Do you get the best of both worlds- being a musician and a normal college student or does it involve a lot of sacrifices ?
I don ' t really get the best of both worlds , atleast I think that way . My engineering course at BMSCE has been very demanding off-late and it is only in the midnight and weekends that I get to work on my music . There has been several ocassions where I have sacrificed big budget shows because of my internals and exams at college . On the other hand , the only thing that I do once i ' m back from college is head to the studio . I skip a lot studying sessions and instead spend constructive time in the studio , making music or rehearsing . My Industrial engineering degree at BMSCE is just for a basic degree and a fall back plan . Otherwise , I have no keen interest in it .
If there ’ s one song you wish you could have sung , which would it be ?
In the recent times , I ' ve always wished I could sing any of Arijit Singh ' s songs . Most of his songs are special to me and he has been a great source of inspirations as a singer , in the recent times . Another song that I wished I could sing is ' Sun raha hai na tu '.
Which is the most listened to song on your playlist ?
At the present , it ' s the title track of Hamari Adhuri Kahani , a brilliant composition by Jeet Gangully .
You wanted to be a pilot when you were younger . Did aviation take a back seat so that you could pursue music ?
Yes that ' s right . It was my childhood dream to become a commercial pilot . But at the age of 14 I was encouraged a lot in singing . Many people believed that I should pursue my career in music and become a singer . With tremendous support from family and friends , I was convinced that I could do something really big in the field of music , ofcourse with a lot of hardwork . That was the turning point in my life where I chose to pursue music over Aviation .
You ’ ve been performing music since you were 13 . Did the crowd of audience ever intimidate you and does it still have the same effect ?
Yes I ' ve been performing right from the tender age of 13 . My parents always told me that when someone asks you sing , one must sing immediately without any fuss . Ofcourse like everyone , I had a lot stage fear performing on stage . There was a fear of committing a mistake on stage in front of people . Slowly , I got to learn basic stage ethics , body language on stage , understanding whats going on in the audience ' s mind by just looking into their eyes . These were some really important things that I learnt by just doing a lot of shows . No one teaches you these things . It comes by experience . So the journey of performing on stage has come from singing in front of family members at a get-together to singing in front of thousands of people .
You own a recording studio and a karaoke start up . How did the idea shape up and how do you manage them ?
My Recording Studio called Albatross Studios was initially made to keep in track with what I learnt at my Sound Engineering school . I then started writing my own songs and making cover versions of various songs in my voice . Eventually , I started getting a lot of clients . Many singers record a few songs in their voice as a voice sample which goes into their portfolio for showing them to various music directors and musicians . I also compose jingles for companies and educational institutions . I generally give the option of booking the studio only the evening , so that I can finish my college and head to the studio .
My startup called Albatross Karaokes is basically a platform which enables amateur / bathroom-singers to sing their hearts out , within the confines of their homes or offices with great audio quality and onscreen highlighting lyrics in sync . I founded this startup after my 12th std when I realized the demand and potential of good quality , easy-tosing karaoke tracks , as I was a singer myself . I ' m also launching an Android app sometime very soon which enables the users to sing a song of their choice , in their smartphones at parties , events , etc with no compromise in quality . We ' re in the final stage of developing the application .
There ' s usually a bit of fame associated with music . Have you had your share of that or is the glamour absent in real life ?
Yes there ' s a lot fame associated with music , because almost everyone listens to music everyday and there ' s a lot fan-following for artists of almost all genre . And especially in India , there ' s a huge fan-following for the bollywood music industry . I must also mention , that the audience in other countries like Dubai are also big fans of bollywood .
I have experienced some amount of this fame too , which I truly didn ' t think would happen . I got a fantastic response at my show in Dubai for all the bollywood songs that I performed . There were several people waiting for autographs , photographs in a country I ' m totally new to .
That was another that i ' ll always cherish . It never felt like it wasn ' t India at all . But , all this is fame can be really deceiving at times . The audiences applaud for everything . Good or bad . This can be really mis-guiding for the artist .
What has sound engineering added to your underlying love for music ?
It has completely changed the way I listen to a song now . I ' m more of a technical person when I listen to a new song . I start analyzing the nuances of the composition , the mix and the various effects used , in a song .
The freedom that a sound engineer is given , while working on a particular song , makes way for a lot of creativity . This creativity leads to a lot of wonders , that you are hearing today . Sound Engineering has trained my ears totally , and has given me a whole new perspective to understand a song .
What are your plans for the future ?
I intend to assist and work with a few more legends in the industry and gain knowledge and experience from them . I wish to sing for a bollywood movie , someday !. As of now , I ' m concentrating on earning a name , on online platforms and social media . I ' m working on a few music videos and teaming up with digital marketing companies for that .
I also want to pursue my higher studies in Sound engg . at universities abroad
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