DOHA
It was the dream of Tito and Sindhu Braganza to see their daughter, Felicia sing the song ‘Hallelujah’ at the Our Lady of Rosary Church Qatar. That dream became a reality, thanks in a large measure to the Family Day Programme organised recently at the church compound.
The 17-year-old performed with aplomb and earned the crowd accolades, drawn from different nationalities based in Qatar.
“The recent performance at the Family Day was the first blessing she received to perform for our church (Our Lady of Rosary Church, Qatar),” said her Mumbai-born father Tito Braganza, a bank employee in Qatar.
“We got to know about this opportunity and it was us as parents who wished that Felicia would get an opportunity to sing for the church so more than the competition, it was our dream to see Felicia sing the song ‘Hallelujah’ for the Church,” added Tito, who traces his Goan roots to Pilar village.
Sometimes for the dreams to turn into reality you need to have the time, patience and work with steadfast dedication to make it happen.
Upcoming Goan singer Felicia has her career pathways charted out very early in life, thanks to the support and foresight of her parents.
“She has been getting trained for the last 10 years from IAID, Qatar for the London College of Music Western Vocals course affiliated to University of West London,” added Tito, a sports fan, who is based in Qatar since 2008.
“She started singing from 7 years and has completed the entire course (up to 8 levels) recently with a distinction with classes lasting for 1 hour twice a week,” said Tito about her singing journey.
The Delhi Public School (DPS-MIS) Grade 12th student’s journey in the singing world began when she started taking baby steps by singing in school competitions, functions, family get-togethers from the age of 6 years.
Noticing the talent in her, the parents wanted to take her to the next level by training and grooming her for the challenges which lie ahead of her, so as to make a mark in the chosen field.
Ten years back, they enrolled her for western vocal training and recently, she has started playing basic guitar, through YouTube tutorials during her leisure time.
Down the years she has idolised many singers from the Western world and has not forgotten her Desi Indian links.
“I am fascinated with Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Bruno Mars from Hollywood and Arijit Singh, Atif Aslam, Shreya Ghoshal and Palak Mucchal from Bollywood. I am a great fan of A R Rahman's music,” said Felicia, about singers who have left a deep impression on her over the last few years.
Over the last few years, she has won many awards which include 3rd prize in Qatar National Music Competition Junior Category (2017), 1st prize in Radio Olive Talent Hunt Competition Season 1 - Junior Category (2019) and MacDonald's Wonderkids Talent Show – Gold 1st prize in 2018. She has entered the finalist of Desi Voice of Qatar and the finals will take place sometime soon.
Other than this, she has participated in many shows in Mall of Qatar, Landmark Mall, IAID stage, VCU Qatar and Third Concert of the Third Season by Moving Young Artist (MYA).
Her performance outside Qatar was in Georgia at the Folklore Cultural Festival (2018), and she was also interviewed by All India Radio, Mumbai (2019) as an upcoming artist.
Tito attributes the musical genes of Felicia to her mother Sindhu.
“Although not formally trained, Sindhu is good at singing and dancing and has been performing in school during childhood. She has been actively participating in dance performances and sings during group parties and events,” Tito said about his wife, who works at a university in Qatar.
“Felicia is a creative child and other than singing, she is also passionate about sports, especially football. During her leisure time, she likes to paint/sketch too,” says her mother Sindhu Braganza, Mumbai-born and tracing her roots to Kerala.
Coming from a deeply religious family with core values fully entrenched in her at a very early age, Felicia aims to use her singing talents for the good of society.
“My motto in life is to touch the lives of people through my voice and get involved in charity shows through which I can contribute to the people in need within my limited scope,” said Felicia on a parting note.
