A lot of fan frenzy is created by a 19-year-old singing sensation Tushar Raj with his new number. He has carved out his own niche with splendid tunes in his latest number ‘Used To It’. He is also a music producer and songwriter dishing out the magnificent melody in indie pop and alternative R&B. The singer is based out of Kolkata and narrates his story with an impeccable voice and an addictive dash. He has won many accolades in such a brief stint in the musical arena and featured in the Daily Pick of Rolling Stone Magazine. The track has also been featured in ‘Chill Station’ which is the Editorial Playlist of Spotify. He is all set to come up with his much-awaited EP ‘Midnight Haze’ and has created a mouthwatering prospect for fans by releasing 3 songs from the 6 tracks in it. Another song from the EP is ‘2 AM’ that is slated to be released in 2020. He is also bug-bitten by great musicians like Khalid, Jeremy Zucker, Lauv, and The Weeknd. To know more about the queued up ventures of the singer, the audiences can log on to his Instagram handle.
He wants to chase his dreams and with less than one year in the world of music and wants to be an inspiration for aspiring musicians. He has received quite a lot of popularity with his maiden single ‘Falling For You’. The fans can listen to his tracks by logging on to popular music streaming sites like Spotify where he has 15,000 monthly listeners with one of his tracks crossing even a staggering 40,000 streams. He is gearing up for the release of his latest single ‘Tell me youre sorry’ that is slated to come out this Friday. It is a breathtaking electronic dance number and has got a catchy hook-line with smooth vocals. The music videos by the singer can be watched on major trending platforms like YouTube.
The young singer was candid enough to share his views and upcoming ventures with us. We are privileged to delve deep into the singer’s personal and professional life. We started the interview by congratulating him on his latest project.
What has inspired you to take the big plunge in the musical arena?
I remember this exact moment, about 3 years ago, I had been standing on the sidelines while my school-band was performing in a interschool fest and I was just looking at them. And then this one friend came to me and asked me why I wasn’t performing. But the only thing, she did not ask out of concern but only to mock me and make me feel bad for not being selected. And it wasn’t like I used to suck at singing or anything, but you know how high school politics is.
I went to the back where there weren’t a lot of people and sat under the shade of the tree looking at them performing. They all looked so happy and everybody was cheering for them. I really wanted that for me as well. I had started a Youtube Channel around that time and all I ever got was hate comments on why I should stop singing, my friends would make fun of me and what not.
But seeing those people up on the stage reminded me that at that very second there was no other place that I’d rather be and I having been chasing that goal ever since. Three years later, I now have 21,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and over 40,000 streams on my last single. I am honestly just glad that things happened the way that they did,that made me into this really driven person I am today.
Who has inspired you to take up music as a profession?
Call it destiny or fate, maybe this is exactly how it was supposed to line up. I still can’t technically saying I’m pursuing music as a profession. But if you ask me what inspired to me to take up music as a profession, I wouldn’t really have an answer. I don’t know about other people, but seeing other people not believe in me has always driven me to work even harder and prove them wrong.
Is there any idol whom you revere and has taken a leaf out of his book?
There are lot of artists that I look upto but Justin Bieber was the first artist that actually got me into singing or this whole music thing. I remember discovering him on Youtube after his song ‘Baby’ had gone viral. I went back to all his old videos, started digging more about him and his story really inspired me. The whole idea of putting yourself out there and showcasing your talent and being appreciated for it sounded all really cool to me. I started a Youtube Channel hoping that I would get discovered one day too, maybe signed by a record label and be appreciated by thousands of people.
And If I didn’t come across that video none of what’s happening right now would happen and it’s crazy how much your life changes once you really start believing in your dreams.
As a music producer do you want to collaborate with the foreign artist for future projects?
Definitely, As an artist, I am always looking for people to collaborate with and create art. I am already working with a few foreign artists, and it’s always great to mix culture and music together and create something that didn’t exist before.
Which is more valuable to you? Is it a material success or reaching the acme of creativity?
I would both are equally important to me. I don’t wanna be the most talented musician and the best singer in the world, that was never the goal. I am constantly working every day working on my craft, networking with more people, hoping that my song reaches a wider audience. I have already reached that stage where people are talking about my music and how some of my songs have really helped them out of a dark time. Now I just want more people to know about me. At the same time, I would also wanna be rich enough to support myself and my family, so material success is equally important to me.
I just wanna prove the world that you don’t have to be anybody to be somebody and everything that happens alongside it, Is just a side product.
What is the future of indie pop and alternative R^&B in India or are you looking for an eclectic reach?
Times are changing. The independent music scene in India is growing every single day and I feel like all music is appreciated these days as long as it can struck a chord in your heart. I am just starting out and I don’twanna be stuck in any genre. I wanna make music that makes people feel something from what I hear from my fans, I’m not doing a bad job at it.
My music isn’t for everyone but I seem to have found my people and that number seems to be growing every single day.
Is the music industry in India moving in the right direction or do you suggest any changes?
I think change is slow,but it is for sure moving in the right direction. An Industry isn’t one without the artists, and I personally feel that platforms like Spotify and Youtube are doing a great job encouraging young artists to come up.
The music industry in India was always blowing up, but in the recent years the number of Independent artists on the spotlight is increasing so definitely, it’s moving in the right direction.
How are you dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and what is your take on the situation?
Times have been tough lately and we are coping up with it differently. Personally, I’m having the time of my life, working on my music every single day, building my skills as an artist. I learnt to produce music during this lockdown, which has helped me tremendously.
I have reached a new level of success this year and all the years of hardwork are finally paying off and I wouldn’t change anything. I do hope that the situation gets better soon as I can’t wait to perform live.
Does the tumultuous socio-political situation in India in particular and the world in general finds a place in your songs?
I write songs about love,heartbreak and struggle and it all usually revolves around my own life. So not really. I might need to start writing song about it though. Let’s see, nothing at the moment really.
Given a chance, which musical icon do you want to meet?
I would love to meet quite a lot of artists, not gonna lie. But Jeremy Zucker would be on my number one list. I would not only want to meet him but work with him. His music has helped me through a rough patch of time and he really inspires me. Even as I write this, I know one day I will come back to this article and see how I could already see it happen. He is a creative genius and I would love to spend a day with him and learn a thing or two from him.
Is there anything about yourself that you want to change regarding your kind of music you deal with?
I’ve always been asked to do this, or be someone and frankly speaking I am tired of it. I am finally in peace with who I am, I love the person I am for the first time in my life and there is nothing I wanna change about myself. But for my music, I just wanna go with flow and see where it takes me. Like I said, I want people to feel something when they hear my music and from all their messages it seems to me like I am doing a really job at it.
