Israeli neo-soul artist Danny Kuttner to perform in Delhi

Born in a Jewish family to Dutch and Belgian parents, Kuttner moved to Israel when she was one. “My parents are very rooted in Israel but they taught us how to speak English from a very young age and we visited a lot of international places. I think that helped me listen to more international music and seek that international sound,” says Kuttner.

Ahead of her performance in India, Kuttner confesses to being enamoured by Indian classical music. (Pic credits: Ellie Cohen)

However, it was only after she completed the mandatory army service in Israel when she was 21 that she was convinced to take music seriously. A trip to Australia, which she calls “very big and raw, with so much nature and such few humans”, was among the many other trips she took to understand her calling for music. “I went out of the army and started to travel for a few years. That 180-degree turn from being in that hardcore structure (of the army) to that freedom really gave me the opportunity to just be. It takes time to understand who you want to be. Part of that realisation was that I wanted to do music,” says Kuttner, who didn’t even know how to play the guitar or how to produce music. But that was the turning point. “Two years later, I bought my first guitar. I studied music production in Israel and after a year of studying, I started to create my music and really fell in love with that,” says Kuttner

Among her influences as a kid were pop stars — Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears. “But when I grew up, I started to listen to Norah Jones and jazz queens like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald,” says Kuttner, who likes the rounded aesthetic of English. “When I was 17, my friend introduced me to Nai Palm and my mind was like, ‘What is going on? They’re amazing’. So from that point, I really got into Erykah Badu and Hiatus Kaiyote,” she says.

Ahead of her performance in India, Kuttner confesses to being enamoured by Indian classical music. “I really love the singing methods. I would love even to go to a teacher and just explore it because it’s such a beautiful technique of singing. And I love the groove. I love the percussions and the sitar. I’m very connected to the music culture of India,” she says.

Besides Kuttner, South African guitarist Guy Buttery and the Delhi-based act Dastaan LIVE will also be a part of the evening. The latter will reinterpret music from theatreperson MK Raina’s presentation of Bhisham Sahni’s iconic play, Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein, as a rock opera in a new, vibrant style with modern instrumentation.

On September 22, 6 pm onwards at Sundar Nursery. Tickets available on insider.in

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