His name needs no introduction as it rightly spells out the aura of a true blue rockstar, the moment it is pronounced.
Another association of course is the canopy of Colonial Cousins with his close buddy and gifted classical modern vocalist, Hariharan.
Well Lesle Lewis, the other half of the duo is an extraordinary musician in himself. On the verge of finally floating his academy in the kingdom of music, the acclaimed composer believes that such a ‘rockstar’ academy was long overdue in the Indian music scenario as songs these days are not only sung but also performed on stage.
So can we then call it India’s first rockstar academy? “It is in fact going to be the only academy to train you on how to become a Bollywood rockstar and the general concept of the term per se,” he assures.
To be christened as Lesle Lewis Rockstars Academy, the institute will come up in Mumbai holding all its classes in the metrocity.
As of now, the curriculum’s date of commencement has been rescheduled to March 1 because an enormous strength of outstation students will need some more time to organise their routine and shift base to the Maximum City to chase their musical dreams.
While very few have clear notions about the identity of a bonafide Bollywood rockstar, Lewis fathoms that it is theoretically a new development on paper.
When asked what is the basic criterion for an aspirant to qualify for this institution, Lewis answers, setting the record straight that “this is not a typical music school as it doesn’t look forward to impart music education but invariably stresses on how to become a mainstream Bollywood or an independent music rockstar.
All a student requires is an uncompromising passion for music i.e. wanting to sing, perform, be the best professional entertainer in Bollywood and above all, fare well in the live performance segment.”
There are also specific guidelines set for the selection procedure of hopeful candidates seeking admission in the institute.
They have to fill in an application form and send in one video clip and an audio file of their singing/performance. One advantage is that the end product does not necessarily be a professional handiwork. Even a video shot featuring the aspirant singing on a regular camera at home will be considered fine.
Apart from singing Indian and Western techniques, dancing various forms and belting out stage performances, soft skills like personality improvement, personal fashion, hair styling and makeup will be meted out by professional experts in respective fields.
Depending on the students’ interest and natural propensity, they will be trained and polished to excel either as a Bollywood performer or an indie Indian rockstar.
Opening the doors of India’s first rockstar academy to countless youngsters, this may sound like a golden opportunity to many a million budding aspirants who queue up in a regular beeline to get that one lucky break in Bollywood.
