"Music started coming to me when I started doing my engineering. I started winning competitions in college, learnt the guitar and even set up a sound studio in my room! I realised that I really loved music and being on stage. The first song I wrote was when I was 19-20 years old, called Time Heals."

"So I always knew that I wanted to do something with music, but I didn't know how to go about it. So I gave my CAT and got through to IIM-Ahmadabad. I decided to do my MBA, hoping it would give me some insights on how to take my musical career forward. Though I was open to a corporate career as well, I was keener on music. While I was at IIM, I started a band with musicians from outside campus. We started jamming in and around Ahmedabad. By then I had started learning the basics of production and recording my scratches. Then, in the third year (2006), I recorded a demo of a few songs that Mr Narayan Murthy released during our convocation. That got me a lot of media coverage, and was the actual start of my music career."

"Also, my family is very supportive and open-minded, so nobody opposed my choice. I guess it was also because I'd already done my MBA from IIM-A. If I'd have announced this right after my engineering, they might have been like, 'Are you sure', or 'Isn't it too soon?' But after my MBA, they also felt that I would plan my stuff well."

What were the challenges you faced?

"People thought of me as an MBA whose hobby is music, not an artist who has done an MBA. It took some work to change that mindset."

"Another challenge was getting a sponsor for my album. I met various brands whose positioning was similar to mine. I was looking for a brand that I could offer to promote at my shows, and get paid a certain endorsement in return. It finally clicked with Colgate Maxfresh."

"The label was also a challenge, because these days they want to sign up only established artists or someone who looks very promising. But fortunately, College Days has a contemporary feel to it which is fresh, and it's been a long time since a college song came out. Also they felt that I could earn them revenue through live shows. Then the kind of songs I had were also an issue. They were all slow and philosophical -- not meant for live shows and concerts. So I had to write more songs."

"Also, I made the mistake of showing my album to a few companies before it was even mixed. I was so confident about it that I showed it around before it was even ready (laughs)."

Also see: 'Failure helps you keep your feet on the ground'

Previous

|

Next