The next generation!

Ayesha Merchant daughter of Salim MerchantYour journey to becoming a musicianIrsquove been privileged to find support and guidance around me given that both my parents are musicians My father was among my biggest inspirations Watching him compose and produce music even when he is on the go has inspired me to keep working on my craft even when it hasnrsquot been easy to stay motivated Every now and then while Irsquom practicing on the piano or singing my father will teach me new chords or help me train my vocals The best part about learning from him is that there is never a dull momentWhy did you decide to become a musicianI have a wide variety of interests including dancing painting and competitive swimming But as I grew older I discovered that singing enabled me to express myself in a way that nothing else couldGenres that gain your attentionVia dad I was exposed to Bollywood My mother is a jazz singer so I was introduced to jazz as well But I started to take keen interest in musical theatre Irsquove liked the process of learning and performing songs from the plethora of musicals I have watched including the Phantom of the Opera Lion King and Wicked I also like rhythm blues and classical music Musical theatre enables me to sing songs for different characters and tell stories through their personal experiences Being a student of theatre I find it fascinating Shubh Mukherjee son of Shaan MukherjeeYour journey to becoming a musicianI was given the freedom to choose what I wanted to become but being constantly exposed to music surely influenced my decision I am a trained classical singer While I initially didnrsquot enjoy the riyaaz sessions I eventually developed a fondness Dad often gives me impromptu lessons on dubbing and creating better harmonies be it for live performances or recordings Irsquom fortunate to have access to the wisdom and techniques hersquos learnt in his careerWhy did you decide to become a musicianI wasnrsquot a born singer There was a time when it was evident that my brother was the more talented singer Today he is a skilled music producer already making his mark in the industry On the other hand I fell in love with singing later I also love to play the guitarGenres that gain your attentionDad and I are different When I am singing yoursquoll find a guitar hung around my shoulders But dad is a pure vocalist Yet like him I would also want to pursue independent and Bollywood music Irsquod like to add western influences and a hint of RampB to my sounds My goal is to make music that makes people smile I want to make dance tracks and playful songs I hope my music will be associated with the sound of happinessProminent workIrsquove worked with Disney for Duck Tails I also partnered with a music label for a mashup of 12 songs I made a mashup of Aankhon mein teri and Night changesTanishkaa Sachin Sanghvi daughter of Sachin SanghviYour journey to becoming a musicianMy family members are avid listeners of music with a keen interest in bhakti music rsquo90s songs and hiphop My first musical experience was at the age of seven when I sang Laadki which featured on Coke Studio As I grew up I started performing with my dad The vibe on stage encouraged me to learn music Working with dad taught me that every detail of a song is important and that can only be perfected by observing him He pushes me to explore new possibilitiesGenres that gained your attentionIrsquom learning Hindustani classical music and Trinity rock and pop International pop has influenced me a lot I also like indie pop and international hiphop I find them informal and conversational Dad likes Indian classical music but Irsquove been drawn to western genres My dad has appreciated listening to world music and encourages me to follow my heart He says the genre is secondary what matters is that the music touches the artistersquos soul Prominent worksApart from Laadki Irsquove sung in Hindi and Gujarati films like ABCD 2 Hindi Medium Angrezi Medium and Best of Luck Laalu I want to be a singer songwriter and composerShivam Mahadevan son of Shankar MahadevanYour journey to becoming a musicianI had many passions including dancing and teaching Growing up I dreamt of becoming a teacher or being involved in the field of education But when I was four my family was stumped by the flawlessness with which I sang Itni shakti humein dena They discovered that I had the rare musical ability of exacting the melody I had heard I had a knack of understanding whether or not I was singing correctly and if I was maintaining the pitch There was never any pressure to venture into the same field But I had raw talent that I chose to honeOn the experience of learning from your fatherMy father understood my strengths and limitations and analysed areas that needed improvement Simply sitting beside him as he jammed was an invaluable lesson Lessons involved playing the harmonium and repeating what he did Given how busy he is every minute of these sessions was instrumental in my journey The knowledge Irsquove gained from him is extraordinaryGenres that gained your attentionGrowing up I was attracted to old Bollywood songs by Lata Mangeshkar ji and Asha Bhosle ji I would replicate the melody down to every single harkat Then I gravitated towards ghazals and became a huge fan of Ghulam Ali Khan Sahib I appreciated the nuances These experiences fuelled my desire to pursue this genreProminent workI made my Bollywood debut with Dhoom 3 while YRFrsquos Bande hai hum uske was my first studio experience Irsquove rendered songs for Marathi and Tamil films and web shows And Irsquove sung other numbers including VadieKashmir by Gulzar saab