Anita Lerche

Lerche was born on December 21, 1973, in Glostrup and grew up in Herlev, which are suburbs of Copenhagen. She grew up in a musical household, with her father Mogens Flemming Lerche singing and playing the guitar. Her great grandfather Knud Peter Emil Nielsen was a professional singer and musician. About her father's influence on her love of music, Anita said, “He was my big inspiration. He has a great voice and was always playing the guitar and singing. I was just listening, and I got inspired by him.”

After earning her high school diploma from Sankt Annæ Gymnasium in 1992, Lerche enrolled in a three-year Rytmikpædagog, a rhythm-based music education program. She graduated in 1996.

Lerche studied musical theatre at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London. Prior to Mountview, she also studied piano performance, learning works by Bach and Chopin among other composers. About the experience, she has said, “I always wanted to become a professional. So I wanted to get a very good education. I've had around 16 years of classical singing training. Musical theatre is a great way of expressing oneself, and I got some great tools for acting and dancing as well.” After completing her bachelor's degree in 2001, Anita performed in many musical theatre productions in London and Denmark.

In 2001, Lerche performed the duet song "Mit Hjerte Det Banker (My Heart Is Beating)" alongside Simon Munk as a part of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, the Danish branch of the Eurovision Song Contest. She also sang the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, at the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Brian Nielsen. Her performance, at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, was broadcast live worldwide to more than 200 million viewers.

After acting and singing in numerous musical theatre productions, including Sommer i Tyrol (The White Horse Inn) where she played the part of Annelise, Anita released her first solo album, I Love a Piano in 2005. The album includes some of her favorite songs from musical theatre and pop. It also features soft renditions of the American folk song "The House of the Rising Sun" and Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven." She also recorded "Tid til Kærlighed (Time For Love)" as a part of the Danish charity telethon DM i indsamling 2005–Forældreløse børn i Afrika.

In 2006, after months of living in India, learning about the culture, practicing Punjabi and recording music, Lerche finally released her first Punjabi album, Heer from Denmark. Critics lauded the album, describing Lerche as “captivating audiences across India with her unique and electrifying performances. Huge crowds and fans flocked to see her across India when the blonde bombshell hit with her Punjabi rhythms and soundtracks.”

In the wake of the publicity that she received for Heer from Denmark, Lerche was given many opportunities to perform in India, which helped make her a prominent figure in Punjabi music. For instance, Lerche created a Hindi song to celebrate the Indian Cricket team during the World Cup in both 2007 and 2011. The cricket songs were set to the tune of Lerche’s hit "Gori," with the words changed to support India's most popular team. Both years, Lerche performed the songs on television multiple times, including one special performance for the team in 2007 live on STAR TV India.

Lerche also continued to record new music. In 2009, she collaborated with the rapper Cheshire Cat to create the song "Maahiya." The track mixes Lerche's Punjabi vocals with Cheshire Cat's reggae rap. "Maahiya" won the World Music Track of the Year 2009 from the Danish Music Awards for its blending of disparate musical traditions. This was special for Lerche, because it was the first time she received a major award from her home country.

In 2010, Lerche collaborated on the track "Aao Ji," along with musicians Yaz Alexander, Kiureli Sammallathi and Skibu. The collaboration was arranged by Bhangra musician and producer King Gurcharan Mall, and the track was backed by his Indian drum group, Dhol Blasters.

Lerche has also partnered with Little Big Help, which assists impoverished children in the slums of Calcutta. The organization helps children “secure their basic human rights such as education, basic medical care, shelter and nutrition every day.” In late 2010, Lerche performed for a fundraiser in Copenhagen. and followed up with a second performance at the 2016 fundraiser Through song and dance, she helped bring some Punjabi flare to the India-themed charity events.

In 2011, Lerche was a featured artist on the recording of a musical drama, The Bollywood Trip. She sang on the tracks "Soniye," along with Vicky Singh and Stephan Grabowski, and "Mahia Ve" with Stephan Grabowski.

Lerche also increased her digital presence in 2011, when she released her own app for Apple and Android products through Mobile Roadie. The app allows fans to interact, watch music videos and learn about Lerche and her music.

In 2012, producer Agiapal Singh Randhawa created a documentary about Lerche's life, achievements and love of Punjabi culture, called Kashish Punjab Di. The documentary was broadcast on India's DD Punjabi.

In 2013, Lerche released three singles from her most recent album Sadke Punjab Ton, which was released in October 2014. The Tribune India reported on the album: “Anita Lerche has embodied and furthered Punjabi culture through her music. Her [latest] album ‘Sadke Punjab Ton’ does highlight both her appreciation of Punjabi culture and her evolution as a Punjabi Singer.”

In December 2013, Lerche performed at a fundraiser for Christel House International, a global children's charity based in Indianapolis, to raise awareness about the organization’s work in India. Concerning the performance, Examiner.com reported: “Indeed, Lerche has one of those truly unique voices; strong, powerful, well-rounded, classically trained, and capable of singing any genre of music and in numerous languages.” The performance was held at the Cook Theater. KP Singh, an artist and Sikh community leader in Indianapolis, expressed his excitement about the performance, writing: “I am familiar with Ms. Lerche's sensational talent and efforts to introduce Sikh sacred music and the robust Punjabi Bhangra music to the Western audiences.”

She has performed benefit concerts for Indianapolis-based Christel House International [5] in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. These benefit concerts support education in India, Mexico, South Africa and the U.S. where students face many challenges. The 2017 Christel House Concert was a major success and to date, the concerts have raised over $536,000 for the charity.

Lerche performed in additional concerts to benefit Christel House in 2014 and 2015. Both performances received positive reviews in local and international publications.

In 2014, Lerche became a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences–Chicago Chapter, after moving to the United States as a permanent resident. "I managed to obtain a Green Card as a unique artist in Punjabi culturally inspired music after two long years, but it was all worth it," she told one news outlet. Lerche continues traveling the globe and spreading Punjabi culture and music.

In 2014, Anita Lerche married Danish-born Soren Hjorth. Ceremonies were held in Denmark, India and the United States. Lerche's latest album, Sadke Punjab Ton, was released at the couple's traditional Punjabi wedding in November 2014. "I am so much in love with Punjabi culture and tradition. . . . I always wanted to have an Indian wedding," Lerche said. The event, held in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India, was covered on Jagbani TV. The couple's son, Alexander Hjorth Lerche, was born in 2015. When she is not on tour, Lerche resides with her family in Indianapolis.

Lerche's fourth solo album, "Bhajans", was released in 2016 and consists of eight Hindi devotional songs. This is the first full Hindi album from Lerche. The album went straight to #6 on Billboard New Age Chart as a Hot Shot Debut the first week of release as well as #11 on the Billboard World Music chart and peaked in October as #5 on Billboard New Age Chart and #6 on Billboard World Music chart

Lerche has also helped Pingalwara, a home for the disabled and disenfranchised in Amritsar, Punjab (India). Lerche even performed a Punjabi children's song, entitled “Kanna Manna Kurrr,” for the residents during a recent visit. In 2016 Lerche was picked to be one of the artists featured on the album Music To Inspire against Human Trafficking initiated by Rukus Avenue and the UN, Blue Heart Campaign.