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Bollywood singer Carlyta Mouhini Singh has loved her stay in Bahrain so much that she wants to return to the kingdom as soon as possible to add an Arabian flavour to her music and performances.
The internationally-acclaimed Indo-Brazilian artiste first visited the island as a guest to headline a charity event organised by the Indian Ladies Association.
Since then she has performed at various events thrilling audiences with a unique mixture of Indo-Latin sounds with a touch of Jazz, Salsa and Blues alongside Bhangra, hip hop and traditional Indian folk music.
Carlyta, 29, said: "I wish to combine local Bahraini music to the Indian folk and Latin rhythms and create something amazing."
The singer, who has been featured on several Bollywood movie sound tracks, believes the young Bahraini music scene is vibrant and is "running like a stallion" with a tremendous amount of energy.
She said: "I thought there was nothing better than Dubai until I came to Bahrain - now I feel that Bahrain is one of the most advanced countries in the GCC and has a fantastic future."
Carlyta, whose fiancŽ is an oil company consultant working in Saudi Arabia, has been making regular visits to the kingdom for the past year from her home in Mumbai, for both personal and professional reasons.
As a brand ambassador for the Hope Foundation, a registered charity set up in 1999 to help restore basic human rights to the street children of Calcutta, she also supports its projects aimed at enhancing the skills of vulnerable women. As a result she first performed in Bahrain at an event organised for underprivileged Indian women workers.
Other performances on the island followed with the BMW 7 series launch, a rock concert at the Indian Club, the FTV Arabia event as well as appearing on stage to delight the Force India team during this year's Formula One celebrations.
Born to an Indian father and Brazilian mother, Carlyta started singing at the age of seven.
She trained in Brazil with Jazz maestro Carlton Keito as well as at the Sao Paulo Jazz Institute. Following her roots to India, she further enhanced her knowledge and passion for music by performing in stage shows as a student until stepping into the glitzy and glamourous world of the Indian film industry.
Carlyta is now working on her new album Oye India! and in August she will fly to Malaysia to be one of 12 worldwide celebrity participants in the Asian version of the Fear Factor reality Survivor-type show.
"I also hope to be back in Bahrain soon!" she added.
