When Prajwal Pai sang on stage for the first time, he experienced a rush that got him hooked to the performance art. From the tender age of 16, he began exercising his voice and sharpening his music skills. Now 26, he continues to run behind music, in any form that he can get hold of.
“I didn’t really take music seriously at first. I didn’t think I could even sing until I went on stage during a college fest. But when I saw how people reacted to my voice, it made want to keep doing it,” says the singer and composer.
After that, there was no turning back and now, he scores music tracks for Kannada films, is part of a band (called ‘Ayan’) and is ready to release a solo album as well. “In college, I joined a progressive metal band called ‘Amethyst’ and got a hang of performing live.”
But he isn’t your everyday metalhead. Probably the opposite. “I have trained in Carnatic vocals and love Sufi music; music that touches the soul. Even as a kid, I was never exposed to metal or rock. But I got pulled in to the band because there weren’t any vocalists and this was the only musical act the college had. My friends introduced me to bands like ‘Metallica’ and ‘Iron Maiden’ which helped me understand and be a part of many genres,” he says.
Not one to restrict himself to one form of music, he experiments with sounds of all kinds. “‘Ayan’, which will debut in two weeks, is a Hindi music band. And all the music I compose or sing, be it commercial, metal or rock music, have influences of soul or Sufi.”
This way, Prajwal ventures out but keeps to a style he is comfortable with. “The two Kannada films I’m working on — I’m not allowed to talk about them just yet — have great directors who have let me experiment and add myself to the music.”
According to Prajwal, the great thing about scoring for movies is that you get to create music from just a vague idea.“We don’t get to see the scenes ahead of time; we just have a basic idea of how the music should be. Building on that, I get to create sounds. I prefer score the movie theme track as opposed to individual songs.”
Not only does he create beautiful sounds, but he also encourages upcoming musicians. “I have a studio in Sadashivanagar called ‘Root 3 5 Studios’ where me and my partner encourage upcoming musicians from various genres,” he explains.
Born to a family of ‘number crunchers’, Prajwal says that his family has been supportive of his career despite not having any experience with the industry. “My family doesn’t have any musicians but we do have many business men and chartered accountants. Even I did my CA before shifting roads.”
This is one of the reasons most of his musical talents are self-taught. “I play the piano and guitar but I’m self-taught. Whenever I have a problem, a friend helps me out. The only musical training I’ve had is in Carnatic vocals.”