I'm not an artist by choice, it's who I am, it's who I've always been and I can't change that. But profession definitely is a choice that we tend to make for ourselves.
1. Tell us more about your background and journey.
Well, to start from the very beginning, my roots belong to the city of Nawabs, Lucknow. Born and brought up in the city, I did all of my schoolings there. I was lucky enough to have really supportive parents, thanks to the Almighty.
I used to be very active in participating in cultural events in my school days. I was in 7th grade when Mr Amit Singh, my Music Teacher at school, spot me playing a Synthesizer ('Casio', if in case some people don't get the term right) and getting the knack of my musical acumen, he thereby decided to teach me the basics of Music Theory and Piano playing. Since then it has been a never-ending process of exploration and improvisation when it comes to my Musical Journey until now.
2. When did you first decide you wanted to pursue music and how did you start?
So after 12th, when I left my hometown for my Engineering in the year 2012, I was all in the rat race of grabbing a good package and stuff like that which normally every graduate course fresher would look up to. Music & Cinema has always been a very crucial part of my life.
I'm not an artist by choice, it's who I am, its who I've always been and I can't change that. But profession definitely is a choice that we tend to make for ourselves. I came to Delhi in the year 2012, yes the year when my Engineering had started. I was never firm in making this decision of pursuing Music as a full-time career.
I mean, I was 18 and was just not knowing things. No contacts in the city, nothing. Delhi was completely new to me & vice versa. However, being in college I again started taking part in Inter College Fests, singing, instrumental & band competitions etc and even won many of them.
Those competitions gave me some really good exposure to hold my ground in the Capital City and I started doing Freelance shows as a Synth/Keyboard (Casio) player and a singer.
Alongside, I started watching Music Production tutorials too, thanks to my Laptop and the Wi-Fi connection in my College Hostel. So it was the third year of my Engineering when I had done a good number of live gigs somehow along with the College Curriculum which made me confident enough and thereby my influence towards taking Music as a full-time career just got more strengthened and here I am. Eureka !!
3. Who is your favourite artist and why?
To be honest as a Music Professional, I'm not liable to have any particular set of favourites. If I'd to mention my influences, in our Indian Music Industry, starting from OP Nayyar Ji, RD Burman da, Kishor Kumar Saab, Viju Shah, Gurdaas Mann Saab, Ismail Darbar, Swami Illaiyaraja, AR Rahman Sir, M.M. Kreem Sir to KK, Arijit Singh, Prateek Kuhad, Jonita Gandhi, Anirudh Ravichander, Sid Shreeram, Nucleya, Karsh Kale, Siddhu Moose wala etc. and in the West Side, starting from Jazz Artists like Edith Piaf, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Acri, Frank Sinatra to bands like Pink Floyd, Guns n Roses, Backstreet Boys, Westlife, Boyzone, Nirvana, Metallica, Lamb of God, The Porcupine Tree, Poets of the Fall to Pop Artists like Eminem, George Michael, Justin Bieber, Labyrinth, DJ Snake, Skrillex etc..uhh...okay.. you're searching for the 'STOP' button right? Lol.... that's the hang of it... there's isn't any.
But Zakir Hussain Saab and Bobby Vinton are two such artists, whom I can literally listen to for hours without getting tired or monotonous.
4. Can you throw some light on opportunities one gets as a musician?
It's a result of your hard work, smart work, skills, knowledge and then, in the end, luck which opens up the gate for new opportunities. One should always have good networking skills along with creator skills and I think that's the need in any sector and not just in the Music or Film Industry.
Now, speaking of the kind of opportunities that are there for Musicians or Musical Artists, I'd say Social Media is something that can bring contacts to you rather than you chasing for them. Showcasing your talent on these platforms can fetch you more opportunities and I'm speaking of Covid Scenario where there is a scanty of live shows and concerts or even a dip was seen in the number of possible recording sessions, however, an artist can always generate their audience via Digital Platforms and could even monetize their art and once your art reaches the right people and a good handful number of the audience there are Online Collabs, Brand Endorsements, Social Media Influencing, OTT platforms, Record Label Companies which can be your gateways to more fame and financial growth.
5. Is formal training required or can one train themselves purely on the basis of talent?
I'm a self-taught Music Producer. Formal Training is good if one has it. It's really great, but if not, please do not treat it as a black spot either.
Hans Zimmer is a self-taught Musician and is a legendary Composer who needs no Introduction. But yes, consistency along with a proper flowchart is mandatory whenever you're learning something on your own.
6. What piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring artists?
Explore as much music as you can. Have a clear mindset of what you want to achieve as an artist. Work with different artists. Do not put yourself in a box.
Do not listen to almost everyone. Do not overthink almost everything. The toughest thing in this world is to believe in one's own self. But do not back off..do it. You got this mate :)
7. Which is your favourite book and why?
One Book that I really admire is 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' by Robert Kiyosaki & Sharon Lechter as it gives some real-life lessons in a very eloquent manner and the other one is 'Tales of Chacha Chaudary' by Late Mr Pran cuz it's funny lol and brings me lots of childhood memories.
Brief Bio:
Sarthak SRTK is a Music Producer, Composer and Content Creator.
Highlighted works: Programmed & Arranged Music for the songs of the latest upcoming movie 'SHIDDAT', starring Sunny Kaushal, Radhika Madan & Diana Penty and other hit songs like 'Vehem' by Armaan Malik,
'Pehle Pyar Ka Pehla Gham' by Tulsi Kumar,
'Teri Aankhon Mein' by Darshan Raval & Neha Kakkar and many more.
Also the mind behind the viral Meme songs like 'Mirzapur Lalit Geet ' and 'Versatile Boy'.
Interviewed by - Vanshika Jain
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