Impossible to silence

“The struggles I’m facing, the chances I’m taking sometimes might knock me down, but no, I'm not breaking” - Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe’s lyrics for the 2009 film Hannah Montana, sung by Miley Cyrus, captures beautifully what Chirag Sen wants to say.

Like Alexander and Mabe, who showed the way to thousands of aspiring musicians, independent artiste Chirag Sen has overcome all the knocks that life has dealt him and been doing regular gigs at popular eating spots in the city.

As he looks back on his days of struggle, he reveals some ugly truths behind Chennai’s music scene and the difficulties newbies face in breaking into the city's music space.

“I used to perform at a restaurant but did not get paid. The event manager would keep most of the money he collected from the client and give me only a nominal amount. It was a very tough phase,” remembers Chirag.  

Born and brought up in Rajasthan, Chirag moved to Chennai in 2017. A natural singer since childhood, Chirag knew he had to keep his passion alive. He trained in Hindustani vocal at A. R. Rahman’s KM College of Music & Technology for six months, and hasn’t looked back since.

Captivated by Bollywood songs and Rajasthani folk music, Chirag finds the Chennai audience exceptionally receptive despite his North Indian roots. That’s because he has special skills and lyrical prowess. “I can turn any song into another language on the spot, keeping the melody intact,” Chirag smiles, explaining how he has won the affection of his Tamil audience.

Chirag, who has two originals to his credit - Milli Nazar  and Dhaaga - is currently working on a third one. He says it is a romantic piece.

He has put together a seven-member band named Baawra. Besides being the vocalist, he  plays the acoustic guitar.

Three members of the band, including Chirag, recently performed at a popular bar in T.Nagar and kept the feet of the crowd tapping!