Attend a gig featuring a feisty vocalist who can spin a jazz version of a pop track
A 21-year-old leaving home to live alone for the first time might feel like an eaglet being thrown off a cliff and taught to fly. There can be a definite sense of trepidation, which is only amplified in a cut-throat metropolis like Mumbai. Sharvi Yadav, too, felt it last year when she left her sheltered existence in Delhi behind to forge a career in music. It even led to her suffering from anxiety attacks, the young singer reveals.
Sharvi Yadav performing on stage
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"It used to happen twice or thrice a day initially, it was really bad," she says, adding, "But then my mother came down for about three months, and a friend who is a doctor told me to analyse what was wrong. So, I started keeping a journal and I figured that I was used to being around people all the time and now, suddenly, I was all by myself. Understanding that helped me, and I don't get the attacks any longer."
What must have also helped is that Yadav has gradually found her feet in the music industry here. She made the shift to Mumbai after winning The Stage, a reality show for western music singers. Since then, she has been getting steady work with ad jingles and Bollywood sessions. She also performs as a solo artiste, which is how she will take the stage at an Andheri venue this evening.
But, Yadav also points to a glass ceiling when she confesses, "I wouldn't say that the industry here looks down on women. But I do feel that they think we are inferior. I don't want to give up on my dreams, though. And I can't let something like this bring me down. In fact -- being a 22-year-old girl from a different city -- if I can bring even a little bit of change in this situation, it would mean a lot to me as a person."
With that in mind, the singer has been going about her craft with an open mind, trying out different styles before finding a concrete identity. "I do a little bit of everything. So, if someone loves a pop song, they might come for my concert and end up listening to a jazz version of it. And I feel that this is pretty overwhelming because, after all, what are genres, what is language? It's music that's always the ultimate winner."
When it comes to finding her own voice, Yadav is still working on original compositions. It's the gigging season right now, which means that she doesn't have the time to flesh out the music playing in her head. But she does intend to give shape to these songs by mid-2018, with a possible EP to follow after that. And given the zest with which she is approaching the risky business of music -- having overcome her anxiety and deleting the word "quit" from her dictionary -- we will definitely keep our ears open for it.
Time 8.30 pm onwards
At Hard Rock Café, off Veera Desai Road, Andheri West.
Call 26743901 entry Rs 750 (full cover)
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