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
The Score Magazine
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