Cafe Conversations IX

(Cafe Conversations recently had the honor to host a celebrity guest- Sherrin Varghese. Sherrin was a member of The Band of Boys and one of the few artists who successfully strides both, a singing & an acting career. Sit back, sip, scroll and spend yourselves in the conversation with Sherrin about music, life, struggle and more.)

In Conversation with Sherrin Varghese

CC: You are a TV host, an actor, a model, a musician and a singer. Which of these roles do you cherish the most?
SV: The singer. I am at my truest best when I've made people sway, swing & dance just to the voice, then the songwriting which lends to the natural musician in me, post which the modeling ‘cos one needs to just look pretty, followed by the acting bug as it helps once in a while to be someone else, after which the most sought after TV hosting gig. Interestingly what I like doing the most is not how the world remembers me in order of sequence as perhaps your question would note!

CC: (As per the official website of the Band Of Boys last updated on 2007) A Band of Boys claims to be India’s first and foremost ‘Boy’ band. A milestone for the world of music. How do you receive that title/compliment?

 SV: We continue receiving, that compliment very well as there has been no other noteworthy act to claim that title in India. One of the foremost reasons I believe for the same is the lack of a willing producer both musically and financially to put together a boy band. We went through 2 years of training and gave up all allied careers to do this 100 % and a couple of us also died in some soap operas. In our heydays we were called the Backstreet boys of India, the Boyzone of India, blah!!

CC: From your first album ‘Ye bhi wo bhi’ (2002) to the last ‘Gaane bhi do yaaron’ (2006). How has the journey to fame been?

SV: We released 5 albums in a span of 8 years and have been gigging & travelling on the merit of that for 13 years now. So if you ask me has it done well for us, absolutely yes! The journey though, has been a mixed bag with all kinds of ups and downs, sound & soul seeking engraved differently for each one of us. Over the years the chalk and cheese variations in our voices and musical tastes have left audiences gasping at our live shows as well as us fighting for what should be the next course of action to keep the band alive. Fame did not come to us overnight so we have learnt how to handle it when it’s there and also when it’s not.

CC: What are your views on the kind of music that the industry creates today?

SV: Barring any film music, which is designed to only titillate or provoke an audience to go and watch it, I personally appreciate all kinds of music (Independent & Bollywood) that the Indian music industry has produced so far. There are a lot of bedroom producers doing really well in terms of songwriting, production & pursuing the artiste life as well as servicing ad films. Unfortunately most of them have to suck it up with lesser opportunities to either play live or to go the Bollywood way where you are not really writing what you want but producing a 30 second jingles for promoting a film and that’s for the majority audience of the country. So personally it’s terrible and also commendable that we have a Vishal Dadlani who is on top of both the piles pioneering independent music & making sellout music for Bollywood, whereas we also have so many independent musicians struggling to be heard just on social platforms. Thankfully the ongoing spate of festivals sprouting around the country has given a lot of hope to upcoming musicians.

CC: Sherrin, What according to you are the first and the foremost challenges that a musician faces in order to gain recognition?

SV: Television airplay Television airplay Television airplay Television airplay Television airplay Television airplay..

 Hey I wrote a song about this as well….” Joh DIkhtai who Bikhtai”

 https://soundcloud.com/sherrin/joh-dikhtai-woh

CC: What role did Friendship play to keep the band united and the spirit alive?

 SV: We were not friends to begin with. We were what we could call a typically produced act where aspirants were handpicked from a lot, who were prolific at singing, acting and dancing. We knew of each other from the industry and a couple of us were acquaintances. In many ways we were put in an arranged marriage where we learnt about each other during the training period. Those days were the darkest in all our lives, as well earning boys from the industry were asked to give up all other careers and keep at it for 2 years. We really struggled to make both ends meet but once we came out that bond helped us know each other’s strength and weaknesses which in turn helped us last for such a long time as we really stuck through thick and thin fighting and complimenting each other for 10 years.

CC: If ‘Band of Boys’ agree upon making a comeback who do you consider to be a threat or the biggest competition for you guys?

SV: Everyone, because in today’s date and time if ABOB has to make a comeback it has to be 10 times harder, faster, stronger, better than our first release. There has to be an album with 4 back to back videos which beats the shit out of every pop act there is in terms of songs, renditions, production, arrangements, stagecraft, look feel & tone. A lot has changed in the past decade and we cannot be releasing bubble pop or mushy love tracks anymore. It has to sound phenomenal as there is a direct audience waiting for a comeback desperately and we owe it to them to do better. Part of the reason we are not releasing anything new is cos it’s tough to beat that legacy.

CC:  What sacrifices you or any artist for that matter has to make on their way to success?

SV: The biggest sacrifice I believe is time, as there is no one out there who has enjoyed overnight success and stayed. Even the latest Honey Singh wave, which is degrading the country’s taste in music, has gone through a lot of struggle in his time and is raking it in now. Thankfully this too shall pass, as one twitter comment I observed & I quote “Good boy this Yo yo Honey Singh.. He says his name before every song.. Time to change the channel!!”

CC: Any tip that you want to hand over to the young artists?

SV: Keep it real. If you are good enough and you do something that you are good enough for a long time, the universe will find a way to make you a living out of it. 


#Cafeconversations

********** 

(Follow us for updates on - https://www.facebook.com/cafehangouts and visit http://cafeconversations.in/)