Ananya Birla is a musician and entrepreneur

Global IndianstoryAnanya Birla: How the billionaire heiress followed her heart into music and entrepreneurship

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Ananya Birla: How the billionaire heiress followed her heart into music and entrepreneurship

Written by: Global Indian

(August 17, 2021) Being born with a silver spoon can spell comfort and security, but the affluence can also cast a shadow on freedom and destiny. And this was something that the billionaire heiress Ananya Birla was aware of at crucial junctures of her life. This early realization helped the daughter of Kumar Mangalam Birla chart her own journey and not rest on the laurels and fame of her family name.

It is her heart that Birla follows, and this led to her finding her true calling — music and entrepreneurship. For someone who is passionate about singing and making a difference in the world, Birla is carving her own niche as a youth icon.

Here’s the inspiring story of this Global Indian who decided to write her own story.

Loneliness that led to music

Born to billionaire industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and Neerja Birla, Ananya often found herself at the crossroads of living up to her family’s name and carving her own identity. With a bodyguard and a curfew in place, Birla felt claustrophobic trying to fit into the world’s expectations of her. It was music that came to her rescue in times of loneliness and made her feel understood.

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Her parents who were supportive of her dreams often helped ease her dilemma. Even as a child, it was music that gave Birla solace and joy. At age 9, she was already training in Indian classical music and she picked up playing the santoor as well having watched her mother play the instrument over the years. Growing up, she fell in love with the guitar and taught herself to play the instrument with the help of YouTube videos. That is when she also began to learn how to compose music. But music continued to remain a hobby for her, until, she moved to Oxford University to study Economics and Management.

The musical journey

It was here that Birla was introduced to the vibrant music scene and the gig culture that played a catalyst in transforming her passion into a career. She began playing at local pubs and clubs in London and began writing her own music. This exposure to several genres of music gave her the confidence to make music of her own. And that’s what she did when she dropped her first single Livin the Life in 2016.

The popularity of the song landed her a worldwide release through AM:PM recording after Dutch DJ Afrojack remixed it. This was the beginning of her innings in music.

Birla arrived on the scene when there were not many takers of the music that she was producing. But the 27-year-old had to break the ceiling to make her voice heard, literally.

In a conversation with Billboard, she said, “When I started out, I was told that there wasn’t really an audience in India for my type of music. Until recently, film music really dominated. Different genres and English-language songs didn’t get much attention. Now labels are pushing independent singers, and there’s a lot more opportunity for artists who want to create their own music. The digital shift and globalization also means the appetite for English language music has increased so much.”

“I think if you want to stand out from the crowd you have to be willing to take risks and go against the grain. Breaking out was tough and I got a bit of criticism at first which was hard to deal with. But, I learned quickly that this comes with the territory and anything creative is 100% subjective. I am so happy people are now responding so positively to my music back home.”

With 2017 came her next single Meant To Be. Such was the response to her song that it made her the first Indian artist with an English single to go platinum in India. In no time, Birla made a name for herself in the music world and was recognized by international artists. So much so that she soon found herself performing at Coldplay‘s concert in Mumbai.

The platinum singer

Birla is one of the few women artists who is making it big in pop music with five of her singles making it to platinum. Be it Hold On (2018) or Unstoppable (2019), Birla has been carving a niche for herself in the world of music one song at a time. “As a woman in a male-dominated industry, it’s important to believe in yourself and not to do anything you don’t feel comfortable with. It can be a tough. When I started out, it really hurt when I was told that my style, or look, or sound wasn’t right. But my vision was strong and I refused to change for anyone. As soon as I was confident being unapologetically myself, everything started falling into place,” she added.

Birla’s songs are an extension of herself, something that she draws from her personal experiences. For her, music is a medium through which she connects with people and emotions.

The singer and songwriter is one of the few artists to collaborate with big name like Sean Kingston and Mood Melodies, thus giving the world a perfect mix of pop music. Birla’s songs and collaborations are a reminder that music is a universal language. “International perspective definitely helps take a song to the next level. I’m influenced by all the places I go. I’ve been lucky to work in some of the best cities across the world where music is a huge part of culture. India, though, is a part of my soul. It is impossible not to be influenced by it, the intensity, the sounds, the centuries of culture,” added the singer.

