Wah!

Wah! (pronounced WAAH) is a U.S. band performing and creating music for the New Age and yoga market. The female lead singer Wah! (whose legal name is Wah Devi) and the band’s name are synonymous.

Wah!’s mystical relaxation music CD, Savasana, has sold over 50,000 units worldwide and continues to draw attention in the yoga community and beyond. Wah!’s music is often compared to that of Sade, Zero 7 and India.Arie, but her latest releases (such as Maa) reflect the gritty dance grooves of her live performances.

Born to a professor father and a professional violinist mother, Wah! grew up in a musical and intellectually stimulating environment. She was a musician, singer, dancer, and conservatory student when she attended Oberlin College/Conservatory. Wah! traveled to Ghana and Nigeria with the Philadelphia-based Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble. She was enrolled at the University of Ghana for a year of study at their African Dance and Music program but a government coup cut short her stay.

When she returned to the U.S., Wah! finished her performing arts degree at Oberlin and moved to New York City, where she danced and choreographed (most notably for the Angela Caponigro Dance Company), composed and performed music, and tried to cultivate the sense of community she had found in Africa. Wah! joined an ashram and lived with ten other yoga enthusiasts in Brooklyn. She spent 15 years there and then moved to New Mexico to serve the mission of its charismatic leader, Yogi Bhajan. After three years, the leader’s involvement in corruption and scandal caused her to separate from the group and she joined Amma (also known as Mātā Amṛtānandamayī Devī) shortly thereafter. Wah! maintained a private and public association with Amma, attending her meditation programs and performing concerts to benefit her charitable activities. Wah! took the rudiments of classical Indian music she had learned at Oberlin and played for her housemates in the ashram during the 1980s, mimicking North Indian classical and folk styles. Early albums (Guruka Shabad, Japji Sahib Vol I-III, and a children's yoga product Child’s Play: Affirmations for Children to Sing and Dramatize) reflect her eclectic musical education.

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