At an age where most of us were busy throwing adolescent tantrums, Vanessa Mae spent her afternoons dancing, playing the piano and horse riding. In 1988 she kicked off her career with her first professional concert at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival. In 1995, breaking away from the classical mould, she released her first techno/acoustic violin album – The Violin Player. Storm and Subject To Change, were other albums under this unusual genre that followed. Famous for her quirky ritual of walking barefoot on fresh water before every performance out of superstition in her early days, Mae no longer goes looking for fresh water. “But I do avoid walking under ladders!” Her tiny frame and cascade of raven locks leave her looking much like she did 15 years ago. But the soft, delicate persona transforms into a confident and commanding artiste during a performance as was discoverd at her recent Mumbai stop over on her three-city Seagram’s 100 Pipers pure music tour of India. In 2006, she topped the list of Britain’s wealthiest young entertainers, but there’s no fetish for bags or shoes – not even for her beloved instrument. “My first full size classical violin (purchased at age 10) is the one I still play. If it breaks, I’m in big trouble.”