In just few years, Birla has become a name to reckon with in the international music circles. If her 2019 song Day Goes By was a proof of first collaboration between an Indian and American artist, her 2020 song Everybody’s Lost put her on an American national top 40 pop radio show, Sirius XM Hits, making her the first Indian artist to achieve that feat.

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Birla’s music is universal, and her performances at some of the biggest music events like Global Citizen, Oktoberfest and Sunburn is proof of her popularity.

The entrepreneur making a difference

Birla’s love for music is quite evident, but not many know that she founded her first startup at 17. While her heart is in music, her purpose lies in making in a difference and that’s exactly what she did when she started Svatantra Microfin to provide financial aid to women in rural India.

Despite her privileges, Birla was aware of the existing income gap and wanted a company that could help small businesses grow. But it was a challenge to start a company at 17, even with a powerful surname.

“When I started up, I was young and no one was willing to join my team; banks were not willing to lend. No clients are willing to come in. I used to cry in the bathroom when I came home after work,” she told Makers India in an interview. But she was determined to make it happen and currently her startup has reached over one million customers across the country.

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Birla expanded her vision and dove into global luxury e-commerce platform with Ikai Asai in 2016. It was in the same year that Forbes named her one of Asia’s Women to Watch.

The youth icon and entrepreneur is also closely involved with MPower, a mental health foundation she started with her mother Neerja to break taboos around mental health. Her own struggles with anxiety as a teenager led to the formation of MPower, and the foundation is working incessantly to create awareness on mental health.

“We have centuries worth of stigma built up around mental health issues – self-perpetuated by the fact that poor mental health is so difficult to talk about. However, the importance of talking about it cannot be overstated. When we talk about mental illness we debunk falsities, tackle isolation and empower those suffering to get the help they so badly need. With global suicide rates on the rise, it is crucial that reaching out for help becomes an act of power as opposed to a sign of weakness,” she told YourStory.

During the pandemic MPower joined hands with the Government of Maharashtra to launch 24×7 helpline and more than 45,000 calls were received within the first two months of its launch.

Not only this, Birla launched Ananya Birla Foundation in 2020 to provide COVID-19 relief work that had distribution of PPE kits and providing essentials to migrant workers at its centre.

At 27, Ananya Birla is the textbook example of a youth icon who is breaking the glass ceiling with her global music one hit single at a time and making a difference in the society with her philanthropic work.

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Published on 17, Aug 2021

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Operatic Oz-mosis: Indian-origin tenor Shanul Sharma’s aria mesmerises the world

(April 19, 2022) On the sets of Carmen at the Arts Centre Melbourne, Shanul Sharma gave his first audition for an opera. For someone with a decade-long experience in heavy metal and rock n roll, it was unusual to see him take the centre stage. But everything stopped the moment he stepped on stage. “I loved the spectacle. In no time, I forgot everything and sang like there was no tomorrow. That was a turning point for me,” Shanul says in an interview with Global Indian. In years to follow, he performed across Australia, Europe, and Russia, becoming one of the few Indian-origin tenor soloists to achieve the feat. Yet Bolshoi (Russia) holds pride of place. The winner of the 2017 Canto Lirico discipline and the Rossini International Award, Shanul is the first Indian-born Australian to perform as a principal artist in an Australian opera. [caption id="attachment_23456" align="aligncenter" width="506"] Shanul Sharma[/caption] A musical ear Born in Jabalpur to a civil engineer father and a homemaker mother, a young Shanul grew up listening to Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar in the backseat of the family Fiat. “My dad had a huge influence on me. He loved music but he never had

eight="606" /> Shanul Sharma[/caption]

A musical ear

Born in Jabalpur to a civil engineer father and a homemaker mother, a young Shanul grew up listening to Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar in the backseat of the family Fiat. “My dad had a huge influence on me. He loved music but he never had the outlet. I had a musical ear, and learnt everything by just listening. So when he saw my gift, he encouraged me to follow my passion,” says Shanul whose teenage years were dedicated to Michael Jackson. “I idolised him not only for his songs but also loved him as a performer. He was a complete package. I imitated him, and would try to sing as high as I could,” says the tenor for whom music was a way of expression. Slowly, he started taking baby steps into heavy metal and ended up performing at school events. “I was bullied a lot in school due to my high pitch - music became a way to feel normal. The more I sang, the more I was seen and appreciated. It gave me a sense of positive reinforcement,” adds Shanul who started composing music in school.

