Kiran Ahluwalia and her band to perform world music

Indian-born singer-songwriter Kiran Ahluwalia and her five-piece band will perform a program titled "7 Billion" -- which refers to the number of people on planet earth.

Part of Septemberfest, Milford borough-wide music festival, the performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Milford Theatre, 114 East Catherine Street.

'We Sinful Women'

Although some of Ahluwalia's early recordings focused on soulful renditions in the Punjabi folk and Indian classical genres, her music, like the artist herself, has evolved into a global phenomenon. On top of her foundation in Indian traditions, she has added sounds from Africa, the blues, rock, R&B, and jazz, among other genres.

Her group is led by electric guitar master Rez Abbasi and includes an accordion, organ, tabla, and drum kit that create boundary-breaking songs. For example, "We Sinful Women" (kiranmusic.com), on the "7 Billion" album, instantly grabs your attention with a Jimmy Smith-style organ riff, hard-rocking guitar, and propulsive drumming behind Ahluwalia's note-bending voice.

Mash-up

“I’ve taken aesthetics I love such as blues, Malian styles, and, of course, Indian forms, and mashed them together in my own way,” Ahluwalia says. “I think of my music as a genre that’s on its own, one that benefits greatly from being in the diaspora. This isn’t the way Indian music is in any other part of the world. I hesitate to even call it Indian."

Now living in New York, Ahluwalia has also lived in Canada, where she has recorded some of her seven albums and won several Juno awards (the Canadian Grammys), including the Juno Award for Best World Music. Reviewers have hailed her in The New Yorker, the Toronto Sun, the London Evening Standard, and Downbeat Magazine, among other publications.

The concert is a production of Kindred Spirits Arts Programs in conjunction with Septemberfest in Milford, which is organized by Milford Presents. Kindred Spirits is a not-for-profit organization of volunteers led by internationally known cello soloist Yosif Feigelson. In addition to bringing world-class artists to northeastern Pennsylvania, the organization arranges educational enrichment workshops for local high school students.