EARLY LIFE
You were interested in music at a very young age , what are some of your earliest memories ?
I think I have always been a musician at heart . My parents used to have a large record collection at home containing music from all kinds of genres , languages , and cultures . While all of my friends loved their video games , I used to put on these records , read the liner notes , figure out who all the musicians were on the record , learn about the instruments they use , etc . There was a baby piano and a guitar at home that no one played and I picked those up first . I am a self-taught musician and it was only when I was around 20 years old that I went through formal music education to overcome what I thought was a handicap in classical music . I was also part of a rock band in college called ‘ Angel Dust ’ and performed a lot with them .
You come from a nonmusical family . How did your family react to your decision of wanting to become a professional musician ?
I come from a family of Doctors and my father is a thirdgeneration Doctor . Usually in India , it ’ s after the 12th grade that we have to make a strong decision about the career path that we want to follow . I told my parents that I want music to be my life and they thought I was absolutely crazy as they could not believe that being a professional musician was a viable career . After a lot of back and forth , we came to a compromise . I told them that I would complete a Degree in Dental Surgery and once I finished graduation , they shouldn ’ t question my choices anymore . That ’ s what happened . I did continue a professional music career when I was in college too in the evenings . Looking back , I understand that they reacted that way out of fear and concern for my well-being , and in the end , they are happy with how my life has shaped up .
Looking back on your early years as a musician , is there anything you would have done
differently , and if so , what ?
I would not have wasted four years of my life studying Dental Surgery in college as it was something that I wasn ’ t even remotely interested in . I would have done something related to music instead but all of that was a huge learning experience and just pushed me harder to prove that music is my life .
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