by Jason Birchmeier
Zascha Moktan is an Indian-born, English-language pop-soul singer/pianist from Germany who began to find success there in 2007-2008 with the release of her debut recordings. Born in 1981 in New Delhi, India, Moktan is the daughter of a Nepalese father and a German mother. At a young age she moved with her family from India to London, and then back to her mother's native Germany, where she stayed put and grew up in Frankfurt am Main. Both of Moktan's parents were musicians, so she began playing music herself early on, particularly piano, which she began playing at age eight. Besides piano, she took to singing, initially developing her talent in her school choir. As a teenage she performed in a band setting and took it serious enough to enter a talent content, winning the award of Beste Deutsche Hessische Newcomer Band in 2000. In 2002 she became associated with violinist Nigel Kennedy, who invited her to play some shows and spoke highly of her. An opportunity to open for British contemporary R&B star Craig David in 2003 followed, along with opening spots for American singer/pianists Alicia Keys and John Legend in 2005. Not long thereafter, Moktan -- whose style is reminiscent of Keys -- signed a major-label recording contract with Universal Music Group, which released her debut single, "Ouch!," in late 2007. The song became a Top 40 hit in Germany and set the stage for her full-length album debut, The Bottom Line (2008), which was also a Top 40 hit. "Like U Do" was released as her follow-up single and became a hit as well.