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Kaushiki Chakraborty first Indian classical singer on Times Square Billboard
The feature was part of Spotify’s global EQUAL campaign, which highlights women in music across the world.
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 25, Aug 2025
- 16:59 EDT
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Kaushiki Chakraborty on a billboard on Times Square / Instagram (Kaushiki Chakraborty)
Acclaimed Indian classical vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty became the first Indian classical vocalist to be featured on a Times Square billboard in New York City.
The feature was part of Spotify’s global EQUAL campaign, which highlights women in music across the world. Chakraborty, an exponent of the Patiala Gharana, is known for her Hindustani classical khayal performances as well as playback singing in films including Mirzya and Shikara.
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Sharing the news on Instagram, Chakraborty said she was “humbled and overjoyed” by the recognition, dedicating the moment to her parents and to Indian classical music. “Classical music of India, the music that I call home, lights up New York, Times Square,” she wrote, calling the feature a tribute “to every Indian” and “to every woman who spreads their Pankh to fly high, dream big and break barriers.”
The milestone coincides with her ongoing all-India tour of her autobiographical album Pankh, which blends personal narrative with classical artistry.
Beyond khayal, Chakraborty is also known for her repertoire of thumri, dadra, and bhajan and is regarded for both technical command and emotive depth.
Her international recognition includes the 2005 BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in the Asia–Pacific category, where she was described as “one of the brightest emerging artists in Indian vocal music.” She has also been honoured with the Ustad Bismillah Khan Puraskar (2010) and the Aditya Birla Kalakiran Puraskar (2013).
In recent years, she has been associated with projects such as Sakhi, a collaborative initiative featuring women musicians and dancers interpreting Indian traditions from a female perspective, alongside her album Pankh.
Born in Kolkata on Oct. 24, 1980, Chakraborty is the daughter of Padma Bhushan awardee and noted vocalist Ajoy Chakraborty. She received her training at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, where she was a scholar, and at Shrutinandan, a music school established by her father.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Jogamaya Devi College and a master’s degree in philosophy from Jadavpur University.
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