(March 09, 2024) When Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the German singer-songwriter Cassandra Mae Spittmann and her mother at Palladam in Tamil Nadu last month, the 21-year-old vocalist, who was born blind, performed Achyutam Keshavam and Tamil song Sivamayamaga for him. The video of PM Modi enjoying her songs went viral in no time. Popular as CassMae, the singer, who was on her maiden visit to India, has garnered praise from people across the country for her flawless Indian renditions on social media.
This month PM Modi conferred the ‘best international creator’ award to CassMae at the inaugural National Creators Award ceremony for online content creators. Earlier this year, the vocalist gained widespread attention for her rendition of Ram Ayenge ahead of the Ram Temple’s consecration ceremony in Ayodhya in January.
CassMae
However, this isn’t the first time that she has left people awestruck with her renditions. In 2023, CassMae earned recognition and a large following for her fusion and Indian devotional music. So much so that her Tamil songs and devotional Indian tracks caught the attention of netizens, earning her a mention in the PM’s radio programme, Mann ki Baat. “What a sweet voice! Through the emotions reflected in every word, we can feel her love for God. If I disclose that this melodious voice belongs to a daughter from Germany, perhaps you will be even more surprised! The name of this daughter is – Cassandra Mae Spittmann,” he had remarked on his show.
Exceptional fluency in languages
Known for possessing unique abilities, CassMae has a talent for learning languages, effortlessly picking up Indian songs just through repeated listening. “I can sing in 12 Indian languages but love singing in Sanskrit and South Indian languages the most,” she told PM Modi. Apart from German and English, CassMae is also fluent in French and Spanish.
Moreover, her singing prowess extends beyond Hindi. The German singer also fluently sings in Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, Assamese, and Bengali, surprising many with her linguistic and musical prowess. Her deep affection for India is evident even though she visited the country for the very first time this year.
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Powerhouse of talents
According to her website, a young CassMae would use her feet for orientation. Later, she switched to playing the African drum after realising she was drumming too hard on the ground. At the age of three, CassMae became fascinated with Chopin, and began improvising on the piano, and eventually started singing her own songs.
She used her own lyrics to build a deep connection with her audience, allowing them to understand her inner feelings. “When she experienced bullying, she wrote her intimate song ‘Bullies’ to cope with her situation and instantly won the national songwriting contest of the Berliner Festspiele in 2015. This appreciation made her stronger,” mentions her website.
Gaining recognition
As word of CassMae’s talent spread, she started getting offers to appear on radio and TV shows in Germany, and even worked with international artists. She participated in shows like ‘Dein Song,’ reaching the finale with her song ‘Going Home.’ CassMae received a scholarship for the Summer Performance Program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, in the USA, winning the Songwriter’s Showcase with ‘The Way I Am.’
CassMae during one of her performances
Upon her return from the US, she got the opportunity to work on the title song for the ‘Prix Jeunesse International 2018’ – the children’s television’s most engaging and rewarding professional training exercise in Germany involving producers, executives and researchers from all over the world.
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Discovering Indian music in the US
During her time in the US, CassMae had her first tryst with Indian music and was instantly captivated by its beauty. “I felt so struck by it that I began my research as soon as I got back home and then found the treasure of Bollywood songs,” CassMae shared in an interview. “At first I tried to learn some couple of phrases and words in Hindi to actually get the language and pronunciation right because I wanted to sing along to the songs, and yeah I listened to many songs and then I dared to finally sing them on social media, and gained some recognition,” the self-taught learner remarked.
I simply love Indian languages, Indian culture, Indian music, and Indian people.
CassMae
The singer also plays Tabla. She joined the Tabla Ensemble of the Anubhab Academy of Cologne in Germany, and continues to explore oriental sounds and languages and plays at Indian concerts, and yoga retreats in her country.
Lata Mangeshkar’s songs fascinates her the most and she considers them as a source of learning Indian songs. She can even fluently recite the slokas and mantras. “I listen to bhajans every day and focus a lot on hearing and learning that way,” she remarked.
In the world of music
In 2018, Cassandra formed a project band, winning the Young Talents band contest and opening the Eier mit Speck Festival in Germany. Create Music, a music company in Germany, helped her produce her first Hindi-Pop original. As a singer-songwriter she was also working on contract with Kick The Flame Publishing in Leipzig.
In 2019, CassMae produced her debut album ‘Past Life’ with GOLOW and performed at events like the ‘Tag der Begegnung – Sommerblut Kulturfestival’ in Cologne and the Chalabre Serenade Festival in France.
Two years later, the young singer released her EP, ‘Number 14,’ winning the pop category of the UK’s songwriting contest and reached the semifinals of the International Songwriting Contest.
In 2022, CassMae won the Christmas Special of the TV show ‘Dein Song’ with her original ‘Gib mir Frieden’. The momentum continued into 2023, marked by notable professional collaborations and significant acknowledgments in India, including a mention in Mann Ki Baat. Advocating for an inclusive society, CassMae lent her voice to events like the Jahresempfang of Jürgen Dusel and joined RAMPD in 2023.
The dawn of 2024 brought more opportunities for the talented singer as she embarked on a meaningful journey to India, a country close to her heart, where she met with prominent figures like PM Modi and Sadhguru. Their praise and admiration further accentuated CassMae’s growing influence and impact.
