JOIN USCity-based vocalist, Kenishaa Francis, juggles her jobs as a corporate trainer, freelance writer and an event manger. Despite her packed schedule, music forms an important part of her life. Having pursued a course from the London College of Music two years back, she says, “I try to manage everything. I love what I do and hence, get the energy to pursue all my passions. Every aspect of my professional life is different and I thoroughly enjoy it all.”
A musician since she was a child, she considers her mother as her first inspirations. “She gave me her voice, literally,” she recalls. Some of the musicians she admires are popular stars such as Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey. The course only helped her build a stronger foundation. “I was already musically inclined. Being self-taught gave me the advantage to focus on many other projects and learn music at my own pace. My experience with the London School bolstered my growth.”
But when asked if it’s better to be educated or self-taught, Kenishaa feels that it is upto the artiste. “Nothing is better than the other. It depends on the artistes and how they take their art forward. There are extremely talented and creative self-taught, young musicians as well. Different approaches work for different people.”
Though she can sing catchy genres such as ballads, retro and country, Kenishaa is most comfortable performing jazz and ballads as she feels her voice stands out best in these two genres. She recently performed at Church Street Social where her performance saw a full house.
“It was a small place but I saw people gathered to listen to me. There were some grooving to my tunes which made me happy. I performed with a great guitarist and we put up a fine set list — from the songs of Whitney Houston to some hard rock numbers. I was extremely enthralled with the vibe.”
However, she feels there are a lot of struggles that an artiste has to battle with. “Nobody wants to pay or respect an artiste. There are always a lot of ‘bargains’ taking place when an artiste wants to perform. Venues want artistes to be entertaining but refrain from paying them later because they take an artiste’s passion for granted. This is the scene in the City, unlike other places like Mumbai where the music scene is vibrant and
an artiste has better opportunities.”
Yet, she is ready to face all obstacles. On June 10, she has a concert lined up with various artistes and says
that her mailbox has been flooded with a lot of enquiries.