Working with Shreya Ghoshal Changed My Perspective on Singing

So, I got the opportunity to perform  with Shreya Ghoshal.

To be honest, it still hasn’t sunk in entirely. I learnt so much during the entire process  and had such a good time  with the entire group. I have always been a fan of the Indian Ensemble and then getting to perform as a part of it with Shreya Ghoshal, I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

On a personal level, this performance really helped me gain some confidence. I always used to be stressed when performing and would choke eventually, so it was a challenge for me in the beginning to make sure that I would do well in the rehearsals, so as to have a good mindset on the day of the performance. Another challenge was that I couldn’t connect with the song in the beginning, since it was in Tamil and I had never spoken the language before. At first, I was so nervous during the initial rehearsal with Shreya-ji, that I messed up the entire song completely, and I thought it would be the same throughout and I was going to sound terrible at the concert. But then the next day I came to learn that I would have a private lesson with her and  it went so well and made me feel so much better. 

She taught me some techniques that are going to be so helpful in the future. It was quite evident that I was only singing the notes and then Shreyaji told me that “It’s okay if you don’t know the language, just listen to the vocal expressions carefully and sing with more feeling”, which really helped. Now I understand how she has pulled off so many multilingual songs in her career with such ease. Another thing that I learnt from her, is that it’s so important to convey the song to the audience. I have been a vocal-run enthusiast all my life and I realized that singing is just not about that, it’s all about the feel at the end of the day.

All throughout, I couldn’t believe that I was singing with her, and she was so sweet and humble the entire time. She was always ready and excited to rehearse with the band, which was so fascinating to see. It was really inspiring to hear about her journey and her dedication towards her instrument.

I feel that I will have to work really hard to get the kind of voice I want. I still have issues when I’m  performing – it’s kind of like a fear of messing up the entire thing, which I feel can only be solved when you’re totally ‘in the moment’. So now I know what exactly I need to work on on my voice and I feel have an outlook of how I want to see myself as a performer in the future. This was a beautiful and a much-needed experience, I would say, one that will always stay close to my heart.

Shrivant