Gioconda Vessichelli

About

Singer, lyricist, actress, and composer best known for inventing the BollywoOPERA style of music. She has famously released songs like "Itni Si Baat Hai" and "Contigo Bom Bom." She has a deep interest in musical fusion and is the first opera singer to join opera and Hindi music together. Doing so led her to become the first non-Indian woman to receive the Indian Women Award in 2014.

Before Fame

She earned degrees in both opera and musicology from the Italian conservatory Santa Cecilia. She was noticed as one of the best opera students by opera greats like Luciano Pavarotti. He chose to teach her personally.

Trivia

She has won numerous international opera competitions including Anemos in 1998, Albanese in 2002, and Leoncavallo in 2013.

Family Life

Her parents wanted her to become a scientist. However, she had dreams of becoming a singer from a very young age. While only a teenager, she left her parents' house and began singing in the streets to take care of herself.

Associated With

She sang the song "Ziddi Dil" with Vishal Dadlani for the Bollywood film Mary Kom in 2013, which starred Priyanka Chopra and Darshan Kumar.