Indo-Canadian singer Shweta Subram is the youngest vocalist of Indian origin to perform at the Carnegie Hall with The Piano Guys. She chats with Karan Bhardwaj about her training in Carnatic music
So far, this year has been a year of fortune for Indo-Canadian singer Shweta Subram. She forayed into Bollywood with Ayushmann Khurrana’s Hawaizaada, she lent her vocals to the song Dil-e-Nadan, and her latest masterpiece is a cover of Jeena Jeena from Badlapur with composer Aakash Gandhi. “Bollywood happened at the beginning of this year. I was in Mumbai and had a return ticket to Canada scheduled for January 4 which I had postponed due to some shows. During that same time the programmer of Hawaizaada, Bharat, called me to the studios and asked me to sing a few lines. Ayushmann loved my rendition and that’s how it made it to the final track. My track in Hawaizaada is a reprise of a popular ghazal by Mirza Ghalib Dil-e-Nadan, which I have sung with Ayushmann,” she says and adds that she has always been passionate about singing in Bollywood. “I am extremely passionate about being a playback singer for Bollywood and that is why I have been spending past few months in India. I performed at the IIFA awards in 2011 with Salim Sulaiman for the music launch of Aazan. I have recently composed and sang the background score for Salman Khan’s first international production Dr Cabbie. I also sang a song for a Star Plus show called Tere Sheher Mein, which is currently on air. I am shuffling between Mumbai and Toronto as I have a show and recording commitments in Canada which I need to complete.” she informs.
The singer feels that it is slightly easier to be a Bollywood singer outside India “as there are only a handful of us and we rule the market on this side of the world.” Shweta enjoys promoting Indian and Bollywood music outside India. “As much as I enjoy it, I miss the buzz of the industry that you feel when you’re in Mumbai. To be a Bollywood playback singer you need to shift to India. I live in Canada, so I do have to work harder to stay connected with the music industry. Fortunately, technology and social media have helped immensely,” says the singer who sings in Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu and English. She has also done collaborations in English and Tamil. “My inspirations in creating music and writing lyrics come from my personal experiences. It’s easier for your fans to connect with you when you are genuine and sincere,” she says.
Shweta got into singing because of her mother’s persistence who was very keen that she learns Carnatic music. “I totally thank her and owe it to her for making music an integral part of my life. I have learned Carnatic music and am currently learning Hindustani music. It helps me create compositions and improvise. learning any kind of music is great as it helps one build a strong foundation as a vocalist,” says Shweta, who is a great fan of Beyonce, Celine Dion, Asha Bhosle, AR Rahman and Sonu Nigam. Shweta is the youngest vocalist of Indian origin to perform at the Carnegie Hall with The Piano Guys. She says, “I never thought I would get this opportunity so early on in my life. It was a blessing to perform at The Carnegie Hall to a sold out audience with The Piano Guys. The feedback and accolades I have been receiving is tremendous. I found out later that I am the youngest Indian to have performed at The Carnegie Hall. The performance was recorded live and will be released in a Christmas album this year. My YouTube video with them went viral during its release last year and has now crossed 10 million views.”
The singer is a part of the Qyuki network, a digital broadcast network co-founded by Shekhar Kapur, Samir Bangara and AR Rahman. Qyuki works with creators to build their fan following by producing and distributing videos across YouTube and other networks with the aim to create enduring intellectual properties. Shweta feels that it is essential for an artist of every nature to be part of social media and digital platforms.
“People highly depend on online platforms for their source of information and entertainment. It also helps artists to interact with their fans and understand their expectations. All my collaborations have been through interactions with like-minded artists online. I was introduced to Qyuki by Shekhar Kapur and my association with them since then has been fantastic. He liked my collaborations with The Piano Guys and Shankar Tucker and immediately connected me with the management team at Qyuki,” says Shweta, who recently performed in Delhi with music composer Mickey McCleary and the Bartender followed by a performance for Google with Aakash Gandhi and Sahil Khan. “Then I flew down to North America for a five-city tour with The Piano Guys in the US and Canada,” she ends.