Tell us about your drumming career . How did it all begin ??
I started drumming at the age of 2 . My dad Shailesh Doshibeing a drummer , inspired me to take the instrument forward . He runs a music academy in Juhu , Mumbai so there was always music in our house . I would attend his concerts & was always fascinated to watch him on stage playing drums . My initial training then started under him . When I was 8 , I joined an all kids band ' Little Wonders ' & ' Little Stars ' that was formed by music directors Kalyanji-Anandji & I got the opportunity to perform all over the world with some talented singers & musicians at a very young age . At the age of 11 , my name came into the Limca Books of Records as the Youngest Drummer of India .
Where do you draw inspiration from as a musician ?
I have been inspired by all kinds of musicians , I try to learn from everything I see around me , but when it comes to drums there are a lot of drummers that have made me want to push myself . I was lucky to have been trained under my idol - MrRanjit Barot , who is India ’ s finest drummer . I ' ve had opportunities to spend time with drummers from around the world like Steve Smith , Terry Bozzio , Antonio Sanchez
& Eric Harland . Recently I attended the world famous Drum Fantasy Camp in Chicago & learn from drummers like Dave Weckl , JojoMayer , Benny Greb & Mike Mangini . For me , learning will never stop !
You ' ve performed with big names in the industry . Tell us a bit about the experience ?
I have been really fortunate to play with some amazing singers & music directors of the Bollywood Industry . Its been a great learning experience to perform with artists like Mr A . R . Rahman , Shankar Ehsaan Loy , Salim-Sulaiman , Adnan Sami , Amit Trivedi , Farhan Akhtar & many more . Also thanks to Coke Studio & MTV Unplugged , I got to perform with some amazing folk & classical musicians . We also work together on film projects . I ' ve had great fun recording drums for numerous films like Rock On , Fitoor , Kai Po Che , Black , My Name is Khan , Queen , & Bombay Velvet as well as upcoming films Rock On 2 & Udta Punjab .
You ' re currently with Farhan Akhtar Live Band . Tell us about your best show so far and why ??
With Farhan Live it ' s always been fun . We mainly perform at college festivals , so the audience response we get is crazy . It ' s pretty cool to also perform songs that were originally played by me in the film Rock On . Farhan is an amazing live performer - we have to push ourselves to match his energy on stage . The Mumbai show at DJ Sanghvi College Festival in March 2016 was special as I was performing in my college grounds & a home crowd is always great . We even had Ranveer Singh who came specially to check out the concert cheering for us from the side wings !
Which has been your favorite stage you ' ve performed in ?
It would be so difficult to pick from over 3000 concerts performed all over the world ! But in 2014 , I got the opportunity to perform at the prestigious WOMAD Festival in UK with Salim Sulaiman & Karsh
Kale - which to me was a dream stage to be on . We were even lucky enough to bump into Mr Peter Gabriel .
Artists / bands you ' d love to work with and why ??
I love playing fusion music & its been a dream to play alongside the amazing Ustad Zakir Hussain . I ' m also a huge fan of composers Clinton Cerejo & Dhruv Ghanekar & would love to perform & record for them someday .
You ' re endorsing Zildjian brand . What ' s your opinion about the product ?
I ' ve been associated with Zildjian Cymbals as an endorsee for over 5 years now . I ' ve been using them with my kit since I was a kid , so for me , they are the finest cymbals . Zildjian Cymbals are a part of my music & work for me in any situation .
What makes this brand stand out in your opinion ?
They have a wide variety of cymbals that work for different genres of music & happen to be available at a very good price range , making it easier for even a beginner to afford .
Your message to upcoming drummers in the country .
I would like to share with upcoming drummers that there are no shortcuts to success , you have to put hours & hours of practise into your instrument everyday & most importantly listen to all kinds of music !
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