For Mousumi Datta, music didn’t begin in childhood, it found her at 21. A theatre graduate and trained Kathak dancer under Vidushi Luna Poddar (disciple of Pandit Birju Maharaj), Mousumi’s artistic journey has always revolved around rhythm, storytelling, and rediscovery. Her early years in classical dance and drama quietly prepared her for a late yet profound awakening in music.

Influenced by her mother, she began learning Kathak as a child, an experience that rooted in her a deep sense of rhythm. She was introduced to Hindustani classical music by her husband and began training under Guru Acharya Abhijit Chakraborty. Her journey continued with Shri Sandip Nag of the Seniya Gharana, and she presently learns from Shri Ramakant Gaikwad of the Kirana and Patiala Gharanas.

As her exploration deepened, bass player Mainak Bumpy Nag Choudhury introduced her to Carnatic and Western styles. She found herself drawn to the bass and pursued formal training under Mr Amyt Datta. What began as curiosity soon transformed into calling.

After lending her voice as a playback singer in films like Siya and Rosogolla, Mousumi ventured into the indie music space, forming the Mousumi Datta Collective — where she began singing her own truth.

Her performance, Aatman, is an intimate reflection on self-doubt, anxiety, and acceptance. Each song is rooted in raga yet freed from its boundaries, borrowing its nirjas (essence) and weaving it with jazz harmonies, layered rhythms, and emotional rawness. It isn’t about perfection — it’s about presence.

For Mousumi, Aatman is a confession — a dialogue between fear and freedom, an exploration of who she truly is beyond borrowed compositions. For the audience, it is an invitation: to listen closely, to groove, and to feel honesty turned into melody.