Malini Awasthi

Malini Awasthi is one of India's foremost folk singers, a leading exponent of the folk music of Uttar Pradesh, and a torchbearer for the Awadhi, Bhojpuri and Bundelkhandi traditions. Trained in Hindustani classical music and a disciple of the legendary thumri queen Vidushi Girija Devi, she brings a classical rigour to folk forms such as Sohar, Kajri, Chaiti, Hori and Banna. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016.

Awasthi has spent decades documenting, performing and dignifying the folk repertoire of the Hindi heartland, carrying songs once heard only at weddings and village festivals to national and international stages. She founded the Sonchiraiya Foundation to preserve and promote India's folk arts and to support traditional women performers, and is a familiar voice on television and at major festivals. Her work has made her a cultural ambassador for the living folk traditions of North India.

Awasthi sings folk with the discipline of a classically trained voice, honouring the melodic and poetic integrity of each regional form. She is known for a warm, commanding stage presence and for framing each song within its cultural and seasonal context, turning a concert into a living document of tradition.