Amarjit Singh Batra

PLAYLIST CREATOR The Spotify India MD on building the company from scratch in the region,thinking like a mentor and teaching himself tennis

- Lata Jha

Amarjit Singh Batra refers to himself as a “big-time bathroom singer”.

The general manager for South Asia, Middle East and Africa and managing director at the music streaming service Spotify India never trained as a singer as a child but had a naturally gifted voice, which meant he was always asked to sing at weddings and family gatherings. “Now I'm in the (music) industry and dealing with professional singers so I just keep quiet,” chuckles the 58-year-old. “I don’t consider myself a good singer, just somebody who can sing a little bit. But I grew up with a lot of passion for music and used to be a huge fan of Mohammed Rafi.”

The chic Spotify office in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) area, where the bright lighting changes colour as you walk through the corridor, stands in contrast to Batra’s calm and understated demeanour. He smiles often, laughs easily and checks frequently if he should continue speaking.