Global IndianstoryFrom heavy metal to Australian opera: How Shanul Sharma’s musical journey made him a star

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From heavy metal to Australian opera: How Shanul Sharma’s musical journey made him a star

Written by: Global Indian

(October 19, 2021) It’s the laser-like precision and depth of his voice that has made Shanul Sharma a tenor that the world is talking about. When Sharma was headbanging to Def Leppard‘s music as a teenager, little did he know that one day he would transition into an opera singer that the world will look up to. But destiny had its plan in place and he became the first Indian-born Australian to perform as a principal artist in an Australian opera.

In the last few years, Sharma has serenaded the audience across the globe with his performances at some of the biggest theatres in the world. But it has been a long journey for this Global Indian who moved from heavy metal band to becoming an opera singer.

Musical ear gave birth to a dream

Born in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh to a civil engineer father and a homemaker mother, Sharma was surrounded by music throughout his childhood. His dad was a music lover and his home often had Bollywood songs playing in the background. Growing up, Sharma was a shy kid who loved playing with his computer. But things changed for him when his father gifted him a Casio keyboard. “I think I had a musical ear from the beginning because I was able to pick up accents and inflections in sound quite naturally. So when I got the keyboard, I would listen to Bollywood music and would play it out on the keyboard,” he told Lyndon Terracini in a video interview with Opera Australia.

Soon his family and friends started recognizing his talent and this gave him the confidence to continue experimenting with music. Being a shy kid, music became an expression for him. It was around this time that he was completely mesmerized by Michael Jackson. Sharma not just idolized Jackson for his songs but equally loved him for being a performer and a lyricist. Slowly and steadily, Sharma started taking his baby steps into heavy metal when his friend gifted him a CD of Def Leppard’s greatest hits. The music struck the right chord with Sharma who later moved to Iron Maiden, and then one thing led to another and he ended up performing to these songs at school events.

From rock band to opera

It was in 2003 that Sharma arrived in Australia to study IT-Engineering at the Charles Strut University‘s Wagga Wagga campus. Outside his class time, he was the lead singer of a rock band, Sobrusion, and spent his time gigging at Wagga clubs and pubs. Though he was deeply enjoying his time playing the music, he was apprehensive about his parents’ reaction. However, his dad was his biggest supporter and always told him to follow his passion. For almost a decade, Sharma performed with the band but transitioned from heavy metal to rock n roll. It was during this time that he came across opera and immediately fell in love with it.

Shanul Sharma during his band days. ((Photo Courtesy: ABC News)

While browsing YouTube randomly one day, he came across a song Nessun Dorma by Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti and couldn’t stop listening to him. So when the band broke up, Sharma decided to branch out to something new and learn opera. In 2013, on a whim, he decided to audition at the Arts Centre on the set of Carmen. He impressed everyone and in a matter of few days, he made it to the school’s company and commenced his training.

A tenor in the making

A year later, he made his operatic debut with Opera Australia as Don Ramiro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola for the Victorian School’s Tour. In 2016, he was accepted into the Wales International Academy of Voice, one of the most prestigious singing academies in the world for his MA in Advanced Vocal Studies. He was one among the 14 singers selected from across the world.

This musical training helped him hone his craft and he soon appeared as Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale for Teatro Martinetti in Pavia. The next year, he represented the Rossini Opera Festival at the prestigious LaVerdi Auditorium at the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo. In 2019, he made a grand entry at Bolshoi Theatre in Russia, which is considered to be one of the most difficult theatres in the world. “Every time in the inno russo when I sang, I would look up to the heavens and I would go, ‘This boy that was born in Jabalpur is in one of the most historic theatres in the world. How did I get here’? It was an exhilarating feeling,” he added.

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The same year he made his main stage debut for Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House as Madman in Berg’s Wozzeck and since then he has performed the roles of Il Conte di Libenskof in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims and The Student in Reimann’s The Ghost Sonata to critical acclaim in both Sydney and Melbourne. In the last seven years, Sharma has had the opportunity to perform at the most prestigious venues across the globe – from the LaVerdi Auditorium in Milan to the Norwegian national opera in Oslo. While Sharma trained in classical style of opera for a few years only, he credits his heavy metal days for helping him become an opera singer.

“The similarities between opera and heavy metal is the virtuosity, more than anything else. An opera singer can sing for a very extended period of time in a very unnatural situation for a male voice. And because the heavy metal band was so loud, I ended up singing very high all the time to cut through the band. So it was a seamless transition into opera,” he told ABC Australia.