The Oz experience

It was in 2002 that he bought a one-way ticket to Australia to study IT engineering at Charles Strut University’s Wagga Wagga campus. Outside his class, he was the lead singer of the rock band Sobrusion and performed at various pubs and clubs. “I always wanted to be a singer, and we used to make Metallica covers,” says Shanul who found his biggest support in his dad, adding, “He used to say ‘IT engineers toh bante rahenge, singer bann (Can always become an IT engineer, become a singer first).’” For almost a decade, he played with the band, and transitioned from heavy metal to rock n roll.

India-origin tenor | Shanul Sharma

Everything changed when he came across the song Nessun Dorma by Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti on YouTube and immediately fell in love with opera. “Those two-and-half minutes was nothing but unadulterated vocal music. I had never heard something like this. That was the power of his singing. That’s when I knew I wanted to sing like that,” reveals the tenor who started training in western classical music after his band broke up in 2013. “Since I had a high pitch, I started training with an Italian teacher. It was a seamless transition vocally,” adds the 30-something who calls himself “restless” and loves to experiment. But he had to learn the “stagecraft” as working in opera was very different from heavy metal. “In metal, you write your music but opera is more traditional. You are working with an ensemble of 60-70 musicians. Here you have to fit into the grand scheme of things and make everything believable,” explains Shanul who believes his experience with rock n roll helped him bring something unique to the table.

The next year, he made his debut audition at the Arts Centre Melbourne on the sets of Carmen after an artist pulled out last minute. “I was hesitant initially thinking I wasn’t fully prepared. But then I pulled myself up and went for it. Something took over me onstage, and I forgot everything else,” smiles Sharma who got the role, and took only two days to prepare. “Lyndon Terracini, the artistic director of Opera Australia, was impressed and in two days, I was already on the road performing. I enjoyed every bit of it,” adds the young artist.

Indian-origin tenor | Shanul Sharma

Making moves internationally

A year later, he made his operatic debut with Opera Australia as Don Ramiro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola for the Victorian School’s Tour. In 2015, he was accepted into the Wales International Academy of Voice in Cardiff, one of the most prestigious singing academies in the world for his MA in advanced vocal studies. “I raised 53,000 AUD through crowdfunding for the course,” reveals the Indian-origin tenor who soon appeared as Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale for Teatro Martinetti in Italy.

Being an Indian and performing opera in a myriad languages, Shanul had to “look, speak and feel” the part. “Whenever I am performing anywhere, the first thing I do is visit their art museum. It gives me an insight into what they find valuable. It helps me gain a sense of expression,” says the tenor. Having performed across Europe, it’s his performance at the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia in 2019 that he holds closest to his heart. “It’s not just the biggest theatre physically but also acoustically interesting. The sounds are beautiful and at the same time loud,” explains Shanul.

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Shanul found his greatest support system in his parents, both of whom are no more. “My dad never watched any of my performances as he died in 2012. But my mom did watch me perform in Melbourne in 2019, and it was a beautiful moment. During the live performance, I saw my mom waving at me enthusiastically. I tried hard to not get distracted,” laughs Shanul.

The past two years have been trying times for the artiste. “During the lockdown, 15 of my productions were cancelled. We are slowly getting back. However, a lot is still uncertain,” says Shanul who is hopeful of things getting better in 2023. “I am preparing for a handful of productions,” says the tenor who loves watching Bollywood films like Dangal, “I can relate to the life of a sportsperson because it is a lot like that of an artiste,” concludes Shanul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjLzIR5e2Y0

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Fame’s not a game for Anurag Shanker: His music restores folk music, & traditional riffs

(March 24, 2022) As he made music with his friends in high school, it was clear that Anurag Shanker had a special talent. It wasn’t as a glamorous frontman, or an even more glamorous lead guitarist. He knew early on that his gift lay in composition and arrangement, to take a song and turn it into something people would want to listen to. While ideas were abundant, good execution was not. “I have never just been a guitarist or a composer,” says Anurag Shanker, today a reputed composer and music supervisor for Netflix’s The Fame Game. For him, the excitement lay in meeting new artists, about taking a song and expanding it to an audio production perspective. “I want to arrange their music and produce their songs,” says Shanker to Global Indian. He was first approached by the OTT giant back in 2020, soon after the pandemic began. “It was to do music for one show - The Big Day,” he recalls. A series about six engaged couples, the show takes a look at India’s multibillion-dollar wedding industry. “They needed someone to handle Indian-centric stuff that was culturally accurate, and also contemporary,” he adds. The Fame Game allowed Anurag to “place

dian-centric stuff that was culturally accurate, and also contemporary,” he adds. The Fame Game allowed Anurag to “place some really nice indie music,” and that makes him a happy camper. One example is singer-songwriter Kamakshi Khanna's 2021 single Duur, which was featured.

