Singing a dream

It was a sensorial experience to watch City-based singer Abhijit Gupta perform at the music reality hunt, ‘The Stage’.

He was one of the few complete, consistent packages  there. The natural ease in his voice, his sanguine character, his constant flirting with the camera as he weaved a charm around his songs and the ability to let viewers peek into a story through his melodies immediately struck a chord with the judges.

From his first rendition of ‘Drops of Jupiter’ by Train to ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz, for which he received a standing ovation, anyone could tell that he comes with a propensity to Western music. The whirlwind musical tour still stands fresh in his mind.

He recalls, “It was a great experience. I had always felt and heard that reality shows were controlled and planned but this was very authentic in the way it was shot. Meeting a number of other singers was also an eye-opening experience for me.

I was always confined to the musical network in the City but on ‘The Stage’, I could hear talent from across the country. More than competing with each other, we were also supportive of each other.”

And apart from the ‘family’ that ‘The Stage’  has given him, Abhijit also looks at the show as a huge learning experience.

 “I understood some technical details such as falsetto, head voice and chest voice. Each judge looked for something different which helped me develop as a singer and a performer. While singers Vishal Dadlani and Ehsaan Noorani concentrated on our vocal abilities and pitch, Monica Dogra and Devraj Sanyal judged us as performers on stage.”

Though he managed to secure a place in the top 10, his journey on the show spiralled to a close after that. “It was just a bad day,” he says.

“I did go back thinking that I could have done a few things better but I was happy to have come that far and was very proud of myself. As a person who is largely from a non-musical background, it was a big achievement for me.” Abhijit’s foot into the sea of music started with Hindustani classical, which he began learning as a child.

“I heard the song ‘My Heart Will Go On’ when I was in second standard and really wanted to learn it. The next day, my classmate wrote down the lyrics. I learnt the song and sang it at home. My mother was so impressed and she bought me a karaoke machine. This is where my affair with Western music started. I also used to sing in the school choir and learnt the guitar.”

Though ‘The Stage’ ended too soon, his success isn’t short-lived at all.
Abhijit is as focussed and continues to pursue music while juggling with his full-time travel company. He has given a number of live performances with a fellow participant, Kenishaa and is working towards more.

“Life is fluid right now with work on one hand and music on the other but I try and make time for both.”