RAGA'ing to go!

After carving a niche for himself in the Hindustani classical music scene, Bengaluru-based vocalist Shubham Roy is gearing up for more – the young musician will be performing a series of soulful folk renditions at the Fakiri Folk Music Festival which is all set to premier in the city, early in June. He tells us more in a candid chat.

Hailing from a musically inclined background, rehearsing and perfecting on sur and taal seemed like a way of life for Shubham since early childhood. “I grew up listening to my mother and grandmother singing bhajans and keerthans. In fact, I was just about four when I picked up the tanturam and harmonium for early morning riyaz,” says the 27-year old, who’s also a professional guitarist and a seasoned sythesiser player. While believing that talent will always find takers, Shubham attributes his success to a host of people. “I’m grateful that I got to train under Shukla Dham guruji, Shewli Dhar guruiji, Shiny Da and Satchit Roy guruji. They’ve been instrumental in getting me to perform confidently, and I’m grateful to them for helping me right from the scratch,” mentions the youngster, who spent his early days of childhood in Shillong before settling in Bengaluru.

Unlike most of his contemporaries who had to struggle it out, Shubham feels he’s been quite lucky right from the start. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have opened  for names like Indian Ocean, Usha Uthup, Raghu Dixit, Karthik Das Baul and Zubeen Garg, early in my career. I hope to garner more support, and most importantly build a connect with the listener through my music,”  he adds. The musician has also tried his hand at playback singing and starting out with singles – his song  Wings of Fire was featured on a popular music show. He also has a popular playback track Nila Veyilil from the Malayalam movie Kumbasaram to his credit. “I draw inspiration from nature and incidents that are socially relevant. I believe there’s so much to ponder about if you actually wish to sit and do so.”
Speaking about what lies ahead, he signs off by saying, “At present, I’m putting my all to give in my best at the upcoming folk music festival. I wish to explore different genres of music and blend it all to come out with one mega fusion!”