MUMBAI: India's multi-genre talent agency specialising in artist management, curation, IP's, talent bookings and tour management, On Stage Talents is a brand new evolution in the industry. Founded in October 2016 by Mourjo Chatterjee along with Gaurav Chawla and the youngest artist manager of the country Aayushman Sinha, On Stage Talents is exclusively managing DJ Chetas, Lost Stories, Shirley Setia, DJ Aqeel, and Neha Kakkar.

Radioandmusic spoke to Mourjo Chatterjee who shared his early life, how he began his career in this field, some industry insights, and more. While talking about the idea behind the name ‘On Stage Talents’, Mourjo stated, “I believe everyone’s life is on stage in the showbiz, hence the name On Stage Talents.”

People who are not aware, born and brought up in Calcutta (now Kolkata) Mourjo has a connection with the famous Tagore family of Kolkata. He started his career at Pizza Hut, Camac Street, Kolkata, where he served people as a waiter. Coming from an IT background he has tried his hands in different fields. After moving to Wipro BPO and working there for few months, he shifted to Genpact for two years. That was not all, post that he was an employee of Accenture for one year.

“I was bored to tears while working as an Assistant Manager with Accenture. One night I was drunk, I called my boss, told him that I am resigning, and left the company. That was the turning point, I believe. After shifting to Mumbai in 2010, I have joined Prime Focus as a VFX Line Producer. I was changing jobs as I was not content and looking for a long-term contribution. I have spent more than 800 hours at work during IPL 5. I used to handle the programming for IPL on Sony SIX. This happened because I wasn’t aware of the industry. I have learned everything on the job and I was a fast learner,” stated Mourjo.

My career’s biggest defining moment was joining Tarsame Mittal Talent Management in 2012 during March. That time they had only three artists Zubeen Garg, Monali Thakur and Amit Paul. I used to manage accounts for them and my job was to understand the artist’s credentials, potential and to endorse them. It also involved a lot of travelling and later on, it was a necessity. I was never confident, Tarsame Mittal backed me up.”

Team On Stage Talents

My last project was Bollywood Music Project’s first edition which happened on 1-2 October 2016. I left TM Management after that as I had already created a brand for the remaining artists by that time. Forming On Stage Talents was challenging, however, I got enormous support from friends, family and most importantly Tarsame with an advantage. After that Aayushman Sinha came on board who is handling the marketing and digital sides, followed by Gaurav Chawla who is managing the international associate’s ventures. I am conducting the artists’ live shows, supervising the travel plans and all that music comes with it. Jumping into entrepreneurship, right after I left TM Management, was a big thing. I am stable now and can focus on more vital things.”

Radioandmusic.com asked him what types of music he prefers to listen. Responding to that, Mourjo shared he likes to listen to Hip-Hop, House, Reggae, and Gazal too. “Music doesn’t come in any specific genre. I listen to everything nowadays. Different genres make me realise that the industry is ever evolving and it also helps me to gaze the artist and obviously knowledge of music,” added he.

Did you know that Mourjo has worked with Arijit very closely and was a part of Arijit’s live shows and concerts for the last few years before venturing into his own? Down the memory lane, Mourjo shared, “Arijit is a man with a plan and he only takes what he deserves. Also, he is very selective. He still eats mutton and rice on a Sunday afternoon (Mutton and Rice is typical Sunday food for most of the Bengalis). The US tour in 2015 with Arijit was life changing as I have learnt most about the international market during that time."

Also, his latest visit to the MusExpo in LA has broadened his vision and is looking for international collaborations with Indian artists. "I want to bridge the gap between Indian artists and international artists, as India is on the road to #WorldDomination. More than me, it should be more on the path I've chosen as an entrepreneur and my vision of putting Indian music on the World map," added Mourjo. 

“Everyone thinks that money is flying in this business, which is not true. Beyond everything, the artist should trust the manager and there should be certain connect. If your artist or your client demands something, no matter what, you have to deliver that. An artist manager knows his/her artist/s more than themselves,” he signs off.