Mary Millben to perform at concluding event of PM Modi's US visit on Friday

Washington: Mary Millben, a prominent African-American Hollywood actress and singer will perform here on Friday at the concluding event for the Official State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Highly popular in India for her singing of the National Anthem Jan Gana Mana and Om Jai Jagdiseh Hare, Millben, 38, will perform the Indian national anthem at an invitation-only, diaspora event hosted by the United States Indian Community Foundation (USICF) at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC.

“Having performed the American national anthem and patriotic music for four consecutive US presidents, I am deeply honoured to perform the Indian national anthem for Prime Minister Modi and in honour of the country and people I have come to call my family," the singer said in a statement.

"Both the American and Indian anthems speak to the ideals of democracy and freedom, and this is the true essence of the US-India relationship. A free nation is only defined by a free people," she said.

Prime Minister Modi is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

On June 21, Millben joined Prime Minister Modi at the United Nations in New York for the 2023 International Yoga Day.

Millben has performed the National Anthem and patriotic music for four consecutive US Presidents - George W Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, as well as international royalty, and world leaders.

She made her first trip to India performing in celebration of India’s 75th Anniversary of Independence as an official guest from the United States invited by the Government of India, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

The singer made history as the first American and African-American artist to be invited to India for the Independence Day observance and for an audience of 1.4 billion people.