[caption id="attachment_21803" align="aligncenter" width="575"] Anurag Shanker[/caption]

This space is Anurag's forte, to create music that is “culturally relevant and which sounds cool,” he avers. A repertoire of prolific- acoustic, rock and folk music (he collaborated with the Manganiyars of Rajasthan, for instance), and a classical collaboration with sarod player Pratyush Bannerjee (among the foremost sarod exponents of our day) who played songs in eight ragas that Anurag produced with an electronic sound. “We have to bring in a new perspective without alienating either form,” says the classicist. Cross-culture collaborations are all the rage and the word fusion is, arguably, overdone. “Putting a raga together with a drumbeat is not fusion. You have to be sensitive about it,” says the traditionalist.

Keeping up with the 'times'

Anurag's sensibilities were shaped at home, expectedly, as the son of late Promod Shanker, former VP, Times Music. “Dad had a knack for discovering new artists. He discovered Indian Ocean and Jasbeer Jassi. That was very inspiring to me,” says the musician with an eclectic ear. Growing up, he would often find the biggest names sitting in his living room – he recalls Indian Ocean and the composer duo Ajay-Atul. “There were artists coming home to jam all the time,” he adds.

Having been in the thick of things often, he has lost his taste for jam sessions. “If I’m playing music or creating it, it has to be for the music. It can’t be an evening of frolic where the music is incidental,” he mulls. It also showed him, at an early age, what lies beyond the glitz of show business - he understood the hard work and determination that goes into life as a professional musician.

Training began early, and at age nine it was tabla lessons. “It’s the best age to learn an art form,” Anurag says. “Rhythm became very much ingrained in me. Also, Indian rhythms are so complex that after learning them, everything else is simple. If a jazz musician says to me, this is a 7/4 time signature, I’m unfazed by that,” he says.

[caption id="attachment_21779" align="aligncenter" width="707"] Live with Namit Das. Picture: Vaishnavi Suresh[/caption]

Bengaluru days

Those early years were routine, and the joy came later, when he began to jam with friends in high school. “I hit the ground running. I was making songs when someone who started along with me was still trying to figure out the instrument. That was a huge plus,” which led him to visiting studios with his father, watching people organise recording sessions and learning how to make artists comfortable.

When he came to Christ University in Bengaluru, Anurag joined the college's thriving cultural scene during his third year. And that enabled him to take his music more seriously. Slowly, work started - jingles and promos. He was also part of a band then, Caesar's Palace, which performed in Bengaluru. “It was just a fun idea which helped me discover myself,” and his talent for arrangement and composition was noticed, and suddenly creative decisions were under his aegis. The band did an EP too.

In 2009, the composer moved to Delhi to be with his parents but found his career stalling. “I decided the only place to get really fired up is Mumbai - such an exciting city,” he says. He left home in 2010, carrying precious wisdom from his father. “Don’t look for a break,” he said. It put paid to the idea of starstruck youth swarming tinsel town looking for fame. Instead, his father said, “That big break will never happen. The world just doesn't work like that. Learn not to depend on what is in the pipeline. Instead, have a good time, collaborate with people and make music,” lessons he took to heart, created a repertoire of diverse projects.

[caption id="attachment_21781" align="aligncenter" width="556"] The composer recording Kinnaram from Tamil Nadu[/caption]

Bombay's acoustic people

A chance meeting with a friend from college (2010), Arfaaz Kagalwala, led to the formation of Slow Down Clown, an alternative outfit. The duo explored film work, like in Amit Masurkar's Suleimani Keeda. “We sent in a couple of ideas and they liked them. That was our first experience as composers,” smiles the composer whose wit and humour endears him to all. A web series, some film songs later, Arfaaz left for France. Anurag remained in Bombay - classical, folk music to film scores, and indie songwriting.

