new company, Rebellion Entertainment. They spent the next year developing her songs and creating new demos. These demos lead to a publishing deal with Warner/ Chappell Music and a Sony deal. "I feel like the constant encouragement, years of performance experience, and musical genes that my family blessed me with were all in preparation for this moment in my life." confesses Tina, who also is one of the hosts of the popular program Asian Variety Show on Saturday mornings ("It's the Entertainment Tonight for Bollywood."). "There was a time when Latin music was a bit foreign, and now you hear it's beauty everywhere. I believe it's time for the Indian sound to explode." By lighting the fuse, Tina Sugandh is among the first to ignite the Indian explosion