'ABSOLUT'ely rocking!

  It's a heady mix when music meets style. The Absolut Bollywood party to celebrate the launch of Anokhi magazine's holiday issue was representative of just that. Great music (courtesy DJ Jiten), a sizzling cover girl (Much Music VJ Hannah Simone) and a fantastic crowd (read "you") made for a great evening. When asked how the gorgeous Hannah found her way to the cover of this issue, Raj Girn, Publisher, Anokhi shared, "We've known each other for over a year and half now and it was so great to hear how connected she is to the South Asian part of her identity. She was on our Sexy and Successful List for our fourth anniversary issue last January. A year later, she's on our cover as someone who is going to go places in a big way!" Designer Dinesh Ramsay, who designed and styled the look for Hannah described his inspiration as being "completely Bollywood while not going the traditional route."

Here are some excerpts from a freewheeling conversation with the lady in question, Much Music VJ, Hannah Simone...

Being a cover girl: "I was on the Anokhi annual list for this year and through our conversation, Raj (Girn) and me realised we had so much in common being strong South Asian women who cared about humanitarian issues and with my profile on Much Music, we thought it would be a great idea to work on the cover and an interview. So it all came together quite well.”

Personal style statement: “I like to be comfortable. It’s nice to be able to dress up and be glamorous and that’s part of the job. At Much Music, I can wear a really cool pair of jeans and a t-shirt that reads something cool and have that freedom of expression. I can wear that with Indian bangles – my style is something that represents where I come from.”

Identity as a South Asian: “The great thing about us having such a large population is that we’re everywhere (laughs) Wherever I’ve lived – Vancouver, Toronto, London  - there’s been a strong community that’s embraced me easily even with being half-Indian. “You eat dal? Fine, come on in!” (laughs) So to meet all these people who come from the same place and are so warm, is just amazing.”

Personal music preferences: “I’m a big fan of M I A who is a strong, South Asian woman. I interviewed her a few months ago in Toronto and she is so stripped of pretensions and is so true to her own personal beliefs. She is inspiring as someone who is true to herself and it reflects in her music. Even her style is completely reflective of her identity as a South Asian woman.”

Promoting new talent: “I host The New Music so constantly all day I get CDs from bands I’ve never heard of, bands that I have heard of. My musical horizon is constantly being stretched and broadened but there isn’t a lot of South Asian music that comes to me. Send them my way because we have someone now in the music field who has a profile that can really get more attention.”