About Me
Joshua Singh
Career
Joshua Singh, the Mumbai-based singer-songwriter,
multi-instrumentalist, and music producer released his new five-track
debut EP ‘Understudy’ on September 13th,
2019.
Understudy: Electronica juxtaposed with acoustic elements.
Singh began composing and producing music at the age of 12. As a
musician and producer, he has worked with Hard Kaur, Dopedelicz and Taba Chake.
Most notably, since the age of 18, he performed as the drummer,
backup vocalist, and co-producer for acclaimed independent band Spud In The Box,
touring across India extensively to perform at festivals including NH7
Weekender, Ragasthan, Red Bull Tour Bus, and the Kala Ghoda festival. For anyone into Spud In The Box, it’s safe to say beforehand
that Understudy is far removed from the producer’s rock influences, with
Singh preferring to shapeshift to fit the mood he’s going for.
Joshua began working on his record 18 months ago.
For Singh, the entire EP is based around introspection. On why he
decided to title it Understudy, the musician says, “Because an understudy in the theater is the person who is
always there to replace the main actor. That person, because of that, he’ll be
aware of every nuance to understand that character, the actual actor.” He adds,
“It’s like a second person looking at you from behind. It’s just a very
conscious effort to learn from yourself.”
The EP was self-produced by Singh and mixed by engineers Saibu
Simon, Rohan Ramanna, Ayan De, and Kunal Mehta. It was mastered by U.K.-based
Dick Beetham at 360 Mastering. The album features Rachel Singh, Kokum, Sid
Vashi, Ajay Jayanti, Rajeev Prasanna, and Shirish Malhotra.
Next, the multi-instrumentalist has a music video in the pipeline
and is also working on a live audiovisual set. He says, “I am looking at how to
package it nicely and put out as much music as I can.”
The songs are also accompanied by a set of five original ink work
expressions by Aditya Singh.
Career
-2013
-2014
-2015
-2016-17
-2018-19
Musical Style Early Life
Family
References
External
Links
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Career
Spud is a six-piece band Alt-rock indie that was formed in 2011.
The other band members include vocalist/acoustic guitarist Ankit Dayal, vocalist/pianist Rohan Rajadhyaksha, bassist Zubin Bhathena, and guitaristsSiddharth Talwar and Hartej Sawhney.
Having honed their sound by playing gigs across the country at
club venues as well as major music festivals like NH7 Weekender, Ragasthan and
The M.A.D Festival the band has gained a massive following across the country.
After spending late 2014 recording at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai and most of
2015 working on their debut album titled, ‘Lead Feet Paper Shoes’, they finally
released their album in 2016.
The album was produced by national award winner KJ Singh, recorded
at Yash Raj Films Studios, under the legendary engineer Shantanu Hudlikar, and
mastered by Donal Whelan at Hafod Mastering UK. It has 12 songs; which you can
listen to here.
Having received considerable attention from the press as well as
listeners even before their first EP, 'Attention Please!' (2013) was released, the
band went swiftly from being a college sensation to the next big thing on the
Indian independent music circuit. Known for their energetic live sets, Spud In
The Box has played to every kind of festival you can think of, including but
not limited to:
2013
· A summer’s
day, opened for Norah Jones
2014
· Bacardi NH7
weekender
· Pepsi MTV
Indies launch
· The Kala Ghoda festival
· Live from
the console – NO CAR DAY
2015
· IIT Delhi
· NH7
Weekender Pune, Delhi, and Kolkata,
· Moto
Spotlight Event Ahmedabad, Holland Meets Mumbai, Indigo Live
· Bangalore,
Launch of Red Bull and OML’s Standing By documentary
2016-17
· Bacardi NH7
weekender
· Cept
University Ahmedabad
2018-19
Meanwhile, the change for Joshua Singh has mostly gone into
running his own studio, ‘JoshuaMusic’.
The year 2019 marks a significant movement in the artist as he
releases his debut EP ‘Understudy’. Joshua Singh has reached a point in his
musical maturity where his artistic output is an extension of his very
personality. Consequently, the defining feature of his debut EP
‘Understudy’ is a sophisticated mix of two dichotomist features: his humbleness
and his seasoned approach to production.
Singh arranges scattered guitar plucking, brooding vocals (by
Rachel Singh, k o k u m and Singh himself), short violin motifs by Ajay
Jayanthi, Sid Vashi’s baritone saxophone, Rajeev Prasanna’s flute lines, and
most importantly, silence, with the sole purpose of serving the music. Treating
the song as the only thing that matters, Singh never takes attention away from
the emotions the tracks intend to impart.
The songs are also accompanied by a set of five ink work
expressions by Aditya Singh. The EP was self-produced by Joshua Singh and mixed
by engineers Saibu Simon, Rohan Ramanna, Ayan De and Kunal Mehta. It was
mastered by U.K.-based Dick Beetham at 360 Mastering. Listen to it here.
Musical style
Joshua Singh’s music has been characterized as idiosyncratic in
style. In the early stages of his career with Spud In the Box, his music style
is heavy, hard and rocking. Over the years it has mellowed down and become
unique as he finds his own voice. His music now is more electronic and is
backed by a subdued rhythm section in the production. His compositions are
often mid-tempo, feature unconventional melodies, and they occasionally have an
experimental song structure. He has been characterized as an “avant-garde”
artist and musician.
