Divya Cutinho
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Dec 6: Making coastal Karnataka proud, one of the unique bands from the region 'The Punch' has been selected for the second round of popular reality show 'India's Got Talent'.
'India's Got Talent'(IGT) is known to wow the viewers with some mind-boggling acts. The eighth edition of the show which telecast on every Saturday and Sunday at 10 pm on Colors is judged by Karan Johar, Kirron Kher and Malaika Arora and hosted by Bharti Singh and Rithvik Dhanjani.
'The Punch' - the band of five, consisting of talented musicians was formed for India’s Got Talent. The band members met through social media and they get connected over their phone, sending each other’s videos of performing and practice ahead of their performance.
Stephen Vijay Franko, keyboardist in the band rose to fame after his cover song 'Tere sang yaara' from the film 'Rustom' crossed more than 1.8 million views on his YouTube channel 'Magical Fingers. He has co-arranged and co-produced 'Baki hai' sung by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Goshal from the film '5 Weddings'. Apart from it, he has performed alongside popular Bollywood artists Ash King, Divya Kumar Singh, Sashwath Sing and many more.
Anjali Shanbhogue, a saxophonist in the band is trained by well-known saxophone player Sunder Sherigar. She has given more than 2000 performances all around India and abroad. She has produced three audio CDs namely 'Swaranjali', 'Alaipayade' and 'Melody is on'. She has also performed with renowned singers like Dr Shamitha Malnad, Ajay Warrior and Surekha. Her latest video on YouTube titled 'Samjhawan' received nearly 7 million hits, the highest among Indian saxophonists. She has more than 50,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Priya Andrews in the band is an experienced drummer who has worked for more than 500 music CDs of various genres and also a session drummer for well-known country artists.
Kiran Kadadekar from Mumbai is a session bass player and currently plays for an post/programme band called "Across Seconds". He is been playing bass for more than 6 years now.
Samarth Dinesh Desai from Hubli is a passionate Hindustani classical guitar player and composer. He has performed with the great Pt Jayathirth Mevundi on several occasions and also performed in over 1000 live shows including Hindustani classical and fusion genres.
The band members clad in traditional outfits especially dhoti and sari performed for popular Bollywood number 'Gulabi Ankhe'. The judges were mesmerized by the performance of Anjali as traditional jazz musician and the team. The band also received standing ovation from the judges. The band from the coast is all set to entertain the viewers in the coming episodes.
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