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Opera has been Sharma’s true calling, and this reflects in the accolades that he has received over the years. If he is a winner of the 2017 Canto Lirico discipline, he also picked up the Rossini International Award in Italy, making him the only artist to have won both the awards in the same year. Not just this, in 2019, Sharma was awarded Broadway World Sydney’s Best Performer in an Opera – Male for his performance as The Student in The Ghost Sonata for Opera Australia.

True calling

Sharma, in a short span of time, has made a name for himself as a tenor in the world of opera and he is happy about his craft. “I cannot think of a line of work more exciting than being an opera singer. I get to sing some of the most amazing music ever written, play different people (sometimes in period), create art and work with some of the most inspiring people of the planet; all the while sharing my most profound feelings with an audience,” he told Arts Review.

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Published on 19, Oct 2021

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Jay Sean: The British-Indian artiste completes 20 years in hip-hop music world

(April 16, 2024) Who can forget the peppy song Dance With You from the early 2000s? Then a 22-year-old, Jay Sean was among the few South Asian artistes who exploded on the music scene with a chartbuster that was set to change the course of his life. The song made the British-Indian artiste an overnight star, and as they say, the rest is history. Despite the changing time, he has kept himself relevant and the proof of it is that this year he completes 20 years in the music industry. "To be able to have 20 years in the music industry and have songs that have stuck as classics now, to me is always a blessing. The challenge is really just understanding how to evolve," he said in an interview. [caption id="attachment_50752" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Jay Sean[/caption] In the last two decades, the poster boy of the UK's Asian underground music scene has truly put Indian music and hip-hop on the global map. He was among the first few Indian artistes who opened the doors of South Asian music to the world, and is continuing to bring joy to music lovers across the world with his work. His latest song Heartless,

map. He was among the first few Indian artistes who opened the doors of South Asian music to the world, and is continuing to bring joy to music lovers across the world with his work.

His latest song Heartless, which was released a week ago, has already grabbed the attention of music lovers, and he knows his music works because he is being true to himself. "I understand what I have to offer to the industry, that if I write and deliver a song, it will always be a Jay Sean song. Regardless of how the production is changing, or even the melodies of the times are changing, it will still have my signature stamp on it," he added.

Growing up with music

Born as Kamaljit Singh Jhooti in London to Indian immigrant parents in a Punjabi Sikh family, Jay was raised in the Asian community of South Hall. From a young age, he was drawn to music, leading him to form a hip-hop band Compulsive Disorder with his cousin at the age of 11. A young Jay attended Latymer Upper School in the morning and wrote songs in the evening. "I remember watching Yo! MTV Raps from a young age. And that put me into writing because I just wanted to write raps. I used to go and find instrumentals when I was around 13, and I would write my own rhymes and record my own mixtapes. Me and my crew were making mixtapes, writing original lyrics over other people's beats, and that's what really got me into writing," he had said.

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But for his parents, music wasn't a traditional occupation and they encouraged him to focus on his studies. Someone who excelled in academics, he won himself a scholarship at the Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry to train as a doctor only to drop out in 2003 to pursue a career in singing. To kick start his career in music, he chose Jay Sean as his stage name. "Jay comes from my last name Jhooti and my grandmother used to call me ‘Shaan’ which is where Sean comes from," he revealed.

The poster boy of the UK's Asian underground scene

Life took a beautiful turn when one of his tracks One Minute fell into the hands of producer Rishi Rich, thus giving birth to the Rishi Rich project in 2003 that had Sean, Juggy D and Rich as its prime members. The trio exploded on the UK's Asian Underground scene with Dance With You, a chartbuster that made it to Top 20 hit. Such was the mania that even Virgin Records couldn't miss the chance of signing a £1 million deal with this rising star. Under Relentless Records, Jay belted out his first solo outing Eyes On You. The peppy beats and his velvety voice cast its spell on music lovers across the globe, making the song a Top 10 hit among all the Indian artists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8uztB31eUw

Global hip-hop icon

2004 came with the promise of Jay Sean being the next big thing. Each of his singles made the right noise in the music circle and soon he was hailed as the Asian sensation. His experimental and creative fusion of contemporary R&B and Indian music hit the right chord with music lovers across the globe. But his fallout with Virgin Records gave him time to self-reflect and use it to write songs. After a hiatus of almost two years, Sean returned with a bang with his second album My Own Way, which debuted at number six in the UK with its hit song Ride It smashing records. He soon found himself nominated at MOBO Award for Best UK Male and Best R&B/Soul among music heavyweights like Chris Brown, Estelle and Ne-Yo, which spoke volumes about him gaining popularity as a household sensation.