In 2013, Anurag became one-half of the now-dormant guitar duo Bombay Acoustic People with Sankarshan 'Shanks' Kini, who was playing with Kailash Kher's ensemble at the time. Kini, he says, is an “all-round, holistic musician,” who was “so welcoming.” The Bombay Acoustic People toured India, entranced Shillong, also toured Europe. They began the warm and inclusive living room gigs long before they entered mainstream cultural discourse.

“That started out in Sankarshan's room. We would bring speakers and debut material for some 25 guests,” and the shows were instant hits with fans offering their homes. Those intimate sessions call for the best in a musician, he believes, “One can play loud electric guitar to already loud music. Yet, if you're playing a real acoustic instrument in a small room where people are paying attention only to you, that’s the true test of your skill and personal peace.” In 2014, Namit Das + Anurag Shanker came to be, and still active though in the middle he was also a part of another alternative outfit, Last Remaining Light, in Mumbai.

That's all 'folk'

Working with folk artists is close to his heart. Accompanying his father to Mumbai's Western Outdoor studio in 2000, (now closed) where legends like Bhimsen Joshi and Abida Parveen would come in to record, he says, "Abida ji would walk into the studio and produce seven or eight hours of content at a shot. She just goes in and starts singing - Kabir for an hour, Punjabi folk for an hour. They were legends on the brink of something new. And simply to be in the presence of that spark - these are things that cannot be taught."

Producing at the core of his musicology - he has worked with the Manganiyar singers from Rajasthan including upcoming artist Peeru Khan, produced an album with sarod player Pratyush Bannerjee, the Urban Grooves Project series for Virgin EMI and a string of Indian music releases for a Bengaluru-label, Pragnya.

[caption id="attachment_21783" align="aligncenter" width="642"] Anurag with Manganiyar singer Peeru Khan[/caption]

At his home studio, he is busy working for an NGO, recording one folk song from every state of India. With 22 done, the collection will be presented on a website, where people can discover more about the song, its state of origin and the culture to which it belongs. “I have made so many friends and connections in the folk music community so this is my way of protecting our cultural heritage,” says the guy who can croon a mean tune.

The pandemic saw him long for the surrounds of Bengaluru, where he and his wife Malini currently live – an idyllic villa near Nandi Hills. “After living in cities all my life, I didn’t even realise this was something I needed,” he laughs.

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‘Notes’ to self: How music therapist Roshan Mansukhani helps motivate people

(February 23, 2022) There comes a time when you need to give back to society, to do something meaningful. This is how music therapist Roshan Mansukhani felt after running an event management company for 18 years. It was around this time that he began helping acquaintances with counseling and music. A couple of major success stories later, he decided to share his talent with society and decided to take the plunge into music therapy and motivational counseling. He quit event management and today, nine years later, there’s been no looking back. A TEDx talk, a speech at the Euro Mental Health 2020, Roshan's been spreading the "positive" word. "I conduct workshops and speak at universities too," says Roshan in an interview with Global Indian. He has also spoken at IITs and the Mumbai University. Now, he wants to reach out to more students, teaching, and non-teaching staff. Music therapy – a traditional reality “Music relaxes, music therapy listens to you. I would call music therapy a traditional reality. If you remove words from your statements, you will get sound. Sound is music and it can heal us because the body heals itself but we do not acknowledge the truth,” he adds.

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Music therapy – a traditional reality

“Music relaxes, music therapy listens to you. I would call music therapy a traditional reality. If you remove words from your statements, you will get sound. Sound is music and it can heal us because the body heals itself but we do not acknowledge the truth,” he adds.

The music therapist who has been working to help people build their self-confidence, says, “Sometimes in life, we give up or something weighs us down. That is the time for us to realise that it’s okay to seek help. The stigma surrounding therapy and counselling keeps a lot of people from doing so. Fortunately, things seem to be changing and more people are now seeking help, but there’s a long way to go yet.”

Through a combination of questions and chats, he encourages people to revisit instances that made them uncomfortable and thereby face their fears so they can move past it.

Music Therapist | Roshan Mansukhani | Mental Health Awareness

Keeping the spark alive

Born in Nigeria, Roshan migrated to Mumbai soon after with his family. After a graduation in commerce from HR College, he went to Jamaica to explore life as a young lad. The experience of living away from home taught him a lot about life. “I just wanted to take every second as a new experience. To this day I believe in it, there will always be a spark within you,” he adds.

