By Sridhar Vankayla
1. I must admit to your music is really good and definitely quite unique. What kicked this all off? How did Shobha the singer come about?
I can actually remember the moment in high school when I literally decided to be a singer. It wasn't because people told me I should, or even because I was that good at it, but simply because I wanted to and was up for the challenge. I am a strong believer, and somewhat of a testament, that you can be anything if you try. So, without any formal training and by listening to a lot of women with incredible voices (like Mary J. Blige, Lauryn Hill, and Whitney Houston), I began to sing. Eventually, I found my own vocal style and started to develop artistically and creatively as a songwriter. I grew up being involved in church, which typically is an environment very conducive to aspiring musicians. It was a safe place for me to make my public debut as a singer, and eventually a singer/songwriter. Very quickly, my music became a necessary means of communication and expression. It went beyond the boundaries of church as I realized not only was the world receptive to subtle spiritual themes present in many of my songs but also I, in turn was receptive to adopting simpler, more relatable themes encompassing everyday life and love.

2. You have quite an interesting background, with Indian roots and a Canadian upbringing. Does this rich background influence your music? If so how?
Music is such an integral part of Indian culture. Coming from an Indian background, it is almost impossible not to be influenced by its music. I was submersed in it. From Bollywood movies to my family’s subscription to The Asian Television Network (ATN), Indian music was the last thing I heard at night and the first in the morning. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, growing up listening to playback greats such as Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar certainly raised the bar for discipline, technical mastery, and improvisation. Exposure to this whole other way of music broadened the scope in which I could authentically be creative. That said, you might not hear the cultural influence in my music aside from hints of tabala and a fusion of flavor you can’t quite put your finger on. I also grew up on the East Coast of Canada, which is predominated by folk and singer/songwriter types. I picked up the guitar (like everyone else and their dog on the East Coast) and thanks to the combination of my ethnic background and musical surroundings, an interesting style came naturally.

3. When did you decide that you wanted to pursue a full time career as a singer? Was this a hard decision to make?
At 16, I believed it was decreed that I would be a singer! I look back and admire the blind faith I once had. However, it wasn’t until years later that I actually whole-heartedly pursued music as a career. It is always a difficult decision investing time and money into something, especially when that something is you. In true Indian fashion, I was urged to finish school first. I graduated Dalhousie University as a Radiological Technologist in 2006 and began work on my debut CD “Work in Progress” in LA just 2 months later! They say if you have something to fall back on you will. I don’t see it that way. My decision to pursue singing full-time was made much easier knowing I had a means to support myself (and fund this very, very expensive craft).

4. What are the biggest difficulties you face as an aspiring artist?
As an aspiring artist, there is much hardship to endure depending on what kind of career you are looking for. Assuming an illustrious pop career is desired, it seems to me you have to be ready to go where the action is. For example, I moved from my hometown, Halifax (Nova Scotia) to Toronto (Ontario) because the latter offered more lucrative opportunities for my style of music. This made it possible for me to work with my production team jACK (www.arriveateleven.com), who are based out of Toronto/LA. Due to the move and some time spent in LA, I missed spending Christmas with my family. While others were spending their tax returns on clothes and all-inclusive trips, I was spending mine on a 16-pc orchestra (www.philsphilharmonic.com) for the album. The point is, if it weren’t for sacrifices, I would not have come even this far. Nothing worthwhile comes without sacrifice.

5. Being an up and coming Asian artist yourself, what are your views on the opportunities the music industry currently offers for aspiring Asian musicians like yourself?
The music industry is always hungry for something new, something different. Something with an edge. Being a part of the wonderful mosaic of cultures you can find in cities such as Toronto or New York can definitely be a source of edge for musicians. As an artist of South Asian descent, I think people often assume I will have a sound or style characteristic to India. In a way, this works to my advantage because I'm not doing what's expected or traditional thought of, and unconventional things always conjure up attention. What's even better is that, in a sense, I have two completely different audiences to reach. There are those who simply love Urban/Pop/Soul music and then there is the massive South Asian demographic who loves to see their own succeeding in western genres of music. If you do your research you will find numerous, magazines, e-zines and online communities that cover fashion, arts, and entertainment, and are geared toward South Asian people. These are an excellent means to reach the ever growing population of desis in Canada, the US, and the UK. I have only started to explore this grassroots approach of marketing myself and have seen nothing but good come of it in the form of support and industry interest. Many artists have built a substantial fanbase in this way and it seems the industry is looking for artists who have a potential following as such. For this reason, I think the industry is getting less conservative in embracing the sort of 'hybrids' that are emerging from culturally diverse backgrounds. This is good news for artists like me in terms of being able to both maintain artistic integrity and gain industry recognition.

6. Being an aspiring artist can be quite an emotional roller coaster. How do you handle the ups and downs in your career?
I just have to keep reminding myself that the downs happen to everyone. I have some musician friends with very successful careers and every one of them has had their share of rejection and opposition. Ultimately I try to learn from the lulls and press on.

7. What has been the happiest moment of your musical career so far?
I've been working at my career for a long time, yet still I feel like it's just beginning. A lot has happened and there really hasn't been a moment I would single out as the happiest. Probably the happiest feeling for me is knowing that I have a team of people who believe in me, from band members to collaborators to producers - it's just nice having a stamp of approval from reputable people. For example, I was honored to have Eon Sinclair from the band Bedouin Soundclash play bass on my album. I've collaborated with players of the highest caliber including those who have backed Esthero, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Divine Brown, K-os and Jully Black. I was thrilled to have arranger/orchestrator Phil Manos compose two pieces for my album which were played beautifully by a 16 piece orchestra in LA. I've received provincial grants, a few music awards, and won a singer/songwriter competition in August. All these things are just reminders that I'm on the right track, that people are behind me, and it's an amazing feeling.

8. What is it that you want our readers to know about you?
My debut cd "Work in Progress" is done! It's been a long time coming and you can check out www.myspace.com/shobhamusic to find out how to get it!

9. Where would you like to see your career go?
I want to be able to just do music for a living. Solely music. That's more important to me than the fame and money - although those two things would probably have to fall into place to some degree in order to be able to sustain myself. Regardless, I will always be writing songs, for rich or for poor.

10. Do you have any other upcoming albums in the pipeline?
I definitely will do another album, but nothing is in the works yet.

11. What advice would you give other aspiring artists like yourself?
This is going to be like a long list of commandments but these are some random things I find helpful:
- Don't compare yourself to others - you'll be never happy.
- Find the inner private investigator in you! Let me explain: There are a lot of ways to meet the 'right' people (those people who could help further your career). Don't wait for them to come to you. Find out the best* way to get to them and make it happen. (*the best way is not spamming people with unsolicited material - this is actually very counteractive). Meet, befriend and support other artists; network; stay connected; swallow your pride and schmooze if you have to. It works and people take notice of persistence.
-Be prepared for a long haul. Everything takes longer than you think.
- Learn to DIY (Do It Yourself)
-Capitalize on all that the digital world has to offer. Facebook, myspace, youtube, sonicbids etc.
- Start saving money!
- Be skeptical of everyone who wants to help you. (Sounds cynical but think about it - this is your career!)

12. What drives you to do what you do?
I'm determined to do what I love to do: write songs, sing, play, entertain, travel and meet people who do the same. I took a year off from music a few years ago and was absolutely miserable. There is something to be said about a person who will bend over backwards, sacrifice sleep, risk their steady day job, be away from their family and expose their soul all in the name of music. The desire to create and share music is innate for some people. Some of us are just made to do it.