JOIN USSinger Sourabh Joshi is comfortable with B-Town now
It was never his intention to become a singer but destiny brought him to Mumbai and Sourabh Joshi is now a well-known name in the Bollywood music industry. He rose to fame with his song in Shahid Kapoor starrer ‘Haider’. His next few songs like ‘Bheege Hum’, ‘Sukoon Mila’ and ‘Banjara’, to name a few. And his latest song ‘Vaishnava Jana To - A Tribute To Mahatma Gandhi’ has been making the rounds on social media.
In a candid chat with Anila Kurian, the engineer-turned-musician talks about the struggles of making a name for himself in the industry.
From being an engineer to a renowned Bollywood singer, how challenging was that transformation?
I never aimed to be a singer; I wanted to be a software engineer. But I always had an inclination towards music which I inherited from my family. I grew up listening to a variety of music like classical, film songs, Marathi and Western music. The transformation was really hard because I had no idea how to go about things. With lots of ups and downs, I learned to survive and made a name for myself. There were a few life lessons in between that journey.
Was it difficult to settle in as a newcomer?
Yes, it was. I didn’t have a godfather in the industry. I am happy to say that wherever I am today is because of my hard work, my experiences, parents, guru, wife and my friends. All of them stood by me and believed in me throughout the process.
In an era of remakes and remixes, how and why do you think your soulful songs stand out?
I feel there is and always will be a place for various kinds of songs. The most important thing for an artist is to be true to themselves while they are creating and not worry too much about trends because trends come and go, but soulful songs will always have a place.
Tell us about your current projects.
I’m looking forward to MTV Unplugged which will air later this month. I have sung two songs for that. I also have my first Marathi film song releasing in February for the film ‘Aamhi Befikar’. Apart from these, I also have an original song that I am working on. I am collaborating with a few interesting singers and composers for this.
Since you’ve slowly learnt how the music industry works, do you have any other aspirations?
Music is my life and my passion. I have no other aspirations. I want to sing for superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and I believe it will happen soon as the universe is on my side.
Which is one of the latest songs that you wish you had sung?
‘Mere Naam Tu’ from ‘Zero’ by Ajay-Atul.
Do you have a wishlist of music directors you want to work with?
Of course! I want to work with Pritam, Amit Trivedi, A R Rahman, Vishal Bhardwaj, Vishal Shekhar and Salim-Sulaiman.
Do you consider yourself a full-time musician or are there other things you’re also doing on the side?
I did study to become a software engineer but I am a full-time musician.I left my day job for music but when I first moved to Mumbai, I did work at a couple of places for survival. Apart from my Bollywood projects, I work with two bands.
Tell us a little bit about Sourabh the person and not the musician.
I’m very quiet, calm, love nature and live in my own world of imagination. That’s why I travelling to places where I can be by myself. In Mumbai, I love hanging out at Marine Drive; I mostly just sit there at night and listen to the sound of the ocean. I’m also a foodie so I’m always on the lookout to try new things.