When Bengaluru boy, Abhijit Gupta decided to participate in a karaoke competition in the city, little did he know that it would catapult him onto the national stage. Before he was discovered, Gupta was running his family’s Bengaluru-based travel business, and though he found his job interesting, music was something that was always on his mind. So when he got a call from the organiser of the karaoke competition that he won, informing him about auditions for a new reality show, The Stage, he seized the opportunity and made his way to Mumbai.
“After the auditions, they called us one day and expected us to be in Mumbai almost immediately. Two days went by in a huff and soon I found myself in the city of dreams,” he shares.
Having performed twice so far in the show, Gupta feels that his exposure to a cross section of genres, thanks to the city’s rich musical scene will help him go far in the competition, which is a nationwide reality talent show that sees amateurs crooning to English music for the very first time on Indian television. Judged by the likes of Monica Dogra, Vishal Dadlani, Ehsaan Noorani and Devraj Sanyal, Gupta feels that their feedback will help him grow as an artiste. “I opened my journey with Drops Of Jupiter by Train and got some decent feedback. It’s a song that’s close to my heart and I have no regrets about my choice. And with such experienced people giving you constructive criticism, you are bound to get better,” says the young man.
While pop rock is his genre of choice, he reveals that he’s an ‘American top 40s kinda guy.’ But some of his favourite artistes include Adele, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. “Being with people from different parts of the country, you realise just how Bengalureans are exposed to completely different kind of music. People here in Mumbai would be talking about Mika and Himmesh Reshammiya and I’d have nothing significant to add to the conversation. Though I love my kind of artistes, exposing yourself to other kinds of music helps you infuse those flavours into your style,” he explains.
Growing up, he’d always wanted to be a musician but as with all budding artistes, was forced to enroll in college to get a degree to back him up. So after graduating from St Joseph’s Boys High School, he moved to England and completed a course in marketing. “At university, which was Lancaster, I was referred to as the brown guy who could sing,” he reminisces, adding, “Now with this show, I feel I’ve got a fresh start. And I’m going to use this platform to help me with my musical journey.”
