SINGAPORE: Twice Grammy-nominated sitar player Anoushka Shankar is all set to strum up music lovers with her brand of east-meets-west Indian classical fusion at the Esplanade Concert Hall on Saturday.

Mainly inspired by Indian classical music, the sitar princess will be bringing a different experience to the stage with a mix of instruments from both India and the West, such as the tabla, flute, piano, cello, tanpura and of course, her signature traditional Indian instrument, the sitar.

Coming from a family of well-known musicians, Anoushka’s father is the legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar, who popularised Indian classical music worldwide with his collaborations with English rocker George Harrison and renowned violinist Yehudi Menuhin.

Anoushka also has a half sister, American singer-songwriter Norah Jones.

In an exclusive interview with Channel NewsAsia, Anoushka revealed that despite having such famous family connections, she has never had much pressure following in their footsteps, and found her own musical style through her travels and experiences.

"Right at the beginning when I was a teenager thinking about being a musician, I was very clear with myself that I wasn’t going to set this kind of expectations (of comparing my standards to my father's)," she said. "Because art form has to come from your heart and it has to be personal, it has to be your own dreams.

"In more ways than one, life is a big influence for my music... like the kinds of music I listen to (classical, heavy metal, electronic...), the places I travel to... I'm definitely a product of where I’ve lived and where I’ve been."

Today, the musician has emerged from under her father's shadow to become a star in her own rights.

She was the first Indian woman to perform at the Grammy Awards during the pre-telecast ceremony of the 48th Awards, chosen as one of twenty Asian heroes by the Asian edition of Time magazine, and has five albums to her name.

Shankar is able to coax spellbinding spiritual sounds from her sitar, with fusions of acoustic and electronic instrumentation.

Singapore is the only Southeast Asian stop for the sitarist’s tour and audiences can expect to be treated to traditional Indian classical ragas as well as acoustic versions of her contemporary compositions from her latest album "Breathing Under Water".

Anoushka Shankar will sizzle up Singapore's Esplanade Concert Hall on Saturday, at 7.30pm.

- CNA/yb