Preeya Kalidas: 'My album reflects Asian women'

Preeya Kalidas: 'My album reflects Asian women'
Preeya Kalidas: 'My album reflects Asian women' (Image credit: PA Archive/Press Association Ima)

Preeya Kalidas has revealed she is aiming to change the perception of Asian women through her music. The 29-year-old former EastEnders star - known for playing Albert Square's prim Amira Shah - is releasing a single Shimmy, a mixture of heavy pop beats, feisty lyrics and a bit of bangra. Preeya told Look magazine: "I want to change perceptions of Asian women - my generation is cool, sexy, into music - my album reflects that." The sexy star describes her style of music as "triple S pop". She added: "Because it's sexy, sassy and soulful." Meanwhile, the actress told the Mirror how much she enjoyed working at EastEnders as she found 72-year-old co-star Barbara Windsor an inspiration. Preeya revealed: "I loved it, I was so happy to be a part of it. I was so in awe of meeting people like June Brown and Barbara Windsor, particularly Barbara because she's petite like me, but she still works it. "We actually filmed Amira's last scenes on my last day, so there was a genuine sadness about leaving in my acting. Then when I watched it through, it was exciting all over again, because I'd only read my parts in the script. I didn't know what had happened between Christian and Syed. I was on the edge of my seat going, 'Oh my gosh, he didn't!'" Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk�s weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.