Champion of diversity

In 2008, Jay scripted history when he bagged a deal with Cash Money Records becoming the first South Asian singer and among few Indian artists to achieve the feat. The accomplishment opened an opportunity for the world to witness South Asian culture from close quarters. The deal bagged Jay his first collaboration with Lil Wayne, and the single became an instant hit zooming its way up the Billboard. This made him the first Asian British artiste to top the Hot 100 since Freddie Mercury of Queen in 1980.

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"Me getting to this point provides me the opportunity to show people what our culture is all about. Our community is just as or even more so musically inclined and now is our time to show the world that we are just like everybody else. The fact that my grandfather and my father had to hide their identity to assimilate into culture was unjust. They did not think that such barriers could be broken in their lifetime. I take it very seriously that I have one shot to make it – not just for myself, but my community," he said in an interview.

Smashing stereotypes

After winning three awards including Best Male, Best Urban Act and Best Album at the 2009 UK Asian Music Awards, he performed with Akon at the Grammy same year. Such was the craze around this British Asian sensation that he found himself on Number 35 in Billboard's Hot 100 Artists of the year. The year came to a stunning end for the artiste as he became the first South Asian to perform at the Madison Square Garden in New York. For the next few years, he belted out hits after hits with The Mistress, Do You Remember and All or Nothing. It was in 2015 that he reunited with Rishi Rich and Juggy D to restart the Rishi Rich project with their new single Freak.

In 2020, Jay resurfaced with a bang with Eyes on You 2 which reached No 1 on BBC Asian Chart. While his journey has had its shares of ups and downs, like any Asian, he too felt stereotyped in the initial years of his career. "I have experienced stereotypes and lack of equal opportunities. The reason being that certain people don’t look at you as an artist but take the whole package into mind and put you in a box. I experienced it a lot but I also took it upon myself to show people very early on in my career that there was no stopping me. When they would label me as a specific type of artiste, I would break out of that box and do something completely different every single time. It’s something I really love doing. Hopping onto different genres and expanding on what I can do as an artiste," he said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idMkbS6LWA8

And now he is back with yet again foot tapping number Heartless, which coincides with his 20th year in the music industry. "I feel so blessed when I think about completing 20 years in this music industry. That is such a blessing because now everything is so disposable," he said.

Giving back

When he is not busy making music, he lends support to organisations and causes that resonate with him. For someone who was training to be a doctor in his graduation, medical field is closer to his heart. In 2004 and 2009, he supported the Aga Khan Foundation in the charity event Partnership Walk and Run by performing in Regent's Park. Around the same time, he performed at Justin Timberlake's charity concert to raise funds for the Shriners Hospital for Children, thus raising more than $9 million along with artistes like Taylor Swift and Alicia Key. In 2012, he joined Child Hunger Ends Here campaign, and recorded a song Here's Hope to create awareness.

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‘Notes’ to self: How music therapist Roshan Mansukhani helps motivate people

(February 23, 2022) There comes a time when you need to give back to society, to do something meaningful. This is how music therapist Roshan Mansukhani felt after running an event management company for 18 years. It was around this time that he began helping acquaintances with counseling and music. A couple of major success stories later, he decided to share his talent with society and decided to take the plunge into music therapy and motivational counseling. He quit event management and today, nine years later, there’s been no looking back. A TEDx talk, a speech at the Euro Mental Health 2020, Roshan's been spreading the "positive" word. "I conduct workshops and speak at universities too," says Roshan in an interview with Global Indian. He has also spoken at IITs and the Mumbai University. Now, he wants to reach out to more students, teaching, and non-teaching staff. Music therapy – a traditional reality “Music relaxes, music therapy listens to you. I would call music therapy a traditional reality. If you remove words from your statements, you will get sound. Sound is music and it can heal us because the body heals itself but we do not acknowledge the truth,” he adds.

Music therapy – a traditional reality

“Music relaxes, music therapy listens to you. I would call music therapy a traditional reality. If you remove words from your statements, you will get sound. Sound is music and it can heal us because the body heals itself but we do not acknowledge the truth,” he adds.

