The Score Magazine - Archive April 2016 issue! | Page 26

Star of the month
GINGGER SHANKAR
She is a singer, virtuoso violinist, composer, model and songwriter, and was born into
one of the world’s most acclaimed and influential musical families. Her accomplishments
include working with top producers and film composers including Mel Gibson, The Smashing
Pumpkins, Trent Reznor, Mike Nichols, Mike Myers, and James Newton Howard. In addition
to her film projects, she has also has lent her voice and violin to several diverse projects
ranging from soundtracks to pop and electronic hip­-hop.
Gingger talks to us about how she got into the music industry, about her work, life as a
composer, singer and instrumentalist and much more.
Tell us about how you decided to get into the Music Industry.
Is it simply because you hail from a musical family?
In some ways, I don't think I had a choice to be anything but a
musician! I was around it from the time I was born because of the
family I came from. I was sent to Kalakshetra, a music and dance
boarding school. I grew up around music, going to shows, learning
music, having musicians around all the time. By the time I was a
teenager, I couldn't really imagine doing anything else. I think
there was a point in life my dad wanted me to be a doctor, but after
spending years in the hospital with my mom who was sick, I never
wanted to be anywhere near one again. At that point I wanted to be
a musician not only for myself, but for my mother as well. I wanted
to make her proud. I wanted to do the things she was never able to
do. That led me to touring as an Indian classical artist, playing in
rock bands, composing for films. I couldn't get enough of being a
musician. I wanted to try anything and everything. Now that I have
tried a lot of different things in the industry, I feel like I've found my
own voice in it.
Has being the grand daughter of the renowned Pandit Ravi
Shankar Ji made a difference in your career path?
It's funny, because earlier in my career I stayed away from anything
in the family. It was important for me to make my own name, find
my own way. Now, as an adult, being a part of this family and this
legacy is so important to me. I'm so proud to have come from this
amazing family of artists and that I've had the chance to find my
own path and voice within it.
You're a composer, singer and an instrumentalist. Which do
you enjoy the most and why?
I would probably say singing, because it's the most human thing in
the world- to sing along to the radio, to hum to yourself, to sing when
I'm in a silly mood, or sing to my little nieces or nephews, to sing out
a melody when you're stuck on the piano or another instrument. It
is where I find a lot of my ideas, it's how I write. Composing is quite
satisfying as well, though. To be able to hear something and turn
it into a full piece of music- whether it's a film score or a song, is
so much fun. I never know what the next melody in my head will
become. I can write a melody and then years later find that it fits
perfectly in a movie scene, or in a song I'm working on. So in that
way, I enjoy all of it!
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What is your success mantra?
Honestly, it is simply giving thanks every day. Even in the darkest
moments, I find giving thanks for what I have helps and inspires
me like nothing else. Being in this business is extremely hard.
You get a lot of rejection, you struggle a lot. If you don't
love what you do and you're not thankful for what you
have, you'll never survive it. In order to deal with all
the ups and downs, you have to remember that it's
a marathon and as long as you're making even
the tiniest progress forward every single day,
you're moving in the right direction. There
are many days I have to remind myself of
that. And of the fact that even on the worst
day, someone is having a tougher time than
you. So being thankful really helps with
motivation and success.
Tell us about 'Heartbeats' & 'Monsoon
Shoutout'
I loved working on Monsoon Shootout with Amit
Kumar. The movie stars the always amazing Nawazzudin
Siddiqui and it's a really dark thriller. I met Amit in
Bombay a few years ago, and I think he is one of the most
talented directors as well as one of the kindest people I have
ever met. It was quite fun working on the film since I was in Los
Angeles and New York while he was in Bombay! I only saw the
whole thing when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
I am so excited to be working with Duane Adler on the upcoming
film Heartbeats. I love the script and I LOVE the fact that it was
filmed in Bombay. For me Bombay is such a special place- it’s where
my mom grew up, it’s where I love spending time. The story is really
lovely and I look forward to coming back to India in the next few
months to record the music. I’m also thrilled that I’m working on
a film with Jay-Z and RocNation!
Could you tell everyone how your documentary went?
Also about the album NARI.
I'm still working on the documentary! Every day we get a
new photo of my mother or grandmother, or some never
before seen video of them performing. The good thing