Winning hearts with her voice
KAMAL Chopra did not think her passion for singing would one day bring her onto the international stage.
As a conveyancing lawyer (she recently stopped her practice) and a mother of three sons in Penang, serenading the crowd had to take a back seat.
“I just never had time for singing again,” recalls Kamal, whose idols include Tina Turner, Whitney Houston and famed Bollywood singer Asha Bhosle.
But she had always been a songbird and music and lyrics were just etched into her very being.
“I have loved singing since my childhood days. I was told that I used to love entertaining family and friends and would start singing anytime, anywhere ... in the car, in school and even at parties!” the Kuala Lumpur-born Kamal, whose favourite songs include Tina Turner’s Simply The Best, Guns N Roses’ Sweet Child Of Mine and Uji Rashid’s Semakin Hari Semakin Sayang, enthuses.
Everything changed five years ago, says the songstress, when her husband, a consultant radiologist and nuclear medicine physician, gave her the push to start singing again.
“Since then, he has been the wind beneath my wings,” says Kamal, whose eldest child is 22.
She started winning singing competitions and decided to perform on stage professionally. She sang at corporate events, charity events and weddings, once lending her voice to a wedding in Australia.
Kamal also made Youtube covers and mashups, and even sang at the Penang International Jazz Festival in 2015.
In the same year, she completed her Certificate in Popular Music Performance with Rockschool International Music and Performance Arts, a UK qualification exam done in Malaysia.
But she did not stop there. In 2016, Kamal got together with some of her friends and formed their own English rock band called Vintage Rising, in which she is the lead singer.
As fate would have it, things took a turn for the better when Kamal came in contact with Rash Frantic, a Singaporean music producer, early this year through social media.
Working in collaboration with him, she released her latest cover single called Yeh Wada Raha. Several radio stations in London played the song and even went on to interview her.
Before she knew it, she received a nomination for Best International Artist at the UK Bhangra Awards 2019 based on her work, performances and endorsement of the Punjabi culture through the course of a year.
The Awards will take place Nov 30 in Birmingham, London. Winners are determined by the number of votes they receive from the public via email or text (ukbhangraawards.com/nominations).
Kamal urges people to never stop reaching for the stars.
“My advice to everyone, especially those who are married and have children and other commitments, is that one should never give up on one’s dreams.
“Age is never a factor and don’t let anyone tell you that. Keep reaching for your goals and ambition as long as you’re standing,” Kamal concludes.