The Zehen Story
Chalk it to destiny if you will, but the story of Zehen is a pursuit of adventure, chance encounters, and the defiance of societal norms.
It all began when two strangers, who were carving their own paths, met and connected over a shared love for music.
There was no good reason for their paths to cross. In fact, Ashley and Tanushree were living completely different lives with unique aspirations and dreams.
What began as a chance meeting, blossomed into a musical collaboration that united diverse influences into a harmonious whole.
Today, Zehen has evolved into a successful multilingual band with countless performances and noteworthy industry collaborations. Their journey continues to unfold with limitless potential for musical exploration. Every gig is a celebration of the band’s collective narrative and is a testament to the transformative power of music.
ASHLEY JOSEPH
Co-Founder & Bassist
A self-taught musician, playing drums for a band in high school was where it all started for Ashley. As the stage, the feel, the lights, and the rush – all kicked in at once, he was sold. As a student in Christ College, he was a core member of the Cultural Team for all three years and by the time he graduated, he’d begun teaching music in various schools across Bangalore.
It was around this time that he was coming to the realization that this, along with creating melodies and performing on stage, were things that he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Over the years, he traveled and performed across the country with acts like Pushing Tin, Local Vocals, Bulletproof Inc., Ministry of Blues, and Hard Attack – which he co-founded as well.
With more than two decades-worth of teaching experience across various domains of music, Ashley went on to open his own music school, The Music Room, that drew students across age groups and musical inclinations. Affectionately referred to as Ashley Sir, he had managed to create a space where he loved what he did and did what he loved.
TANUSHREE DWIVEDI
Co-Founder & Lead Vocalist
Meanwhile, Tanushree, who had been singing and performing since she was three, at contests and festivals held at school, state, and national levels – did not ever think or believe that an actual career in music was ever an option or a possibility. While she dabbled in recording for albums and even contributed to Kannada and Tamil films, she viewed these experiences more like thrilling escapism than a practical career pursuit.
So Tanushree moved forward in areas that seemed more the norm. She acquired an engineering degree in Computer Science, an MBA in Marketing, and moved to Bangalore – where she kick-started her corporate journey. As years went by, she felt something was off – but struggled to put her finger on it. It was at this time that she started writing songs that could perhaps help her understand why she always felt like she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A series of coincidences led to their introduction via text by a mutual friend.
They were eager to connect in person but Tanushree’s restrictive office schedules kept getting in the way.
One evening, with some sneaking out of office on Tanushree’s part and infinite patience on Ashley’s, they finally met and jammed – the connection was instant.
Their musical inspirations had barely overlapped until now, yet together, their music made complete sense. Drawing from their favorite influences, over the next few months, they worked on unique cover mashups and renditions across genres.
As they delved deeper into their musical endeavors, they nurtured newer connections with talented musicians who added their own unique flair to the Zehen experience:
Our Members
Ashley Joseph
Tanushree Dwivedi
Denvin Lawrence
James Stephenus
Rahul Rajesh
Krishna Raj
Ram Kumar
Shambhavi Dwivedi