“Music is my passion. I am into it for more than 35 years. I experimented a lot of things on myself and thought that if I can heal myself then why not give others a morale boost too,” says Roshan, a self-taught therapist who has mastered the art with practice and observation. His efforts have earned him several accolades including the Mid-Day Icon Award 2021 most recently.

Music Therapist | Roshan Mansukhani | Mental Health Awareness

Working upon triggers of discomfort

During his one-on-one sessions, Roshan helps his patients identify triggers and work upon building their confidence so they can bounce back. “One does not have to seek therapy only due to trauma or under duress. Mental health is more important than physical health. Even a stomach ache comes from the mind. So, I look at it as a ‘mind happy body happy thing’. Once in a while speak your mind. Stretch a bit more, get out of the stigma and speak to people who will not judge you,” advises Roshan. His sessions usually last 90 minutes and he creates distinct modules, and structures music which relates to people's thought processes. “I need at least 15 minutes to myself between sessions as I need to recoup to serve better,” he adds.

Biking – avenue of rejuvenation

“Sunday mornings are my me-time,” says the avid biker, who regularly rides with his biker buddies. “It’s like a rendezvous with myself. I just went on my third trip to Ladakh in September; we were a 17-member group. Next month, we are planning to ride to Goa and then the whole of the south. With biking, I am living my passion and come back completely rejuvenated,” says the music therapist.

[caption id="attachment_20233" align="aligncenter" width="662"] Music Therapist | Roshan Mansukhani | Mental Health Awareness Roshan Mansukhani loves biking across India[/caption]

Helping others find a solution

An individual’s body language gives him strong cues. That’s why he prefers counseling from home as patients are more relaxed. It’s like ‘chai par charcha’ he says and “a chance to play with my dog Murphy.” His clients are of a mixed age group. “Everyone carries unseen baggage. I work with them to discuss options to shed the load. By talking, they get a new perspective, finding a solution is their job and it becomes easier for them,” he reveals.

Getting 200 percent support from family, he adds, "My daughter, wife, and mother are very supportive of my decision to pursue music therapy full time.” Like him, his 21-year-old daughter loves helping people. She is a professional jazz dancer, yoga teacher, and is pursuing craniosacral therapy (CST). “People are benefitting from her work too. We help and motivate people our way. I believe, and always tell parents; you don’t own your child and the child does not own you,” he signs off.

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From heavy metal to Australian opera: How Shanul Sharma’s musical journey made him a star

(October 19, 2021) It's the laser-like precision and depth of his voice that has made Shanul Sharma a tenor that the world is talking about. When Sharma was headbanging to Def Leppard's music as a teenager, little did he know that one day he would transition into an opera singer that the world will look up to. But destiny had its plan in place and he became the first Indian-born Australian to perform as a principal artist in an Australian opera. In the last few years, Sharma has serenaded the audience across the globe with his performances at some of the biggest theatres in the world. But it has been a long journey for this Global Indian who moved from heavy metal band to becoming an opera singer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjLzIR5e2Y0 Musical ear gave birth to a dream Born in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh to a civil engineer father and a homemaker mother, Sharma was surrounded by music throughout his childhood. His dad was a music lover and his home often had Bollywood songs playing in the background. Growing up, Sharma was a shy kid who loved playing with his computer. But things changed for him when his father gifted him a

lover and his home often had Bollywood songs playing in the background. Growing up, Sharma was a shy kid who loved playing with his computer. But things changed for him when his father gifted him a Casio keyboard. "I think I had a musical ear from the beginning because I was able to pick up accents and inflections in sound quite naturally. So when I got the keyboard, I would listen to Bollywood music and would play it out on the keyboard," he told Lyndon Terracini in a video interview with Opera Australia.

Soon his family and friends started recognizing his talent and this gave him the confidence to continue experimenting with music. Being a shy kid, music became an expression for him. It was around this time that he was completely mesmerized by Michael Jackson. Sharma not just idolized Jackson for his songs but equally loved him for being a performer and a lyricist. Slowly and steadily, Sharma started taking his baby steps into heavy metal when his friend gifted him a CD of Def Leppard's greatest hits. The music struck the right chord with Sharma who later moved to Iron Maiden, and then one thing led to another and he ended up performing to these songs at school events.

