Ehsaan Noorani

Biography:

Ehsaan Noorani is an Indian composer and guitarist, best known as a member of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio alongside Shankar Mahadevan and Loy Mendonsa. He began his career as a freelance guitarist, collaborating with composers like Louis Banks, Ashok Patki, Ronnie Desai, and Gary Lawyer. Noorani studied under Mumbai-based guitar teacher Bismarck Rodrigues before pursuing further music education at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California, from 1985 to 1986. He is the first Indian guitarist to be endorsed by Fender and has a Squier signature model to his name.

Additionally, he endorses Fractal Audio and D’Addario strings, with his guitar playing influenced by musicians such as Robben Ford, B. B. King, and Larry Carlton. In 2015, Noorani served as a co-judge on India’s first Western music reality show, The Stage, produced by Viacom and aired on Colours Infinity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he actively promoted Indian artists through Instagram live sessions, creating opportunities for musicians to collaborate and showcase their talent.

Noorani is widely recognized for using the Squier Stratocaster and is endorsed by the Fender family of brands. In 2011, Squier launched the Ehsaan Noorani Signature Stratocaster, featuring custom elements like an HSH pickup configuration and exclusive colors. He is also endorsed by Neunaber Audio and currently uses an Immerse Reverberator pedal. In March 2015, Vertex Effects designed a custom pedalboard for him, incorporating guitar effects such as a Strymon Flint, Maxon OD-9 Overdrive, and WEEHBO Dumbledore