Life Of Many Singers And Actors Is No Different From The Stock Market-Shamir Tandon

What a year 2020 was! When it began, the outlook of the music industry hadn't looked so good in decades. Then came the Covid-19 comet hurtling in from deep space, shackling the whole world. Now in the mid of 2021, it's time for some damage assessment. It’s been a lonely trudge since the first lockdown of March 2020 but things are starting to get better with time. I personally believe, the music industry is one of the most dynamic industries which never goes out of style and demand. The reason why music will always be curated is because it’s an art of expression. For decades music has been a vital part of every industry and now due to the current situation, things have definitely slowed down, but we can see it getting back to normal, in coming time. One important thing that the entire fraternity learnt during the pandemic was to curate music out of their own spaces, digital zones and continue entertaining audiences, inspite of the restrictions and limited accessibility. There are many aspects to music, being in a corporate environment also gave me various perspectives. Constantly innovating, synchronising with the team, giving credits to all the persons involved, sharing revenues, standing as a leader to overcome challenges and giving in your best, are just a few from the many learnings.How is a presenter in the corporate world different or the same vis a vis, a performer on stage? Both use their voice to modulate expressions, they use their historic knowledge of their respective subjects to present and perform. The tonality, clarity of words in singing and speaking, both express, both have to be in tandem with other presenters and performers. Taking an example of a Jugalbandi, where two artists are together and incase of a presentation where two partners run through a presentation, both require synchronisation, apt body language, eyecontact with co-artists and audience in presentations. A performer has to give credit to his co performers and distribute the revenues in a predetermined fashion. Every singer hopes that his accompanying artist is better in his craft, so that the leader's performance goes up many notches. A singer is as good as his band and the sound. Life of many singers and actors is no different from the stock market. A singer's value can become 5 times, if on a friday, a film releases and his song becomes a hit. People often ask me why a singer who performed for 10 lakhs last month is asking for 20 now! because he has a hit that was released last week. There are some stocks that always do well because their fundamentals are good. Some names like Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan top the list. I must say, the current times are testing each one of us and to all the young aspirants, this is the time to prepare yourself for real-time work. Spend more time in identifying your uniqueness, understanding your art and practising your music. While in my youth, I was passionate about music, I always tried learning from my experiences and the legends that I encountered in my journey. Something that I learnt was to constantly innovate, innovatively think and innovatively execute. When we curated the Six Pack Band with transgenders, we had a vision to showcase their talent and a side that was undiscovered. Our hard work and passion led us to destroy all challenges and conquer heights. Being the first transgender band to perform at the Grand Prix Glass Lions proved our determination. Similarly, when we conceptualised six pack band 2.0 with dyslexic and autistic children to curate music along with the support of Yash Raj films, we knew we were up to something that was not created before. It not only gave an opportunity to young singers but it also gave an inspiration to a lot of children to follow their dreams and a sense of fulfilment, when we saw the smiles on their faces. My advice to all the young music aspirants is to continue being a part of music in every small way if you are passionate about it and not give up on it only because the times are tough. Let these times make you a better singer, a better performer, a better curator, a better composer, let it make you the best in your stream for when the doors open, opportunities would flow your way with ease. To sum it all up, India has great potential, if I, who came from a middle-class family, with no music background, could walk the Cannes carpet and perform at the Grand Prix Glass Lion, win the Global Music Award, compose music for Bollywood films, use music as a medium for creating unique bands, work with international artists like Enrique Iglesias and Boy Band Blue from UK, and also get mentored by some of the living legends of our country like LataJi, Asha BhosleJi, I am pretty sure each one of us is equally gifted. The difference lies in the mindset. In my recent property, Learnings from the Legends – The Distance between 99 and 100, I have elaborately narrated each of these experiences and how they have made a difference in my life. These small changes and learnings have had an impact on my overall thought process and are mantras to my success. So, shake yourselves up and believe in what you do, because only when you believe in it, the world will believe in you.