A powerful performer and a versatile Bollywood playback singer, and an instrumentalist, Rani hails from the renowned Hazarika music dynasty of Assam. She believes music was always within as a blessing of almighty and her father Late Rose Hazarika, a notable singer from Assam, was her first teacher and introduced her to music at a very tender age. In her sixth grade, she started singing professionally in various stage shows in Assam and by the time she reached the eighth grade she was already a recording artist. Today she has recorded over 1000 songs. At the age of 6, she started learning Indian Classical Music from her first teacher and her father Late Rose Hazarika. With the passage of time when she completed her eighth standard, she realised she had already become a very popular name among the Assamese music fraternity. Now if we talk about her music career so far she has already recorded over 1000 songs in different South Asian Languages.
A graduate in B.Music (Vocals) from Bhatkhande Lucknow Gharana, her path of music was not at all smooth. Having three more elder sisters, it was not easy for her to overcome in such a competitive musical family where in everyone was not less than a classical Guru. Yet the voice texture of Rani Hazarika and her way of interacting with audience on all the big corporate functions around India made her outdo everyone in her family. Although stepping foot at Mumbai in 2006 was much like a dream come true, but having no acquaintances there proved equally challenging. Her father had given her a time span of one year to try her luck in the new city. A year later she auditioned for Indian Idol and became one of the finalists. Then again she participated in 2010 and all of a sudden got a call from Zee TV to have a wild card entry in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing superstar. Even though she could not be a winner, her way of singing and her voice texture brought her recognition among top music listeners of India. Even jury members of the show simply said “It just isn’t your day, today”.
“If not today then definitely someday” Rani always believed. Since then, there was no turning back. From one project to another, films both big and small, TV commercials, albums, singles, for instance, Risknamaa, Udanchhoo, J.D., Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai, 9 O’ Clock, Welcome Back, 18.11, Shudra the Rising and many more, she is a star. “Her voice has all the elements that make both traditional and modern music come to life,” says her peers. Apart from being a musician she is a rhythmist too and sings in several vernaculars like Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Maithali and Kashmiri.
Rani has been awarded with the India’s most prestigious award “The Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award” for her versatility and 18 more awards that adorn her home her awards includes “The International Khursheed TV award” from Kabul, Afghanistan. She is married to Jaan Nissar Lone, a notable music director, entrepreneur, humanitarian socialist figure and she co-founded Jammu and Kashmir’s first international music record label AR Music Studios which own right over 3000 mainstream songs.
Rani is one of the Rockstar from Jammu and Kashmir. After the sudden demise of her father, her mother Smt Malina Hazarika did not make her feel that her mother is less than her father.
Usha Uthup has always been her ‘Guru Maa’ her idol and Animesh Dutta her mentor. She was inspired by Jaspinder Narula and consider her as her Guru Maa in Mumbai.
Her first live stage performance begun by performing two of Usha Uthup’s numbers ‘Udi baba’ and ‘Hari Om Hari’ just out of sheer fun, post which, to her surprise, she started receiving numerous opportunities for music shows. “Rani You’re a Rockstar!” Sunil Shetty had said once. Rani feels “There are several singers out there but not all are performers”. In a world where even music is a commodity, she firmly is of the opinion that the name for music matters the most out of all and aspires to be a great performer each day.
