I Always Came 2nd, Which In A Way Kept Me Motivated To Work Harder and Practise More and More - Sagar Gupta (Singer/Musician)

 

 

I am Sagar Gupta. I am a music producer, singer and songwriter. I was born and brought up in Kanpur, UP. 

 

 

1.Tell us more about your background and journey.

 I am a music producer, singer and songwriter. I was born and brought up in Kanpur. I came to Mumbai in 2016 with no plan and absolutely no idea about how I was gonna survive here. 

 

I went outside recording studios and film studios to ask for work. But I had no luck there. Hence I started approaching cafes and lounges to get some live shows so that I can pay my rent at least.

 

Meanwhile a friend told me that a producer is looking for an original song for a music video and gave me his number. I sent my song to him and he loved it. The song was later released with T-Series in 2017 and gained some popular reviews on YouTube.

 

I still didn’t have enough work until September 2018 when things took a slight turn and people started loving my live performances and wanted to come to my shows.

 

I was super happy and my booking calendar was never empty after that. I have done more than 500 shows now which includes club/lounge performances, wedding events, sangeet, corporate events, etc. 

 

I have performed at the success party of Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain (popular Indian sitcom) and have been awarded as the ‘Best Singer’ by Atharva Institute Of Film And Television in 2019 and have been felicitated by Wow Fashion and Business Awards as the ‘Best Singer and Composer’ in 2018.

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

I started singing when I was 10 and I used to participate in the local singing competitions which I never won. I always came 2nd, which in a way kept me motivated to work harder and practise more and more.

 

 I wrote and composed my first song when I was 17. I didn’t want to do anything apart from music. But being from a middle class family, you are forced to have a backup plan. 

 

Hence, after 12th, I went to pursue my bachelors degree in Mass Media as I was being offered a diploma in sound engineering alongside (which I really wanted to learn) from a college in Pune where I studied music production and various aspects of recording, live sound, etc. 

 

I later produced/arranged my own track which I had composed during my school time which was later picked by the producer and got released from T-Series.

3. Who is your favourite artist and why?

It’s a pretty tough question as I can’t name just one. I have been inspired by many and have many favourite artists. 

 

I used to listen to a lot of AR Rahman songs in my childhood which inspired me to compose songs. I listened to the sound tracks by Hans Zimmer which still inspires me to produce music. 

 

Compositions by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Saheb, singing style of The Wadali Brothers, Lata ji, Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan and now Arijit Singh. They all are my all time favourites.

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

There are many opportunities now. Due to social media, the opportunities have also grown a lot. Apart from the mainstream film-music, there are now opportunities in some amazing web series and short films which have music in them.

 

 And to all the singers, I would suggest you start making your own music now. Don’t wait for a music director or anyone. Keep making cover songs and post on social media. 

 

Make your original music and publish it online. Just keep uploading your good work. Make your own audience and create an opportunity for yourself.

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

Formal training is very much important. Though it’s not necessary that if you never had training, you won’t be able to succeed. You still can.

 

 But learning will help you a lot and will open your mind to bigger ideas. I never had a formal training in music myself but I keep listening to some good music all the time and watch informative videos/interviews online and try to learn from anything that will help me improve my quality in work.

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

The only advice to all the aspiring and budding artists is to keep working and be patient. Things will happen. As we say, all good things take time.

 

 But you need to believe in yourself and keep working towards your goal. In these times of social media, the pressure of gaining “Followers” and “How Many Followers/Views One Has” has increased a lot which is affecting everyone's quality of work.

 

 People have stopped focusing on their art and have started worrying about how to get “VIRAL”, which is absolutely wrong. You need to stay focused on your art. Improve your work, and you surely will get the deserved recognition one day.

7. Which is your favourite book and why?

Train to Pakistan and Delhi by Late Mr. Khushwant Singh are my favourite books. The reason I love these books is because I am a big fan of the history of our country. 

 

 I am always excited to learn anything new about the history and in these two books, Khushwant sir did an amazing job. It felt like I was living in that particular era of time while I was reading the book. The writing did absorb me in itself, which is an amazing thing.

 

 

 

- Sagar Gupta

 

 Interviewed by - Swathi V

 

 Instagram Id - https://instagram.com/sagarguptaofficial?igshid=137jjb8gciwam