Indie singer-songwriter Ashu Shukla embarks on his debut India tour today

Ashu Shukla is one of those self-taught musicians who is, sooner than later, expected to make quite the name for himself in the indie music scene. Based out of Pune, he is known for his simplistic tunes and has managed to feature in the Top Five Fresh Finds India list on Spotify’s Wrapped 2021. His song Phir Se Shuru was featured in Amazon Mini TV’s film Conditions Apply. Now, Ashu is all set to embark on his maiden India tour, starting with Bengaluru, today and we uncover everything that he has in store.

You will be performing in Bengaluru today. What have you planned for the audience here?

This will be my first-ever show in Bengaluru. The audience can look forward to my indie songs, which I wrote on my own. A lot of people had been asking me when I would be performing in Bengaluru and now, it’s finally happening. I am really excited as the tour begins in Bengaluru today and a bit nervous as well.

Which are the cities you will be performing in and how were they selected?

I will be starting with Bengaluru, followed by Delhi, Guwahati, Mumbai and Pune. We looked up my listeners data and the demographics and these were the cities that had the highest listenership.

Since this is your first India tour, what were the challenges you faced while working on it?

A lot of people listen to my music. But getting a person to buy tickets and come to the show, that’s a task. People don’t usually buy tickets until the artiste has a cult following. I see a lot of stories by various musicians, on how their shows are sold out and their venues are full. So, I am a bit nervous. I hope to see my core listeners at the show. It’s not about the numbers. It’s about the experience I will be giving them.

How did you arrive at the title of the tour?

My tour has been titled as Nayaab India Tour. Nayaab is the single that I recently released. It is a very special song. Nayaab means something very precious and this song and the shows that I will be performing, are very special to me. This being my first India tour, I couldn’t have arrived at a better title.

Your first song, Phir Se Shuru, had quite an interesting story. Can you tell us about that?

This was back in 2020. I was in Delhi and I had written two lines on a topic. I felt it was quite interesting, so I worked on it. But since it was lockdown, there weren’t any studios to go and record the song. Therefore, I had to record it at home. This was in July, so we are talking about peak summers in Delhi. I checked on YouTube on how to record a song. I got to know that I had to use a blanket to avoid voice reflections. I asked my friends to head to the other room. I started recording and I was sweating like hell. I recorded the song however I could in that one take and now the song has more than 1 crore streams on Spotify. The song, which I recorded under a blanket, at 42 degrees in Delhi, shirtless, has been my most interesting work.

What do you think about the future of the indie music in India?

When I started out, there were only a handful of musicians releasing independent music. But now, the competition has increased. Right now, making a song is one thing but reaching out to the audience is the other. How you market your song is very important. You come across a lot of musicians now who are doing quite well. You get inspiration from them. The future looks quite promising to me.

Your dream collaboration?

Definitely Prateek Kuhad. He is the one who started the indie scene in India. One of those independent singer-songwriters I always look up to and he is an artiste who made me realise that I could write something.

What are your upcoming works?

I am currently working on a love song that I am planning to release in February. I am halfway done with the song and I hope the audience will love it.

INR 499. November 15, 8 pm. At Bira 91 Taproom, Koramangala.

Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com

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