Indian music has produced a handful of artists whose voices reshaped an entire era, and one of the brightest among them is Gauhar Jaan, widely regarded as India's first recording star and its first celebrity singer. She was celebrated not only for her extraordinary singing but also for her regal lifestyle and outspoken personality. Her popularity was so immense that she once demanded a special train to travel with her entire team to a performance hosted by a princely state, and remarkably, the demand was granted.
From Angelina to Gauhar Jaan
Gauhar Jaan was born on 26 June 1873 in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and her birth name was Angelina Yeoward. Her father, Robert William Yeoward, was an engineer, while her mother, Victoria Hemmings, had a deep love for music and dance. When her parents separated during her childhood, her mother embraced Islam and took the name Malka Jaan, and Angelina too was renamed Gauhar Jaan. Mother and daughter later moved to Kolkata, where Gauhar learned classical music and Kathak from the leading ustads of the time. At a very young age, she began making her name at the court of Darbhanga Raj.
Classical Singing Compressed Into Three Minutes
When gramophone technology arrived in India at the start of the 20th century, Gauhar Jaan made history in 1902 by recording her voice. In those days a single recording lasted only three minutes, so she mastered the remarkable art of compressing long classical compositions into that brief window. Her proud signoff at the end of every recording, 'My name is Gauhar Jaan', became her trademark. Between 1902 and 1920 she recorded more than 600 songs in over 10 languages, an enormous achievement for that era.
Postcard Fame and a Performance Before the Emperor
Such was the craze around Gauhar Jaan that her photographs were printed on postcards during that period, and she commanded hefty fees for a single event. In 1911, she was given the opportunity to perform before British Emperor George V at the Delhi Durbar, a matter of great pride for any artist.
A Court Musician in Her Final Years
In the closing chapter of her life, Gauhar Jaan became a court musician in Mysore at the invitation of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. However, her health began to decline with age, and on 17 January 1930, this great singer bid the world a final farewell in Mysore.