The music therapist who has been working to help people build their self-confidence, says, “Sometimes in life, we give up or something weighs us down. That is the time for us to realise that it’s okay to seek help. The stigma surrounding therapy and counselling keeps a lot of people from doing so. Fortunately, things seem to be changing and more people are now seeking help, but there’s a long way to go yet.”

Through a combination of questions and chats, he encourages people to revisit instances that made them uncomfortable and thereby face their fears so they can move past it.

Music Therapist | Roshan Mansukhani | Mental Health Awareness

Keeping the spark alive

Born in Nigeria, Roshan migrated to Mumbai soon after with his family. After a graduation in commerce from HR College, he went to Jamaica to explore life as a young lad. The experience of living away from home taught him a lot about life. “I just wanted to take every second as a new experience. To this day I believe in it, there will always be a spark within you,” he adds.

“Music is my passion. I am into it for more than 35 years. I experimented a lot of things on myself and thought that if I can heal myself then why not give others a morale boost too,” says Roshan, a self-taught therapist who has mastered the art with practice and observation. His efforts have earned him several accolades including the Mid-Day Icon Award 2021 most recently.

Music Therapist | Roshan Mansukhani | Mental Health Awareness

Working upon triggers of discomfort

During his one-on-one sessions, Roshan helps his patients identify triggers and work upon building their confidence so they can bounce back. “One does not have to seek therapy only due to trauma or under duress. Mental health is more important than physical health. Even a stomach ache comes from the mind. So, I look at it as a ‘mind happy body happy thing’. Once in a while speak your mind. Stretch a bit more, get out of the stigma and speak to people who will not judge you,” advises Roshan. His sessions usually last 90 minutes and he creates distinct modules, and structures music which relates to people's thought processes. “I need at least 15 minutes to myself between sessions as I need to recoup to serve better,” he adds.

Biking – avenue of rejuvenation

“Sunday mornings are my me-time,” says the avid biker, who regularly rides with his biker buddies. “It’s like a rendezvous with myself. I just went on my third trip to Ladakh in September; we were a 17-member group. Next month, we are planning to ride to Goa and then the whole of the south. With biking, I am living my passion and come back completely rejuvenated,” says the music therapist.

[caption id="attachment_20233" align="aligncenter" width="662"] Music Therapist | Roshan Mansukhani | Mental Health Awareness Roshan Mansukhani loves biking across India[/caption]

Helping others find a solution

An individual’s body language gives him strong cues. That’s why he prefers counseling from home as patients are more relaxed. It’s like ‘chai par charcha’ he says and “a chance to play with my dog Murphy.” His clients are of a mixed age group. “Everyone carries unseen baggage. I work with them to discuss options to shed the load. By talking, they get a new perspective, finding a solution is their job and it becomes easier for them,” he reveals.

Getting 200 percent support from family, he adds, "My daughter, wife, and mother are very supportive of my decision to pursue music therapy full time.” Like him, his 21-year-old daughter loves helping people. She is a professional jazz dancer, yoga teacher, and is pursuing craniosacral therapy (CST). “People are benefitting from her work too. We help and motivate people our way. I believe, and always tell parents; you don’t own your child and the child does not own you,” he signs off.

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Ricky Kej, the musician with an activist heart

(November 17, 2021) From the Grammy-winning album Winds of Samsara to My Earth Songs and most recently Divine Tides, composer, musician and humanitarian conservationist Ricky Kej has the propensity to dig deep into ragas and their effervescence. Composing strains that not just stand the tests of time, but also alleviate the angst that humans wreak on nature, Ricky is an activist at heart. If he defines his life on two cornerstones - music and conservation, it is because many of his signature albums have an intrinsic bond with nature. The dentist who turned inwards conjuring up soulful music from ordinary notes has been on a journey of awakenings, be it with music, or through it, to raise environmental consciousness. A degree in dental surgery lies gathering dust, yet Ricky feels that his career was never a transition. "I have always been a musician. From a young age, I wanted music as my hobby, profession, career, bread and butter. I did a degree in dental surgery only because of my parents. I had made a deal with my father that once I completed a dental degree, my life was my own. The minute I got my degree, I handed it over

ee, I handed it over to my parents and became a full-time musician. I did not practice dentistry even for a day,” smiles the idealist believer who might just inspire a world of somewhat clueless folk who want to follow their hearts.

[caption id="attachment_15927" align="aligncenter" width="739"] Ricky Kej[/caption]

His recent album Divine Tides saw Kej associate with Stewart Copeland, founder and drummer of the Police fame. Now, he is working on a follow-up to his 2015 Grammy-winning Winds of Samsara (for which he worked with South African Wouter Kellerman). Back then, both Kej and Kellerman were huge fans of each other, and wanted to work together. A tryst of destiny brought them together.

