We’ve told you before, but we’ll say it again anyway, UK-based Sonna Rele is one artist who can easily make it in the mainstream music scene. Her sound is contemporary, her singing voice is amazing, and she has the style and star-power to rise to the top. If you don’t want to take my word for it, I’ll let her music speak for itself since her latest video “Brand New Day” will be shown on MTV! Says Sonna of this good news “I couldn’t stop smiling to the point my cheeks starting hurting, Lol, I’m honored!” We’re really happy for Sonna!

Sonna’s video for ‘Brand New Day’ will be featured in an upcoming episode of India MTV Roots!

The video will premiere on Friday, 9th of September.

Repeats will air on Monday, 12th of September and Wednesday, 14th of September

Sonna Rele is a London-based singer-songwriter with a nu soul twist. Sonna started singing and playing piano from the age of four. Hardly surprising as her Mother is a well-respected Indian singer, her Father a renowned musician and her Grandma a noted singer/musician still making albums in India. With such a talented and supportive family, Sonna’s skills were sure to be noticed and at the tender age of 16, Sonna was signed to a major label, where she honed her skills and craft writing with Wyclef Jean, Dallas Austin (who worked on TLC and Michael Jackson) Mike City, Hod David, Livingstone Brown, Maxi Priest and Lauryn Hill, among others.

Initially, since she was only a teen, the temptation was to simply reflect whatever the current charts demanded, rather than truly representing her own talents. However, she has emerged as a unique artist and has come into her own. Her album showcases her distinctive voice, original songs, guitar and piano playing skills.

Sonna doesn’t see the journey to her first single as difficult: “I got to work with amazing artists, perfect my craft, really find my sound; now I’m ready, this record really feels like me. My debut single, Bring on the Rain, perhaps reflects some of that journey; it’s about turning a negative around and being fearless rather than running and hiding. We Brits are the first to complain about the rain but I say bring it on!”

Sonna’s musical influences point to an old head on young shoulders – Carol King sits alongside Michael Jackson and Brandy, though a couple of classics from Disney films also hit the mark for her. Her favourites from the current crop of female artists include Ellie Goulding, Esperanza Spalding, Nicki Minaj, Adele and Lady Gaga.

How does she describe her own sound? “I don’t like the idea of having to fit into a particular pigeon hole, but the Nu Soul category is near the mark without being too specific; I write tracks that work on an old school, stripped back acoustic basis as well as a more up tempo club mix.”

A Londoner born and bred but of Indian heritage, Sonna adores the city and its culture. “I love our humour and the subtleties of the city. It’s so often in my thoughts that once on tour supporting Joss Stone, I made that fateful mistake of running on stage and shouting ‘Hello Brixton!’ when I was in Birmingham. Not a good look, but I’ve learnt my lesson and the crowd found it funny!”

Sonna also admits to keeping a book of quotes of people she meets. “Some people keep autograph books but I collect quotes, I’ve got thousands. People say the most profound or funny things and they often go unrecorded, so I keep my quote book for posterity and inspiration. I’m excited to finally get my music out there and I’m pretty sure there’ll be some good quotes to add on this journey.”