Do you remember humming to the delightful song “Tu Hi Mera Pyaar Gori” that would be stuck in our heads in the 2000s? Or grooving to the oh-so-catchy “Meri Neend Ud Gayi Hai“? Well, the music band ‘A Band of Boys‘ surely gave us songs that we can sing for a lifetime.
When India is celebrating Teacher’s Day, we had an exclusive interview with ‘A Band of Boys’ members, Karan Oberoi, Chin2 Bhosle, Sherrin Varghese and Danny Fernandes who create remarkable music and inspire the country.
When asked about where did they learn music from, Karan said, “My early years were spent in music, learning from my dad who could play of plethora of instruments including the violin and the flute. There was very keen interest from both my parents for us to have a musical education. So that continued in school too, as I picked music as a vocation and joined the school bands. Wherever dad was posted as an army officer, we would continue my musical education.” Sherrin said that he is a completely self-taught musician. He wishes that he had learnt music but he thanks the universe for the gift of music anyway. Danny also confirmed being a self-taught rapper. Meanwhile, Chin2 described his journey of learning music saying, “(I) sang in the school choir, learnt the guitar in college (classical and acoustic) and am a Grade 5 certified guitarist from the Trinity College, London. But largely (I learned) from experimentation, watching and listening to songs. Leslie (Lewis) has been a huge influence too – as a mentor and especially while recording the band’s first album.”
Next, we wanted to know who is ‘the teacher’ in the group; who teaches whom. The musicians confirmed that they all teach each other and learn from each other. Responding to the question, Danny said, “Karan, Chin2 and Sherrin are my teachers when it comes to music. I am their teacher when it comes to dance and choreography.”
We then asked them about the source of their inspiration that guides them to create such melodious music. Karan replied, “There’s music all around us and we are born with it, within us. Some of us who are fortunate enough to get the encouragement from home are able to express and create. So the right environment in the house really helps.” Band member Chin2 said that he even gets inspired by a friend’s divorce. He elaborated, “(I get inspired) From things around me – a friend’s divorce, a child’s laughter, my family, travel; there’s music all around which you can hear if you really listen.” Sherrin says that society is his inspiration whereas Danny replied that he derives inspiration from circumstances in life and people.
Everyone wants to work with this band, but who do they wanna work with? So we asked them about that one musician that they all admire and want to work with. Chin2 said that his heroes are all around him- Louis Banks, Asha Bhosle and Leslie Lewis. He further added that he feels happy and fortunate to have worked with them all. Sherrin expressed his desire to work with the powerhouse of talent, Shankar Mahadevan. Karan spoke about his wishes and said, “One of my fondest wishes which I couldn’t fulfill was to work the Gazal maestro Jagjit Singh. But there are many others on the list, like AR Rahman, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, etc. (I) Feel blessed to have worked with Leslie Lewis, and Asha Bhosle which was also one of the dreams I had as a child.” Summing up the answers of all band members, Danny said, “Since we all are different as individuals our musical influences are different too. But one person that we all can agree on is the queen – Asha Bhosle Ji!”
Lastly, we asked what has 2020 taught them as a band. Karan believes that adverse circumstances sometimes can come as blessings. Talking about the band’s productivity, he said, “We have done a lot more as a band in 2020, than the previous years. The efforts and push to create and do more has been attributed to the pandemic. So every dark cloud has a silver lining.” Chin2 says that the pandemic taught him resilience and made him believe that when one door shuts, five others open up, but one needs the ability to see it. According to Danny, 2020 taught the band to be more productive with limited resources and Sherrin gave us a classic quote, “One man’s pandemic is another man’s paradise!”