From rock band to opera

It was in 2003 that Sharma arrived in Australia to study IT-Engineering at the Charles Strut University's Wagga Wagga campus. Outside his class time, he was the lead singer of a rock band, Sobrusion, and spent his time gigging at Wagga clubs and pubs. Though he was deeply enjoying his time playing the music, he was apprehensive about his parents' reaction. However, his dad was his biggest supporter and always told him to follow his passion. For almost a decade, Sharma performed with the band but transitioned from heavy metal to rock n roll. It was during this time that he came across opera and immediately fell in love with it.

[caption id="attachment_13376" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Shanul Sharma during his band days. ((Photo Courtesy: ABC News)[/caption]

While browsing YouTube randomly one day, he came across a song Nessun Dorma by Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti and couldn't stop listening to him. So when the band broke up, Sharma decided to branch out to something new and learn opera. In 2013, on a whim, he decided to audition at the Arts Centre on the set of Carmen. He impressed everyone and in a matter of few days, he made it to the school's company and commenced his training.

A tenor in the making

A year later, he made his operatic debut with Opera Australia as Don Ramiro in Rossini's La Cenerentola for the Victorian School's Tour. In 2016, he was accepted into the Wales International Academy of Voice, one of the most prestigious singing academies in the world for his MA in Advanced Vocal Studies. He was one among the 14 singers selected from across the world.

This musical training helped him hone his craft and he soon appeared as Ernesto in Donizetti's Don Pasquale for Teatro Martinetti in Pavia. The next year, he represented the Rossini Opera Festival at the prestigious LaVerdi Auditorium at the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo. In 2019, he made a grand entry at Bolshoi Theatre in Russia, which is considered to be one of the most difficult theatres in the world. "Every time in the inno russo when I sang, I would look up to the heavens and I would go, 'This boy that was born in Jabalpur is in one of the most historic theatres in the world. How did I get here'? It was an exhilarating feeling," he added.

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The same year he made his main stage debut for Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House as Madman in Berg's Wozzeck and since then he has performed the roles of Il Conte di Libenskof in Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims and The Student in Reimann's The Ghost Sonata to critical acclaim in both Sydney and Melbourne. In the last seven years, Sharma has had the opportunity to perform at the most prestigious venues across the globe - from the LaVerdi Auditorium in Milan to the Norwegian national opera in Oslo. While Sharma trained in classical style of opera for a few years only, he credits his heavy metal days for helping him become an opera singer.

"The similarities between opera and heavy metal is the virtuosity, more than anything else. An opera singer can sing for a very extended period of time in a very unnatural situation for a male voice. And because the heavy metal band was so loud, I ended up singing very high all the time to cut through the band. So it was a seamless transition into opera," he told ABC Australia.

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Opera has been Sharma's true calling, and this reflects in the accolades that he has received over the years. If he is a winner of the 2017 Canto Lirico discipline, he also picked up the Rossini International Award in Italy, making him the only artist to have won both the awards in the same year. Not just this, in 2019, Sharma was awarded Broadway World Sydney's Best Performer in an Opera - Male for his performance as The Student in The Ghost Sonata for Opera Australia.

True calling

Sharma, in a short span of time, has made a name for himself as a tenor in the world of opera and he is happy about his craft. "I cannot think of a line of work more exciting than being an opera singer. I get to sing some of the most amazing music ever written, play different people (sometimes in period), create art and work with some of the most inspiring people of the planet; all the while sharing my most profound feelings with an audience," he told Arts Review.

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A Singaporean symphony: Alvin’s classical repertoire on a high tempo

(May 3, 2022) Growing up in Singapore, Alvin Seville Arumugam had to find a way to make it into the world of western classical music. Coming from a financially weak background, this Indian Tamilian had a lot to prove. The eminent Indian conductor in Singapore and the rare Indian to be selected for conducting at the Royal School of Music in London, Alvin is busy smashing the glass ceiling. “This speaks volumes about representation. The space is mostly filled with white men. Breaking the glass ceiling is tough. In western classical music, other popular Indian conductors are Zubin Mehta and Alpesh Chauhan. So as an artist, it's imperative to break through," Alvin tells Global Indian in an interview. [caption id="attachment_23947" align="aligncenter" width="639"] Alvin Seville Arumugam[/caption] Passion to career The Singapore-born and raised Tamilian has his roots in India. His grandfather moved from Tamil Nadu to Jaffna in Sri Lanka, but later shifted to Singapore to escape the civil war. Growing up, Alvin was surrounded by pop music of the 70s, 80s, and 90s during his childhood, courtesy, his mother. But it wasn't until his teens that he felt a connection with western classical music. “I was 12 when I