The EP Understudy is a grower seeped in expression. Making you
curious through the atmospheric vocoder acapella of the opening track ‘Few Of
Us Around’, the EP lulls you into the somberness of his mind by the time you
reach the husky and intimate singing in ‘Normal Is For Fools’. The 5-track,
22-minute ‘electronic soul’ EP looks at life, and emotion, from a third
perspective.
Early Life
He did his schooling at Jamnabai Narsee School and Singapore
International School, after which he graduated from The University of Mumbai in
2015. In 2012 he also took a guitar course from Chennai’s Swarnabhoomi Academy
of Music. Also, he learned the drums from Mr. Gopal and singing from Ms.
Sharmilli.
Family
Mr. S. Chet Singh (Joshua Singh’s great grandfather) migrated from Amritsar to
Mumbai in 1919, a hundred years ago to set up a business in musical
instruments. Chet Singh’s grandfather belonged to the historic village of
Gohlward Sahib, Amritsar. Shortly after arriving in Mumbai Chet Singh and his
brother S.Gurbux Singh established ‘Chet Singh Gurbux Singh & Brothers’,
which was a firm at Ballard Estate Bombay that manufactured harmoniums under
the brand name ‘Sardar Flute’. It was their foresight, inherent passion and
love for music that this new business flourished with time and became the
backbone of the Bollywood film industry, which was also in its early years of
development. In silent movies, the harmonium was used to give background music.
In 1938, Sardar Flute was manufacturing 700 different kinds of
harmoniums and their prices ranged from Rs. 16/ to Rs. 1200/-. Gold and ivory
were used for expensive ones. The first show room of ‘Sardar Flute’ opened near
Gurdwara Sahib at Dadar, which was inaugurated by Shri Prithvi Raj Kapoor (the
actor) in 1957. It was managed by the late Mr. S. Mubarak Singh who was the
second son of S. Chet Singh. In due course, he opened another showroom called
Guru Nanak musicals at Santa Cruz. Both the shops are now being managed by his
son Inderjit Singh.
After S. Chet Singh’s demise, the responsibility of the business
and family fell on the shoulders of his eldest son, late Mr. S. Daljit Singh
who was only 13 at the time. Currently, the business is being managed by Iqbal
Singh who is the son of S. Daljit Singh. The brand name now is just ‘Singhs
musicals' and has two more showrooms in Mumbai.
Charanjit Singh (1940 – 5 July 2015, son of the late Mr. S. Chet Singh) was
an Indian musician from Mumbai, who performed as a session musician, often as a
guitarist or synthesizer player in numerous Bollywood soundtrack orchestras
from the 1960s to 1980s, working with filmy composers such as
Shankar-Jaikishan, R.D. Burman (Rahul Dev Burman), S.D. Burman, and
Laxmikant-Pyarelal. He also led a wedding band and recorded and released a
number of albums covering popular film songs. These were a form of instrumental
elevator music, some of which have since been re-released by Sublime
Frequencies, such as his steel guitar renditions of "Manje Re" from
Bandhe Haath in 1973 and "Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne" from Yaadon Ki
Baaraat in 1975. In 1981, he produced synthesizer-based electronic renditions
of the Silsila soundtrack in his record Charanjit Singh: Plays Hit Tunes on
Synthesizer of Silsila.
Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat, an album of original
electronic disco compositions he recorded in 1982, was a commercial failure at
the time of its original release, but its re-discovery in 2002 and re-issue in
early 2010 garnered attention due to its pioneering of a new style of dance
music later known as the acid house genre of the late 1980s. Since then,
certain commentators in the music press has recast him as an originator of acid
house music. He also used the same drum machine and synthesizers for his
experimental electronic calypso record, Experiments in Calypso.
Charanjit Singh died of cardiac arrest in his sleep during
the midnight of 4 July 2015 at his home in Bandra, Mumbai.
Rajinder Singh Panesar aka Raju Singh (grandson of the late Mr. S. Chet Singh) is
an Indian Film and TV background score composer, music director, session
musician, singer, and guitarist. Some of his early compositions include serials like Dekh Bhai Dekh, Filmi Chakkar, Aahat, Boogie Woogie and C.I.D.
Raju Singh has been an integral part of the music industry from the very young age of 16 when he started playing the Bass guitar for veteran music
director R.D. Burman. Singh did his first album an Instrumental Tracks Power Of
Music with his friend Aadesh Shrivastav in the year 1987 under the label of
Venus.
Raju Singh has music in his blood inherent from his grandfather
late S. Chet Singh and father S. Charanjit Singh who was himself a musical
genius. Also, Raju's unfailing and dedicated hard work with them over the years
has also been an important factor in bringing out his inherent music talent.
Sherley Singh (mother of Joshua Singh) is the Founder/Director of Joshua
Inc., India’s leading Music Meta Data Management and Royalty Administration
Company. Joshua Inc. is a music data hub, founded by Sherley and Raju Singh
which bridges the gap between the music industry’s metadata and money flow.
Having a client base that ranges over generations and genres, Joshua Inc.
facilitates the music creators to consolidate their music metadata and make it
accessible for the business side, hence ensuring transparency and correct
credits and payments for everyone.
She is also the Owner and Director of Hotel Samraj in Andheri
East, and founder/CEO at Kangabeats Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. which is a dynamic
and ambitious ‘Children’s Edutainment’ initiative. The NGO Raichel Joseph
Foundation is also under her leadership.
Rachel Singh (Joshua's sister) is a singer-songwriter who is currently pursuing
her undergrad from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. She did her
schooling from Jamnabai Narsee International School, Billabong High
International School, and Singapore International School.
References
External
links
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