Born in Kuala Lumpur and raised in the vibrant, multicultural hub of Singapore, Cheryl Bains (right) always knew music would define her life.
Now, at just 25, she is redefining the classical music scene in India – a country better known for its Bollywood beats than its operatic arias.
Cheryl’s journey is a compelling story of passion, discipline and innovation, culminating in her original crossover opera, The Legend of the Goddess, which premiered this March at Mumbai’s iconic Royal Opera House.
Her artistic roots run deep. She began her musical education at the age of five, training in Hindustani classical music under her mother’s guidance in Singapore.
“My mum (Madam Manjula Bains, who is now her manager) saw my passion and made sure I started early,” Cheryl recalls.
Her father, Captain Gurwinder Singh Bains, a Singapore Airlines pilot, supported her pursuit of music, even as the family relocated briefly to India during the 2009 global recession.
That move turned out to be pivotal.
In Delhi, a young Cheryl joined the Austrian Cultural Forum’s Mozart Children’s Choir of India. It was during a performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater that she experienced a moment of clarity: opera was her true calling. “It felt like finding a secret garden meant only for me,” she says.
Returning to Singapore, Cheryl trained rigorously, singing with the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir and the Singapore Lyric Opera Children’s Choir, absorbing influences from Western and Chinese classical traditions.
At 17, she moved to New York to study at the Manhattan School of Music, where she excelled in roles like Gretel (Hansel and Gretel) and Maria (The Sound of Music), and even premiered her cross-cultural arrangements of Indian classics like Vande Mataram for Western audiences.
Despite her thriving United States career – aided by a prestigious artiste visa and mentorship from acclaimed jazz arranger Ladd McIntosh – Cheryl felt a pull towards India.
“I never thought I’d start my professional journey there,” she says, “but India welcomed me in a way I didn’t expect.”
Opera in India is still a niche, but Cheryl’s arrival is changing that. She is making a mark along with the likes of Sparsh Bajpai, Kabuki Khanna and Pallavi Seth.
In a country where classical Western music isn’t mainstream, she has found a way to bridge cultures, weaving her Indian roots and operatic training into something truly unique.
Her magnum opus, The Legend of the Goddess, is a bold reimagining of Vedic mythology through the lens of Western opera.
Inspired by spiritual leader and bestselling author Om Swami’s book of the same name, Cheryl composed and performed the show entirely in English to reach a global audience.
The production, presented by the Royal Opera House Mumbai, was a success.
“The show was like a deep-dive into the mythic and cultural richness of India… almost like being sucked in by a vortex of energy and exhilaration,” said Mumbai-based national award filmmaker and author Brahmanand S. Siingh. “Cheryl’s interpretation and expression of the Devi culture mixed with her operatic singing and performance prowess kept us in thrall, like a thriller.”
Cheryl managed the mammoth task of writing, composing, directing and performing – even overseeing marketing and production logistics alongside her mother, who she calls her “real-life goddess of empowerment”.
“The voice is a delicate instrument,” Cheryl says, “and the same is true for the soul. Keeping both nourished and disciplined is key, especially when you’re breaking new ground.”
This October, Cheryl will bring The Legend of the Goddess to Singapore, the city where her dreams took root.
Supported by Musicians’ Initiative, this homecoming performance marks a full-circle moment. “Singapore gave me my wings,” she says. “Now I get to fly back with a creation that’s entirely my own.”
Musicians’ Initiative music director Alvin Arumugam, who will be the conductor, said: “Cheryl has a unique voice both as a soprano and an artiste. Besides her impeccable control of the voice, she uses her artistry to reach out to her audience through powerful and meaningful narrative projects. Our upcoming work together is groundbreaking as we have never had an operatic telling of the subject presented in The Legend of Goddess in Singapore.”
Performing at home will also reunite Cheryl with an audience that has watched her evolve from a gifted child into an internationally-recognised artiste. “Singapore taught me to appreciate diversity, to find beauty in different traditions,” she reflects. “My musical language is richer because of it.”
Cheryl likes to position herself as a singer-composer.
“Whatever I sing, or write, is always influenced by my cultural heritage,” she says. “Because I spend a lot of time in Singapore, I’m pretty well versed in western classical Chinese music. This gave me access to different harmonic soundscapes and colour palettes. Whenever I write music related to South-east Asia, I use the sounds that I have heard of traditional Chinese instruments.”
Khor Ai Ming, a Singaporean contemporary-classical soprano and Compass artistic excellence award recipient who is artistic director at Vocal Associates, said: “Cheryl brings something rare and beautiful to her art. She doesn’t sing just for recognition; she uses her voice to share her spirit and soul with the world.
“Watching her grow and express herself so authentically fills me with pride. I feel honoured to be her teacher and can’t wait to see the beautiful music and performances she has yet to create.”
