Soulful little Shankar

Bengaluru girl Megha Shankar may have never envisioned becoming a singer. But off late, the 24-year-old is making news with her solo project Megha Shankar Live, and an ever-buzzing social media followership. The popular vocalist chats up with us about she aims to offer a platform for musicians through her collaborative...  

“I started performing on stage in October, 2014. My tryst with live gigs happened completely by chance  — So, I’d like to call this all a sheer stroke of serendipity! I was battling with my own personal demons during which music was introduced to me as an option. I had never contemplated music as a career before, or even as a hobby.

Just the idea of performing on stage scared me to death. When I did decide to give it a shot it was because I had nothing to lose at the time. Music, performing on stage, and the love and support of listeners helped me discover myself again and build my self confidence that had earlier taken a huge beating. I was extremely fortunate to have been ‘discovered’ as a vocalist first by my now band mate Akhilesh Kumar,” reveals Megha, who’s also the lead vocalist of popular city based band One Girl Shy. Two years since her first gig; this zesty lass is making waves with her all new initiative, Megha Shankar Live. Speaking about how everything fell in place, she pipes, “Things in the music scene really escalated for me because I got heard by different people and it gave me the opportunity to work with different musicians and styles of music. My project Megha Shankar Live is for the same purpose. To experiment and explore didn’t sounds and genres of music and learn and grow by collaborating with different artists.”

Currently pursuing a masters in counselling psychology from Christ University, the musician harbours ambitions to make a mark in the mental health arena. “Mental health is an area that our society is still not open about. So, it is crucial to not only spread awareness and educate people about it, but also make counselling services accessible to all. I also train in mixed martial arts. It pushes me to live with integrity, act with intention and train my senses to be more aware.”

All set to perform at a popular rock n roll chain in the city on November 20, alongside a couple of exciting projects in the pipeline, Megha has her hands full. But clearly, the vision doesn’t end just there. “The long term plan is to explore and work in the space of music therapy.. So, I’d like to combine two fields that I’m passionate about and make a difference in whatever little way I can,” she adds.