Test shots are underway, the set is silent and the musicians are almost statue-still when the large studio door finally creaks open and A.R. Rahman walks in. Dressed in a red-and-black plaid blazer, tie-dye trousers and dark glasses, his entire look screams ‘superstar.’ In the next second, the tower of artists breaks into an assortment of emotions there’s gasping, whispering, loud cheering and eventually, thunderous applause as the Grammy and Oscar-winning composer says hello and joins the group. He casually hops over to his designated spot (a space no bigger than one square foot) and asks everyone how they’re doing. The otherwise boisterous group is at first a little awkward, shy even—they’re all still reeling from the well-known ‘Rahman effect’—but soon enough, a selfie epidemic begins and loud bantering takes over.
The 44 artists gathered around Rahman are part of 24 diverse acts (a mix of solo artists, duos and bands) hand-picked by the composer as part of the nationwide talent hunt, NEXA Music. Presented by the partnership between the digital media firm Qyuki and NEXA, it was conceptualized as a unique initiative for independent artists and aims to spotlight creators of English language original music across the country.
This story is from the December 2019 edition of RollingStone India.
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This story is from the December 2019 edition of RollingStone India.
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