"It was around 2012 when I met flute player Wouter Kellerman. We met in Los Angeles, and I mentioned that I had just composed a piece of music based on the ideals of peace by Mahatma Gandhi, my father of the nation. It was a huge coincidence that Wouter was working on a piece of music inspired by Nelson Mandela, his father of the nation. Through our discussions, we realised that there was a lot of cross-pollination - Mahatma Gandhi spent his formative years in South Africa, so had a South African-ness while Mandela was heavily inspired by Gandhi so had an Indian-ness. Wouter started to add South African-ness to my music, I started to add Indian-ness to his music. We became the best of friends, travelled the globe and in two-and-a-half years, we had Winds of Samsara (my 16th album!), and it went to the top of the US Billboard charts, and we won the Grammy Award for it," Ricky recalls. For the musician who has won over 100 music awards across 20 countries, the Grammy Award is most cherished as awards are for a greater good, not just for mere vanity, he says.

[caption id="attachment_15928" align="aligncenter" width="518"] Ricky Kej with his Grammy Award[/caption]

The pandemic was the perfect opportunity to kick back in his studio and kickstart Divine Tides with Copeland. "I was thrilled when he said yes. I have always relied on technology for my recordings, and Stewart too is high on technology, and has one of the most amazing home studios. That helped us record seamlessly. We did our portions individually, and it all came together superbly. We are thrilled to have created an album that celebrates life, creates a wave of much-needed positivity,” adds the Global Indian.

[caption id="attachment_15925" align="aligncenter" width="658"] Divine Tides by Ricky Kej and Stewart Copeland[/caption]

For a star who idolised Copeland, working with him was like attending "the best masterclass imaginable!" Kej says, "Stewart is not just the founder and drummer of one of the biggest selling bands in history 'The Police', he also regularly composes for operas, orchestras, and for over 50 Hollywood movies. He is constantly evolving and learning by exploring new sounds, traditional instruments, and rhythms," which formed an intrinsic bond with Ricky, as his pattern is similar. The songs imbue strong Indian roots with a fusion of the west as the album celebrates the magnificence of the natural world, and the resilience of our species.

It's easy to picture the wavy-haired lad with dark soulful eyes mesmerised by all forms of music as a child. Listening was more important than seeing, thus Ricky was hooked to his music system. “I would dissect songs, try and figure out instruments used, the musicians, and learn about different cultures and people," Kej reminisces. Music helped him fall in love with nature, and become its custodian. This deep connection can be felt in the gentle stirrings on Winds of Samsara or the unique sounds of Divine Tides.

[caption id="attachment_15929" align="aligncenter" width="760"] Ricky Kej performing at a live concert.[/caption]

Kej's music features in the 2019 documentary Wild Karnataka narrated by Sir David Attenborough which won two awards at the 67th National Film Awards 2021. The US-born, Bangalore-raised Ricky identifies with Karnataka, and Bangalore which became home at age eight when he left North Carolina. Scoring music showcasing the state's ecological diversity with Sir Attenborough's impeccable narration was of course, "an absolute no-brainer" for Kej.

"Music and conservation are the two pillars that define my life. Wild Karnataka brings out the inner child as you watch every stunning frame with awe and wonder. It forces you to realise how amazing Mother Nature is. She has always been the primary source of inspiration for my music," adds Ricky who was honoured to share credits with Sir Attenborough. "Winning the awards furthered the cause of protecting and preserving Mother Nature," he says.

A humanitarian, Kej has always attempted to bridge the widening chasm between human foibles and nature's resilience. As ambassador for the United Nations' UNICEF, UNCCD, UNESCO -MGIEP, Kej works closely with WHO, Earth Day Network, etc. The deeply mindful composer gains an impetus to dedicate his life to conservation. "My music has addressed different aspects of environmental and social issues - climate action, human-animal conflict, sustainable farming, the refugee crisis, etc. I believe that only when people start to acknowledge an issue, start a dialogue to solve it, can a solution appear. I want to inspire this dialogue through music. Music has the power to retain a message deep in the consciousness of a listener,” says the United Nations Global Humanitarian Artist award winner who missed performing during Covid 19 but believes in the "top-down approach" where he performs to inform audiences to create stronger policies to tackle environmental and health issues with a "ground-up approach."

