Music is the real change-maker, it connects to the purest parts of people and elicits action. This is what Shubham Kabra wants to do with his music. A singer-songwriter from Rajasthan, Shubham started from humble beginnings and stayed true to his love for music. With a focus on soul and indie-folk, his songs evoke kindred feelings of the honesty of youth set against a demanding and fast-moving world.
Here is Shubham Kabra in a conversation with GOGO Magazine.
1) When did your journey as a musician begin?
2013, when I shifted from my hometown Bhilwara, Rajasthan to Mumbai. Felt like this was the only escape I had. Wasn’t exactly in a good shape mentally for the initial years, but life goes on, and so did i. If I would have called my parents about the problem I would have been facing when I was just 16, they might have called me back to my home and music wouldn’t have happened.
2) Tell us more about the experience of expressing your thoughts and feelings through music.
There would be so many perspectives to it, but I always have felt that once you fall in love with your art, the door keeps on opening, it’s like the whole world comes together to help you. The one thing which is extremely important is to love your art with all you have got. it’s just like finding god, can you through half heart?
I never sat and wrote a song, for me that doesn’t work. The process is to love it so much that it comes to you.
3) Which has been your first track.
Ek Angana- A song on girl abortion
4) Who has been your inspiration?
My dad. Always will be. I have never been musically inspired by someone because there’s no one in my family who has done music, or in a professional capacity.
I think even if I spent and put everything which I have, I wouldn’t be able to make what he made from nothing. I learned4) the importance of building everything from scratch. His journey is commendable, and I respect him.
Cheers Dad.
Never thought I would write these things for an interview, but your blessings are working out.
5) Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Haha. This would be the world’s most complicated question in the world of art. I don’t know what will happen the next day, 5 years, the whole world might change.
But technically answering this to you, I don’t know what the future beholds for me, I will accept everything with pure joy and sheer happiness. If it’s meant to be it will happen, no force on earth can stop it, that’s the power of art.
6) How would you describe your music?
In terms of genre, my music would mostly be Soft pop/rock Indie.
In terms of emotions, my focus has always been the songwriting part of it, so that’s the one thing that always and will be on top. words have so much power in them.
7) Which has been your most memorable project or song?
Without a doubt, Vaari Vaari with Misfit Inc. Had a great team working on it. Never felt so good and comfortable with a producer, but Meeting Aditya Ashok (Oxygen/7nation) Changed it. This would be the most memorable project for me up till now.
8) What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
Advice might be difficult because even I am on my journey to explore, but one thing I would really want to say is, that if it’s about art, dwell in it like its the ocean, let there be music in every breath you take, your art shall make you cry with emotions, it should make you vulnerable to feel every part of yourself, that’s where the magic will happen. The first step will always be to love your art immensely and wholeheartedly, if you won’t who else will?
9) Share some of your achievements with the magazine.
Here comes my boasting part, but don’t mind, I and a few fans of mine, built it together.
– In a year we have grown from 300 Monthly Listeners on Spotify to 45000. (Never Imagined it though)
– Released 10 songs in a span of 1.5 years, with an EP.
– 4 Collaborations with artists like Sartek, Kamakshi Khanna, Akanksha Bhandari, and a few more are coming.
– During the lockdown, I went and shared my art with the most beautiful personalities like Salim Merchant, Vivek Agnihotri, Ehsaan Noorani, Vishnu Kaushal, Aishwarya Mohanraj, and a lot more people.
(This was the life-changing period)
– Don’t have awards to flaunt, but someday, ONE Day.
10) How’s life after the covid-19 pandemic.
Life is good. I am doing my music, and I am happy. Thank God that things are back to the same. Seeing anyone suffer makes you feel so vulnerable, corona has taught us that.
I hope you all are doing great as well, sending lots of love and hugs to you all.
FOLLOW THE SINGER SHUBHAM
INSTAGRAM: @shubhamkabra06
SPOTIFY: SHUBHAM KABRA
YOUTUBE: SHUBHAM KABRA
Check out more such content at: https://gogomagazine.in/category/magazine/travelogue-volume-7/
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