by: Jean McCullum

It's all DIY right now for Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers. Unsigned, the singer with the robust vocals and rock n' roll edge is making a scene and people are watching. Record labels are also on the lookout, but it's uncertain who will lure the singer with a record deal, if at all.

Shilpa Ray is in it for the music. She had eight showcases at South by Southwest, an artist abundant music festival in Austin, Texas. Labels watched her closely there, but she believes that a label doesn't mean future success. It's a lot harder than that. This is why she loves the underground scene with its music appreciating venues. People can fully enjoy music at these places, and this fuels Shilpa Ray's passion for it.

Shilpa Ray grew up in a Hindu household in New Jersey where she learned to play the harmonium. Western music wasn't allowed, but Shilpa Ray grew to embody the vocal likeness of Janis Joplin and Ella Fitzgerald. She was formerly the vocals of Beat the Devil, but is now the front man of Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers, an interchanging force of talent, where each member can do their own thing without feeling trapped and that is exactly what Shilpa Ray is doing.

It's punk, it's rock, it's jazz, it's folk and it's poetry. Shilpa Ray works from her roots to the edges of her life in Brooklyn. She stirs up trouble on stage and captivates the rowdiest crowds with her harmonium backed vocals, so what do you think? Shilpa Ray's sultry rock concoction is calling attention to this unsigned artist who is pushing boundaries.

Will Shilpa Ray score a record label and with who? What do you think of this raw talent, can it be tamed? Is this underground singer breaking surface?

Check out the footage of her below and let us know your thoughts.