[caption id="attachment_15931" align="aligncenter" width="651"] Ricky Kej addressing the UN General Assembly in 2016.[/caption]

Climate change is the biggest existential crisis humans face, and he urges, "It is up to artists, especially musicians, to advocate for climate action." What concerns him greatly is how the pandemic has hit the entertainment industry. "Performing artists, production companies, event management companies, sound engineers, recording studios and everyone else involved is stuck in limbo in India. It is all about adapting to the times and surroundings as no matter what pandemic hits us, music will never leave our lives," says the Bengalurean who is among the 100 Real Leaders, who has performed multiple virtual concerts during Covid 19 (the last three were watched by an estimated 200 million viewers).

For Ricky's new project, he worked with author and close buddy Vikram Sampath - Women Of The Record which celebrates the brave women in the early 1900s who first adopted recording technology, and became superstars, but were forgotten in history.

[caption id="attachment_15932" align="aligncenter" width="679"] Ricky Kej performing for UNICEF India.[/caption]

Not many know that Kej's grandfather Janaki Das, who he was extremely close to, was an actor, Olympic cyclist, and freedom fighter. "Many remember him as the buffoonish villainous character actor always essaying evil roles. You will remember him as Seth Ghanshyam in the Rishi Kapoor-starrer Khel Khel Mein, or Seth Janki Lal in Karishma Kudrat Kaa or the ticket collector in the Burning Train. He was the only Indian participant in the International Olympic Squad from British Imperial Empire in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games and in 1934 and 1942, he broke the world record for cycling. In 1942, he broke yet another world record but on finishing the race, he unfurled the Mother India flag which was gifted to him by Mahatma Gandhi (we were still ruled by the British). For this audacious act, he was disqualified. This was the first time an Indian flag was unfurled on foreign soil. He called it quits as a matter of protest for freedom from the British. He was the pioneer who formed the Indian Cycling Federation," Kej enthuses.

His grandfather died at the age of 93 in Mumbai in 2003. Ricky's wife Varsha is also a musician who has been a part of a few compositions and is a core part of his musicology.

[caption id="attachment_15933" align="aligncenter" width="830"] Ricky Kej[/caption]

Advice from the music maestro? "Talent may not always be under your control, but you can be the most hardworking person, like I am! Never use creativity as an excuse for laziness. Never make awards the end goal, be grateful when you earn them, and use them as a platform for doing bigger and better things," says the Bishop Cottons Boy’s High School student who never lacks inspiration as his muse is planet Earth.

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Ananya Birla: How the billionaire heiress followed her heart into music and entrepreneurship

(August 17, 2021) Being born with a silver spoon can spell comfort and security, but the affluence can also cast a shadow on freedom and destiny. And this was something that the billionaire heiress Ananya Birla was aware of at crucial junctures of her life. This early realization helped the daughter of Kumar Mangalam Birla chart her own journey and not rest on the laurels and fame of her family name. It is her heart that Birla follows, and this led to her finding her true calling — music and entrepreneurship. For someone who is passionate about singing and making a difference in the world, Birla is carving her own niche as a youth icon. Here's the inspiring story of this Global Indian who decided to write her own story. Loneliness that led to music Born to billionaire industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and Neerja Birla, Ananya often found herself at the crossroads of living up to her family's name and carving her own identity. With a bodyguard and a curfew in place, Birla felt claustrophobic trying to fit into the world's expectations of her. It was music that came to her rescue in times of loneliness and made her feel

place, Birla felt claustrophobic trying to fit into the world's expectations of her. It was music that came to her rescue in times of loneliness and made her feel understood.

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Her parents who were supportive of her dreams often helped ease her dilemma. Even as a child, it was music that gave Birla solace and joy. At age 9, she was already training in Indian classical music and she picked up playing the santoor as well having watched her mother play the instrument over the years. Growing up, she fell in love with the guitar and taught herself to play the instrument with the help of YouTube videos. That is when she also began to learn how to compose music. But music continued to remain a hobby for her, until, she moved to Oxford University to study Economics and Management.

The musical journey

It was here that Birla was introduced to the vibrant music scene and the gig culture that played a catalyst in transforming her passion into a career. She began playing at local pubs and clubs in London and began writing her own music. This exposure to several genres of music gave her the confidence to make music of her own. And that's what she did when she dropped her first single Livin the Life in 2016.

The popularity of the song landed her a worldwide release through AM:PM recording after Dutch DJ Afrojack remixed it. This was the beginning of her innings in music.

