Born in London in 1973, Susheela moved to Australia with her Tamil parents at the age of four. Taught the fundamentals of Carnatic music by her mother, she began performing as a child. As a teenager she 'rebelled' and began to sing blues, funk, jazz and rock on the Sydney live circuit. She then went to India to try and reconnect with Indian classical music and took lessons in Hindustani voice. In 1997 she returned to Britain and began to work with Asian Underground band Joi, contributing vocals to their two Real World albums. She also began work with producer Sam Mills which led eventually to the recording of 'Salt Rain' - which was released to virtually unanimous critical acclaim and established Raman as one of the most musically inventive and adventurous British talents to break through in recent years.