| Mohini Dey[1] | |
| Birth Name: | Mohini Dey |
| Birth Date: | 1996 7, df=y[2] |
| Origin: | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Instrument: | Bass guitar[3] |
| Genre: | Ragazz, funk, fusion, experimental |
| Occupation: | Bassist |
| Years Active: | 2010–present |
| Spouse: | Mark Hartsuch |
| Associated Acts: | Steve Vai[4] |
Mohini Dey Hartsuch (born 20 July 1996) is a Bengali Indian electric bass player.[5] She has been part of Gaan Bangla's Wind of Change and Coke Studio India and also plays for A. R. Rahman.[6] [7] [8]
Dey was born and brought up in Mumbai. When she was born, her parents were struggling to make ends meet, as her father worked as a session musician. He noticed her musical talent before Mohini turned 3 years old and started to nurture it from that point. She received her first Fender Jazz Bass guitar when she was 9 or 10 years old.[9]
She was a prodigy, giving performances since she was 11. Her talent was noticed by her father's friend Ranjit Barot, who took her on his band's tours. She was also mentored by jazz exponent Louis Banks.[10]
She released her self-titled debut album in August 2023.[11] Dey and husband Mark Hartsuch play together in the band MaMoGi, along with drummer Gino Banks.[12] She has collaborated with Steve Vai, Marco Minnemann,[13] [14] Jordan Rudess[15] of Dream Theater, Jason Richardson,[16] Dewa Budjana,[17] Zakir Hussain, Sivamani, A. R. Rahman, and Willow Smith.[18]
In 2024, she was invited to join Willow Smith's new band. She announced this news on the sets of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in New York. [19] [20] In the same year, she has also performed at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert.[21]
Mohini's father, Sujoy Dey, was a jazz fusion bass guitarist who passed away in November 2023. Her mother is Romia Dey, a classical Hindustani singer. She also has a younger sister, Esani Dey, who is a guitarist.
She speaks Marathi, Hindi, Bengali and English. She is married to saxophonist Mark Hartsuch.[22]