BBC Radio 3

Lopa co-presents an eclectic mix of sounds from around the world, with exclusive sessions and concerts by leading musicians in world music. World on 3, Fridays at 23:00 on Radio 3.

Lopa gave up a high-flying career in investment banking to indulge her love of music and as a result has enjoyed a range of careers as diverse as the CDs on her bookshelf.

In 1997, suitcase in hand, she headed off to India, Mumbai in particular, to set her new life in motion. Since then she has produced and presented shows for CNBC, been a newsreader for ITN News, hosted and written the live breakfast show for Channel East, even presented part of the Cat Show for the BBC. More recently she presented for Radio 3 World on your Street stage at WOMAD. Since 2003 she has been at BBC World Service Radio where she presented a news/current affairs programme and is a newsreader.

Flowing through all of this has been music. From the time she was in India she started singing, drawing her inspiration from great singers and writers such as Muddy Waters, T Bone Walker, Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Krudup, Ella Fitzgerald, Tina Turner, and John Martyn – to name a few. She has performed with D Wood Trio, Graeme Hamilton (UB40), Karl Peters (Shakti – Zakir Hussain), Oumar Sow (Orchestra Baobab), Abass Nii Dodoo (Royal Obonu Drummers of Ghana) and other artists in India and around the world. Lopa’s style of vocalisation and song writing is quite distinct and draws from the disciplines of soul, gospel & choral music and classical Indian vocal traditions. She has written and recorded songs for film, recorded in India, Italy and UK and performed internationally at various festivals including WOMAD and currently has a song out on a world music compilation.

…And then there’s the dancing in a Paul McCartney pop video; the part in Bombay Dreams; the dawn run to Techincolour Labs for a Bollywood movie…and more!

Meanwhile, she continues to present the news at BBC World Service, perform with her band and work with various producers on music.

Memorable gigs:

First ever: Pink Floyd (Animals Tour) – Wembley, London

Most romantic: Gundecha Brothers – Banganga, Mumbai

Most vibrant: Femi Kuti – North See Jazz Festival, The Hague

FuerzaBruta – Roundhouse, London

Most moving performance: Mercedes Sosa – RFH, London