Krithika Shekhar, Vocalist

Hey! I'm Krithika Shekhar. 

I sing, and I am learning to play the violin now.

I have been singing pretty much all my life! I haven't really been trained in singing, but it's what I love doing best. You know how every time there is a family gathering and the adults are running out of topics to talk about so they ask a kid to entertain them? Well, I was that kid.  

I loved mimicking their favourite singers, but that isn't really cute when you're an adult. So now I mimic less and sing more. 

I started playing the violin when I was in High School, but stopped going to classes because once I graduated I couldn't really fit in my lessons with work. But I realised I was giving up on something I really liked. No, loved! So I signed up for lessons last year and the going is slow but hey, at least I'm going! If you ever think you're too old to start something, think again. My mother signed up music lessons two years back, and her entire batch consists of people who are above 50 years old and have decided that they HAVE to make time for what they love. 

You must've noticed how the scene in Bangalore has changed over the years. There are more venues, more events, and therefore more occasions for artists to perform. But unfortunately, it also means you'll meet someone unpleasant once in a while. I remember this one occasion we refused to perform because a manager of a venue wouldn't let us sound-check, even in the time that was allotted specifically for it. In his opinion, only artists of Bryan Adams' calibre needed more than 5 minutes to sound-check. That was the only, really the only time where we didn't go on stage when we were asked to. But luckily for us, the event organiser was on our side. 

It is unfortunate that sometimes people, and their art, are considered separate. And reality shows are honestly the biggest examples you can find. I wouldn't like to name the reality show, but a lot of people I knew in Bangalore were called to audition, but weren't given the chance to sing genres that they enjoy. I have no idea what the parameters were but I was told I made it to the Top 50 in the country and was asked to go to Mumbai. Once there, it was evident that your ability to sing was only fourth or fifth in their priority for what they thought was great for TV. So after a day, I left. (Damn, I missed my big chance on television. Where's my Glycerin!)

Let's save the drama for TV 😀 Maybe ten years down the line, if people are still watching TV, we'll see more discussion about their performance than their family situation. 

One question I am never able to answer yet, though, is what kind of music I listen to. I think now, more than ever in the past, that's quite a challenge. How can you pick a favourite when every day, you can listen to a new kind of music from a different part of the world? For someone who is socially awkward, music is a saviour. You either plug in your earphones and go into your zone. Or when you meet somebody new and don't know what to talk about, don't drift to the weather. Ask them what they're listening to and you might just have a new play-list for the week! 

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