Birla arrived on the scene when there were not many takers of the music that she was producing. But the 27-year-old had to break the ceiling to make her voice heard, literally.

In a conversation with Billboard, she said, "When I started out, I was told that there wasn’t really an audience in India for my type of music. Until recently, film music really dominated. Different genres and English-language songs didn't get much attention. Now labels are pushing independent singers, and there's a lot more opportunity for artists who want to create their own music. The digital shift and globalization also means the appetite for English language music has increased so much."

"I think if you want to stand out from the crowd you have to be willing to take risks and go against the grain. Breaking out was tough and I got a bit of criticism at first which was hard to deal with. But, I learned quickly that this comes with the territory and anything creative is 100% subjective. I am so happy people are now responding so positively to my music back home."

With 2017 came her next single Meant To Be. Such was the response to her song that it made her the first Indian artist with an English single to go platinum in India. In no time, Birla made a name for herself in the music world and was recognized by international artists. So much so that she soon found herself performing at Coldplay's concert in Mumbai.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEotKqp17Wg

The platinum singer

Birla is one of the few women artists who is making it big in pop music with five of her singles making it to platinum. Be it Hold On (2018) or Unstoppable (2019), Birla has been carving a niche for herself in the world of music one song at a time. "As a woman in a male-dominated industry, it’s important to believe in yourself and not to do anything you don’t feel comfortable with. It can be a tough. When I started out, it really hurt when I was told that my style, or look, or sound wasn’t right. But my vision was strong and I refused to change for anyone. As soon as I was confident being unapologetically myself, everything started falling into place," she added.

Birla's songs are an extension of herself, something that she draws from her personal experiences. For her, music is a medium through which she connects with people and emotions.

The singer and songwriter is one of the few artists to collaborate with big name like Sean Kingston and Mood Melodies, thus giving the world a perfect mix of pop music. Birla's songs and collaborations are a reminder that music is a universal language. "International perspective definitely helps take a song to the next level. I'm influenced by all the places I go. I’ve been lucky to work in some of the best cities across the world where music is a huge part of culture. India, though, is a part of my soul. It is impossible not to be influenced by it, the intensity, the sounds, the centuries of culture," added the singer.

In just few years, Birla has become a name to reckon with in the international music circles. If her 2019 song Day Goes By was a proof of first collaboration between an Indian and American artist, her 2020 song Everybody's Lost put her on an American national top 40 pop radio show, Sirius XM Hits, making her the first Indian artist to achieve that feat.

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Birla's music is universal, and her performances at some of the biggest music events like Global Citizen, Oktoberfest and Sunburn is proof of her popularity.

The entrepreneur making a difference

Birla's love for music is quite evident, but not many know that she founded her first startup at 17. While her heart is in music, her purpose lies in making in a difference and that's exactly what she did when she started Svatantra Microfin to provide financial aid to women in rural India.

Despite her privileges, Birla was aware of the existing income gap and wanted a company that could help small businesses grow. But it was a challenge to start a company at 17, even with a powerful surname.

"When I started up, I was young and no one was willing to join my team; banks were not willing to lend. No clients are willing to come in. I used to cry in the bathroom when I came home after work," she told Makers India in an interview. But she was determined to make it happen and currently her startup has reached over one million customers across the country.

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Birla expanded her vision and dove into global luxury e-commerce platform with Ikai Asai in 2016. It was in the same year that Forbes named her one of Asia's Women to Watch.

The youth icon and entrepreneur is also closely involved with MPower, a mental health foundation she started with her mother Neerja to break taboos around mental health. Her own struggles with anxiety as a teenager led to the formation of MPower, and the foundation is working incessantly to create awareness on mental health.

"We have centuries worth of stigma built up around mental health issues - self-perpetuated by the fact that poor mental health is so difficult to talk about. However, the importance of talking about it cannot be overstated. When we talk about mental illness we debunk falsities, tackle isolation and empower those suffering to get the help they so badly need. With global suicide rates on the rise, it is crucial that reaching out for help becomes an act of power as opposed to a sign of weakness," she told YourStory.

During the pandemic MPower joined hands with the Government of Maharashtra to launch 24x7 helpline and more than 45,000 calls were received within the first two months of its launch.

Not only this, Birla launched Ananya Birla Foundation in 2020 to provide COVID-19 relief work that had distribution of PPE kits and providing essentials to migrant workers at its centre.

