"Talent Is Gifted but It Requires Polishing and Nourishing" - Prabhnoor Kaur

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1. Tell us more about your background and journey.

There is nobody in my family who is related to the musical field or sings well. I have been singing since class 2 or 3 as far as I can remember. Being the lead singer of my school choir, I discovered that I could sing well. I learnt Western as well as Hindustani Classical music in my school and am still learning to improve my skills. I recently created an Instagram page which has grown to a great extent in a short span of time which is how I know that people like my work.

2. When did you first decide you wanted to pursue music and how did you start?

It was more of a hobby at first and I wanted to pursue psychology as a career initially. I am pursuing my graduation in PU ISSER studying Psychology honors because I love the subject. But over the years I've realized that I can not only sing well but also perform and persuade people in the right direction. This attracted me to taking up music as a career while I still study Psychology.

3. Who is your favourite artist and why?

Two of my favourite artists are Late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Satinder Sartaaj. My favourite genre is Sufi and both of them have aced this genre through the choice of words as well as their exceptional singing skills and knowledge. I have always loved covering songs by Satinder Sartaaj mostly because of his words and compositions. Ustaad NFAK is undoubtedly everyone’s favourite.

4. Can you throw some light on opportunities one gets as a singer?

As any other field, a singer also faces a lot of hurdles as well as opportunities. In my case, I have been lucky enough to be noticed very easily for whatsoever reasons. Most of the singers try reality shows which have a huge number of participants and thus, one has to be extraordinary in order to get in.

What is more popular today is uploading your content on digital platforms like YouTube and Instagram. The reach is pretty high and it also provides great recognition provided your content is good.

5. Is format training required or can one train themselves purely on the basis of talent?

Talent is gifted but it requires polishing and nourishing to be able to bring it out in the world. For this purpose, formal training is an integral part. Finding a good teacher who does not have a commercial interest is a blessing today.

6. What piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring artists?

The only advice I would like to give is that one should always maintain originality in his or her work. If you imitate one particular artist you would be known by his or her name and not yours. Also, it is important to keep working hard and be patient in terms of results. What is meant to be, will find its way to you.

7. Which is your favourite book and why?

Although it’s a great habit, I have not read a book ever. But if I have to choose my first book it would be The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. This book explains how Shams changed the life of Scholar to a Sufi through love which fascinates me.

Interview by - Sonam