MUMBAI: Digital Content Creator and singer Ahmed Meeran who recently made his playback singing debut with a solo performance in the Tamil Web series- Flatmates got in touch with Rdioandmusic.

The untrained singer shares that he still struggles with many notes while singing or recording any song. Initially he used to compare himself with trained singers but later he understood it is pointless and every singer is unique and he is still in the mission to learn more and explore the zones.

Check the interview below:

Musical journey?

In my hometown- Port Blair, my dad has a band named ‘Indra Dhanush Musical Association’ and they conduct various musical nights on the Island. My dad has been a passionate singer, wherein he isn't a mainstream musician or singer by profession. It has always been about the passion for music and entertaining people alone. It was sometime in 2008 that I had performed for the first time in a public show, under the guidance and support of my dad, after being inspired by our team. The applause and attention encouraged me big time. Since then, I have been performing in the Islands in various musical events. That is how it all started and eventually I pursued western music under the affiliation of Trinity College, London. Although I got trained in piano playing and never got any vocal training as such, it was singing that I enjoyed more and organically decided to do it more.

What made you want to pursue a career as a singer?

Years of performing live and getting better in the art; with time made me realise that it is a god gifted talent and I never wanted to let it go in vain. Like every other IIM graduate, initially I had no plan to come into media completely. But my social media presence motivated me and post my MBA in 2020, I took up content creation and singing as my main profession.

What kind of challenges did you go through, particularly at the beginning?

I am not a trained singer as such. In the initial years, I faced a few challenges in delivering any rendition with the intricate details. Honestly, I still struggle with many notes while singing or recording any song. Initially I used to compare myself with trained singers, but later I understood it is pointless and every singer is unique and I'm still on a mission to learn more and explore my zones. But I have noticed that years of sticking to singing and taking music seriously, has helped me get better with time. I'm currently planning to take up singing classes and it is yet to start. Hopefully, it will materialize soon.

When it comes to making music/mashups, how do you strike a balance between what your followers want and what you want to create?

When it comes to my followers and subscribers, they enjoy hearing melodies and soft numbers from me more than peppy numbers based on the past trends of my videos' reach. It has been almost 3 years since I started doing covers and mashups. Initially I used to post a lot of melodies since they gained a lot of traction from the netizens. But a singer needs to be diverse. Diversity alone can help me sustain in the field. Keeping that in mind, lately I've started exploring new genres like western, Indian classical, etc. It is quite challenging to balance what I want to sing and what people would ideally want to listen to from me. I'm still trying to strike a balance.

What factors do you consider while deciding which mashups to create? Is there anything specific in the music that you search for when you're making it?

There is no prefixed pattern as such when it comes to my mashups. I create mashups based on my current mood and wait for the results. At times, yes of course, I post covers and mashups of songs that are in trend, so as to optimize the visibility of my content.

Do you plan to sing/create more English mashups like Jab Tak and Dil Bechaara?

It was just recently that I started posting Hindi songs. Majorly my audience base is Tamil. But I'm well versed in Hindi as well and the response to my covers of Taare Ginn, Main tumhara, SSR mashup, etc. has been much more satisfying than what I expected. It has given me the confidence that my audience enjoys Hindi songs too. One can surely expect more and more non-Tamil language songs from me in the coming days.

Future Plans?

Although, I post roast content majorly on my channel and other social media handles as of now, singing will always be my priority. I dream of becoming one of the biggest pan-Indian YouTubers and aspire to sing a lot of original songs for the indie space and mainstream cinema playback as well. In short, I want people to remember me for my songs and videos. I might also take up acting chances in films and OTT contents, if I get the right opportunity at the right time.