Sri Lankan singer and beatboxer Julius Mitchell had a penchant to experiment with sounds. But he was clueless on how to go about practising the art especially because
he found a dearth of beatboxers in the country.
This brought in a sense of frustration in the youngster. Yet, not wanting to subject himself to this limitation, Julius went on to pick up the nuances of beatboxing through YouTube tutorials while innovating with sounds on the mic on his own. This was in 2009. Years later, he is ‘The king of beatboxing’ in Sri Lanka.
What makes him cut through the clutter is his ability to incorporate beats into music.
A singer and a pianist, Julius has arranged vocals for different music ensembles and this flawless collaboration (of chorals and beats) adds finesse to his overall performance.
Julius, who performed in the City recently, says “I was part of my school choir in 2001. Music used to lift my art and beatboxing was a bi-product of what I felt towards music. That is how my love for beatboxing and music developed and I decided that I would bring the art forms together,” he recalls.
Though his family and friends didn’t understand his talent initially, Julius took extra effort to practise on his own. And before he knew, he started performing in various countries.
“The experiences of presenting my talent in different shows have been a learning process. They have culminated to my growth over the years,” he says. From an untouched market of beatboxing to a boom now, Julius is happy to see a steady growth.
“A lot is changing in the world of beatboxing and youngsters are picking up the art passionately. They are also adding beatboxing to songs and I was one of the first ones to have practised this art in Sri Lanka. It’s nice to see that people took off from there.” And it’s not only the beatboxers, but the audience as well, who have become more appreciative about the art.
“Earlier, people considered beatboxers as aliens who performed magic tricks on the mic, but now, different art forms and cultures are being accommodated.”
He seems to have a fondness to Bengaluru as this is his fourth time in the City. Having enjoyed a full crowd to his beatboxing, own compositions and covers of popular songs, he says “Bengaluru is very motivating. There are so many people, industries and buildings here.”
An artiste whose popularity doesn’t overshoot purpose, he advises young beatboxers to refrain from making beatboxing their primary love and living if they want to be successful. “They should take to beatboxing as a passion and treat it as a bi-product of their love. It is an expression of your love,” he says.