m Tamil Nadu to Jaffna in Sri Lanka, but later shifted to Singapore to escape the civil war. Growing up, Alvin was surrounded by pop music of the 70s, 80s, and 90s during his childhood, courtesy, his mother. But it wasn't until his teens that he felt a connection with western classical music. “I was 12 when I found that my school band was recruiting, and I decided to give it a try," reveals Alvin who started as a percussionist, and later excelled in wind and string instruments. While the love for music kept blossoming, Alvin knew that getting a stable job after graduation was his goal. “Coming from a broken family, I never saw my dad, he was estranged. My mom was always working. For Asian parents, doing well academically was everything. For my mom, it was either law or medicine,” adds Alvin who later joined Catholic Junior College where he formed the symphony band. “By then I had already performed with the Singapore Wind Symphony at the Sydney Opera House,” says the conductor who went on to join the Singapore Armed Forces Band as its concertmaster.

Though Alvin had his eyes on a law course at the National University Singapore, the sudden death of his mother kept him anchored to his passion. “Before she died, she let me off the hook and told me to follow my dreams. That’s how I continued playing with the armed forces band. They paid me a salary and also funded my diploma in music,” says Alvin. At just 21, he began conducting and getting offers from many schools. His bands were not only head-turners in the biennial Singapore Youth Festival but also clinched two gold with honours in the Junior College category in 2009.

Conductor | Alvin Seville Arumugam

Making western classical music accessible

In 2016, he shifted gears when he did his master's from Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, NUS in orchestral conducting. "I'm truly indebted to my conductor lesson teachers Darrel Ang and Douglas Boseoek. They played a pivotal role in my journey," says Alvin who, the same year, formed the Musicians' Initiative, with like-minded musicians, that plugs the gap in the industry by giving opportunities to professionals and pre-professionals. “With bigger players like Singapore Symphony Orchestra, musicians who are not in the orchestra get to perform only three-four times a year. There is not much exposure. That’s where we come in and provide opportunities and provide mentorship,” adds the music director who reveals that MI has now become a non-profit.

"Classical music is quite traditional and rigid. The youth of today have no idea about it because it's not readily available and is seen as a high-society concept. But we need to make it accessible to the young,” says Alvin who believes there is a misconception that you need a certain social standing to appreciate it. "Since this form of art is dislodged from the public, through Musicians' Initiative, we want to bring it out to the public," adds Alvin who found his initiative ahead of the curve even during the pandemic. When the lockdown paralysed the world of art, they found ways to perform. "Innovation is at the core of Musicians Initiative. We believe in the bold representation of classical music," adds the conductor who performed at former diplomat Nirupama Rao’s South Asian Symphony Orchestra in 2019. “It’s an experiment to show that 80 people from across South Asia, who don't know each other, can create something beautiful in the name of peace,” says Alvin who calls Rao his life mentor. “Merely talking to her is an education in itself,” says the conductor who left his life in Singapore to pursue an international career.

Conductor | Alvin Seville Arumugam

Breaking the stereotypes

Currently in London to pursue his second master's in orchestral conducting at the Royal College of Music, he is one of the two students selected for a two-year course, and one of the the rare Indians in the college's history. But making a mid-life career change is “risky” especially since Alvin left the comfort of his Singaporean life. "I was doing exceptionally well. But I wanted to explore the music scene internationally, and I knew if I didn't do it now, I'd become a bitter musician who would always be thinking about what if I had taken that chance. Growth is paramount in any art,” says Alvin who calls the expenses of studying classical music one of the biggest challenges. "Coming from a middle-class Tamilian family in Singapore, it's not easy to pay for such expenses," he adds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=340KjZkIzgU

His biggest advice is to “release self-doubt – it’s your biggest enemy. Instead, take a leap of faith,” adding “there will be highs and lows. Keep ploughing through. Don’t ever look behind.” The conductor loves cycling and hiking as nature “heals” him. In 2019, he visited India for the first time and completely “loved the chaos.” Set to return this July for another concert with the South Asian Symphony Orchestra in Chennai, he will enthrall all, for sure. "It's this passion and love for music that keeps me going," concludes the conductor.

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