At 27, Ananya Birla is the textbook example of a youth icon who is breaking the glass ceiling with her global music one hit single at a time and making a difference in the society with her philanthropic work.

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Alpesh Chauhan: Meet the British-Indian musician shortlisted for Royal Philharmonic Society Awards

(February29, 2024) When an 8-year-old Alpesh Chauhan returned from his school with a cello tucked under his arm, his parents were quite surprised. Immigrating to the UK from East Africa, his parents had no inclination towards music. So, seeing their son with a cello left them a little baffled. This sudden fascination for the cello dawned on him when he first heard local music teacher and cellist Veronica Raven from Birmingham Music Service perform during his morning assembly at Hall Green Junior School. "She's a bit of a legend and I remember it was amazing to listen to her. From that moment I knew it was what I wanted to do. I spoke to her – and the next thing is that I was given a cello to take home," he said in an interview. Years later after he fell in love with the cello, he is conducting some of the greatest orchestras in the world. Being tipped as the next Sir Simon Rattle, Alpesh, the Music Director of Birmingham Opera Company, was recently nominated in the Conductor category at the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards in the UK. [caption id="attachment_49529" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Alpesh Chauhan[/caption] Welcome to the world of orchestra

9" src="https://www.globalindian.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/alpesh1-1024x682.jpg" alt="Alpesh Chauhan | Global Indian" width="1024" height="682" /> Alpesh Chauhan[/caption]

Welcome to the world of orchestra and symphony

Alpesh grew up on a rich diet of Bollywood films whose soundtracks he found to be orchestral and instrumental, thus helping him lean towards the sound and orchestral world. Already learning the cello, it was at age 14 that he discovered the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) through friends who encouraged him to give it a shot. "That's when I started discovering orchestral music. It certainly wasn’t a culture I was familiar with in my own house. But to me, at that moment, it just seemed so amazing," said the Birmingham resident.

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Keeping up with his passion for music, he was a cello student at the Royal Northern College of Music, and later enrolled in Manchester College's masters conducting course. It was here that he was spotted by the CBSO chief who presented a golden opportunity to him. Impressed with Alpesh's conducting skills, he was offered the post of fellow conductor which he held until he was promoted to associate conductor in 2014. Later, he took up the position of principal conductor, conducting his own full programmes.

Tiptoeing into the professional world

His debut occurred alongside the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra during a Radio 3 live broadcast featuring Vasks’ Violin Concerto "Distant Light" and Brahms’ Symphony No. 3. Subsequently, he was invited back to conduct the orchestra for the Ten Pieces Secondary film. In May and June 2015, he substituted for two live Radio 3 broadcasts with the BBC Scottish and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras, both garnering significant acclaims.

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But being a young principal conductor came with its own set of challenges. His age often translated into a lack of experience. "Conductors often give the best concerts of their lives when they are well into their 60s, 70s or even 80s. It's a field where age and experience only improve your conducting. This experience includes life experience, to understand better the plethora of emotions that composers strive to achieve in their music," he revealed. However, the Global Indian knew that he could always help himself by working hard. "You have to study and always strive to go deeper and deeper into scores so that when standing in front of an orchestra, you know the music as well as you can on that day," added Alpesh, who was named the associate conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

In 2022, Alpesh received an OBE in HRH The Queen's New Year's Honours for his services to the Arts.

ALSO READ | Sarod soldier: British Indian artist Soumik Datta uses music for climate action

A star in the making

"I started out conducting little groups of musicians at school." Now, he directs substantially larger ensembles, whether it be in Birmingham or throughout the UK and Europe.

It was perseverance and hardwork that led him to great heights in the world of symphony and he advises the same for youngsters who plan to tread the waters. "Once you know what you’re getting yourself into, focus! Focus, focus, focus! It’s a hard world – people often comment on just how difficult it is to be employed and to be successful in the music business. However, it isn’t that scary if you are committed and have the passion and drive to thrive," he said.

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Alpesh Chauhan's remarkable journey to prominence in the world of orchestral conducting speaks volumes about his extraordinary talent and dedication. Being nominated in the Conductor category at the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Awards in the UK solidifies his status as a rising star in the realm of classical music. Despite his young age, Alpesh has already established himself as a name to reckon with, captivating audiences and earning the respect of his peers with his exceptional skill and musical insight. As he continues to inspire and elevate the art of orchestral performance, Alpesh's future in shaping the landscape of symphony appears incredibly promising, heralding a new era of brilliance and innovation in the world of music.

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