When you made it to the top 4 , what was running on your mind ? Did you think you will be the winner considering you had tough competition ?
When I made it to the top 4 I didn ' t really think much about winning . To be honest , throughout the show , I really didn ' t think about the victory . To me victory is always like an opinion , different people have different kinds . But what made me happy was the fact that I wanted to be there till the last day and perform and try making people love rock n roll , which was happening !! And I couldn ' t be happier .
About the competition . I never was competing . I was performing . That ' s all I wanted to do . I knew that I am a part of a competition , but the competition wanted performers , someone who can speak to a crowd without saying a word , someone who could make people move just by singing a line while he / she looked into their eyes . This was my perception , this was what I was trying to build myself up as and tried to show the people and judges that this is me . Fortunately , it worked out well . People saw , they loved , they connected and now that the show is over . It ' s still there .
I ' m here in Bangalore right now , and the kind of love and warmth and hospitality I ' m receiving here is amazing ! I wish I could just explain it in words .
So it wasn ' t really a competition to me . I never took it as one . I didn ' t think about victory . Maybe that ' s why it was easier for everyone to connect with me .
Honestly didn ' t expect the win , not because I didn ' t believe in myself , but because I kind of kept forgetting about it as I got so involved with just performing .
What according to you makes your voice stand out ?
Everyone has a really special voice , we all sound different , and that is the beauty of voice .
For me , I guess what makes my voice stand out is firstly the acceptance that I have for however I sound , I don ' t have to sound like anyone , no artist who is loved and remembered sounds like anyone , and it ' s because they sound like themselves .
It ' s pretty much something I realised in my initial stage . I always adore and respect my voice , the way it is . I don ' t try to make it sound like something I would like to hear or like someone else . Also , I guess the very fact that I keep a bit of me and let it be natural helped . Something more that I guess made it standout is , used textures that are natural to me . I love using textures , sometimes , the raspy rough one , sometimes mellow , sometimes , bold and heavy , you know ... It ’ s always about the song and the expression . So maybe that . Basically , I understand my voice and respect it . That ' s pretty much what I think helped me .
Tell us about your practice routine while you were marching towards the winning spot
My practice routine . Now this might sound a little odd . But I do more of listening . It ' s good to practice , like doing warm ups and all of that . But it ' s very important to keep listening to the song , because that ' s where you discover every single important stuff done to the song , maybe like a word that is stressed , or softly whispered . It is down for a reason , read the whole line and see what it speaks of .
Also , if you ask me about practice in general , I do it 24 * 7 , it shouldn ' t be just for an hour , I ' m always humming or moving around making weird noises , it really helps , it has to be 24 * 7 , a routine , a part of your body . That ' s when nothing really affects . It ' s 24 * 7 for me , I practice my breathing warm ups when I go out for a walk , sing while I ' m sleeping or sitting or even walking , helps me increase a lot of stamina and control . It ' s always been that way for me and most of the people I look up to .
You look up to Vishal Dadlani as an idol , did you incorporate any of his style in your way of singing ?
I look up to Vishal Dadlani , Girish Pradhan , Abhishek Gurung and have learnt a lot from each of them . I ' ve taken a bit of everything I have from each , not copied , but taken notes , of how , when , and what to do with a song . A style , is a trademark , it ' s a sign of originality of a singer , so I never tried doing that . But yes , whatever I have seen them doing , whatever I have noticed they do with their voice and their body on stage . It helped me . There is a lot . How to control , how to make it all happen , how to handle the stage in the worst situations , it all comes with experience , and they have it . I didn ' t really incorporate Vishal ' s style to anything cause of two reasons ,
1 . You cannot do what he does . It ' s magical !!
2 . The judges were there to see what I could do and not who I could be like .
What was your biggest take-away from this season of The Stage ?
My biggest takeaway from the stage this season has been more than just singing , it ' s been about believing in what I do . Loving what I do honestly , how I have always loved it . One thing that surprised me the most that will stay with me forever is the very fact that people loved what I loved and t hey loved me for what I do and not for anything else . They had one chance to support me and they did not disappoint me at all . The stage has opened a lot of gates for every artist who ' s been here . It ' s hard to think of all the amazing times we ' ve had there . Now that the show is over . I guess every day and every song , every practice session is the takeaway . Everything , every moment there is something which I can never replace . To me , it ' s every moment there that I ' ve spent is what I am going to have with me forever and will treasure it .
Your immediate plans
My immediate plans are pretty much about music itself . I ' m looking forward to shows , college fests , festivals , that ' s how I could go out play for more people , both originals , and covers . Would be great to work in the studio as well to know more about the soundscape and everything around it and how things work . Also , the album that I plan to release by 2018 is something that is in my priority list . Would love to do that .
So touring , gigging , recording and trying out something very new and different . These are my plan of action for the moment . In fact , a lot of colleges are getting in touch for events , a lot of festival organisers are getting in touch .
I guess it ' ll be awesome to play for people , record and have my stuff saved in their phones .
In short . Will be amazing to let people know that I ' m going to be giving them everything they expect !
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