Meetu Chilana is a New York based singer, songwriter, actress, and producer. Rocking a 3.5 octave vocal range, she has repeatedly worked as a singer/character for Cirque du Soleil. She has toured nationally with their production KOOZA as the “Indie Chanteuse” and recently completed the world tour of Cirque du Soleil’s ZARKANA as a lead vocalist, character actor, and wire-acrobat at the Moscow Kremlin Theater, Madrid Arena, and Radio City Music Hall. From sultry crooning to Indian riffing to pop belting, her vocal stylings stem from a history of various influences.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Meetu spent much of her childhood in the performing arts. On top of jazz, tap, and ballet classes, piano lessons, kirtan performances, and bhangra team practices outside of school, her academic life was filled with choirs, musicals, jazz band, playing the violin, flute, and handbells. She is the eldest of four children born to first generation (Indian) Punjabi Sikh parents. Thankfully, she inherited their musical tastes growing up listening to old Punjabi folk songs and retro Bollywood tunes on repeat.

She also inherited an affinity to the sciences which originally led her to the Academy for Medical Science Technology– part of the regional magnet high school, Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, NJ. Ironically however, it was there her love for the theater and music flourished and eventually gained her admission to NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts.

Her professional involvement began early on, singing with her jazz trio, hosting for television, acting in commercials and plays, and associate producing the independent feature film starring Madhur Jaffrey, “Hiding Divya.” It was for this film that Meetu recorded her first single, “Lost” which was released as a part of her debut EP, “I Am.”

Shortly after, Meetu performed in “Jihad: The Musical” which received worldwide recognition at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2007. Since then she has worked on various musical works, including D.D. Jackson’s original jazz opera, “Quebecite,” “RakheLeah” (composed by Tony-award nominated, Liz Swados), and The New Group’s “Bunty Berman Presents…”

As a recording artist and singer, she has shared the stage with the esteemed Ustad Sultan Khan camp, Karsh Kale, Kailash Kher’s Kailasa, Asha Puthli, and Nina Sky at venues all over the world including “The Bluefrog” in Mumbai and New York City’s famous– Jacob Javits Center, The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

She has also recorded tracks with Bollywood’s Eric Pillai, Talvin Singh, DJ Rekha, producer/writer David Maurice (worked with artists including Jay-Z, JC Chasez, Kerli, Garbage), and Livingstone Brown (worked with artists including Seal, Avril Lavigne, Snoop Dogg, Wyclef Jean) and has had her music featured on the BBC and New York’s Hot 97 Radio stations.

She is working on projects in acting, voice-over, and music across New York, London, and Mumbai, and is currently writing/recording new material for future release.

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