With music, stories and news of K-pop all over the place, on Instagram, Twitter, Thread and other social media platforms, and dozens of boy and girl bands emerging from South Korea, believe me when I say that K-pop is irresistible. The Korean wave began somewhere in 2012, and once BTS came on the scene, it became a tidal wave.

Being a member of the biggest boy band, BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan), in the world, has a bunch of perks. The seven-member band is known all over the world not only for their music and good looks but for more fans than even the pop band The Beatles ever had.

Bang Si-Hyuk, a producer and songwriter, along with his K-pop label Big Hit Entertainment, created BTS, which debuted in 2013. He began his career at J.Y.P. Entertainment, one of the “big three” companies that helped turn K-pop into a five-billion dollar industry. K-pop, K-dramas and Korean genre films became a source of Korean soft power.

The Bangtan Boys, or BTS, have been the buzz of the music industry for more than a decade now. The lads, Kim Taehyung, Jimin, Jin, Suga, Rap Monster, J-hope, and Jung Kook are the official members of the group.

Jeon Jeong-Guk, known as Jung Kook, is a rapper, singer, and dancer. Like many of his bandmates, he is the heartthrob of young girls across the globe.
Jung Kook’s journey from humble beginnings to being a K-pop sensation was by no means easy. He was born on 1 September 1997 in Busan, South Korea, and spent his childhood with his parents and older brother Hyung. Jung Kook attended Baekyang Elementary School and later switched to Singu Middle School in Seoul. He has enjoyed sports since childhood, and if not for music, he was all set to make sports a career, his first love being the game of badminton.

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At just 18 years, singer-songwriter Shriya (Rao), has already released 5 singles, and has more than 50 live performances to her credit at prestigious venues across Mumbai.

Shriya’s music blends contemporary R&B/soul and pop, and is inspired by the music of Daniel Caesar, Summer Walker, Erykah Badu, Mac Miller and Tate McRae. When Shriya isn’t producing original music or performing live, she has lent her voice to doing TV commercials for leading brands such as Nykaa Fashion, Tang, and Lenskart.

Some time ago, Sony Music India’s sub label, DayOne, released two of her songs Ride For Me and On My Mind. Both tracks were viewed over 180,000 times on YouTube, with On My Mind alone crossing 50,000 streams on Spotify.

VERUS FERREIRA spoke with the Mumbai-based artist to learn about her musical journey.

How did music get to be a part of your life?
I have been singing as far back as I can remember. Disney movies and my dad singing to me as a toddler were definitely my biggest inspirations. My family was super supportive and started my formal vocal training when I was 9-10 years old. From then on, there was no looking back.

Do you recall your first-ever performance and the first track you ever sang? Were you nervous?
I did sing at many school assemblies, but my first performance on stage outside of school was at an event at the Royal Western Turf Club for my vocal teacher Stephen Fernandes. I still remember that I sang a super intricate jazz song by Nikki Yanoufsky called Something New. Interestingly, my first ever studio recording was also with my teacher of Something New when I was 12 years old.

Did you take up any vocal training to polish your singing skills?
Yes, I trained extensively with Stephen Fernandes (Sobo House of Music), and also did the Pro-junior course at the True School of Music. Then when I was 16 years old, I started training with Stacie Dunlop, a Toronto-based vocal technique coach.

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The Wanted have all the ingredients of a boy band. Good looks, good melodies and above all, music that would make you cuddle up or jump onto the dance floor. As is with boy bands, the one thing you can expect them talking about is love, love and more love.

The Wanted, for those who don’t know, are a British pop boy band based in London, comprising of Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes. Tom Parker, who was also part of the band, passed away in 2022 due to cancer.

The Wanted burst onto the pop scene in 2010, when the boy band era had almost vanished, with little or no competition, except for co-patriots One Direction on their heels to steal the limelight, if not the girls.

Two members of the band, Siva Kaneswaran and Max George, were in Mumbai in mid-May and performed a concert at Dublin Square, Phoenix Market city, Kurla as part of their India Tour, organised by KCT Entertainment. The duo gave a wonderful performance in front of their fans, with two lucky fans getting a chance to be with them on stage for one of their songs. The boys harmonized well, their vocals were pretty amazing.

Soon after the concert, VERUS FERREIRA spoke to band members Siva Kaneswaran and Max George on their debut visit to Mumbai, the loss of bandmate Tom Parker, the band’s reunion, their Greatest Hits album and the future of the band.

VF: What does this visit to India mean to you? 
MG: Yes we are visiting India for the first time. As a band, we have always wanted to travel to meet our Indian fans. Seeing the online support was incredible, especially for Siva as his heritage is South Indian. 

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Anyone would be rendered speechless in the presence of global icon singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who at 5’10” towers over many singers in the music industry.

Riding high with the launch of her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, her eleventh studio album, Taylor is at the pinnacle of stardom, raking in success once again.

Her Look

Taylor radiates large doses of charm, grace and sexiness. After all she is one of the highest-paid singers in the world today. When she smiles, her luminous blue eyes, with that tint of black, sparkle. Her figure stands out, but with neatly tucked in outfits that don’t reveal her true statistics. The same cannot be said of other female music stars who are known more for what they reveal than their singing. With Taylor, it’s the other way round. It was for this reason that I wrote about her and decided she was our cover girl and cover story in The Teenager, September 2009 issue. The Teenager Today always looks at the inner beauty of a person, rather than outside appearances. Taylor fitted the profile perfectly then and even now, 15 years later.

What really makes her the eye candy of social media, newspapers and magazines around the world that serenade her all the time?

Her Lyrics

As America’s sweetheart, Taylor could not be missed on the country circuit that she began with, moving on to a more pop-rock edge as the albums rolled out. She’s been around for some time, and has carved a niche for herself after her self-titled debut album skyrocketed her to superstardom. Since the age of fourteen she has had a full songwriter’s publishing deal, most often in collaboration with many others who helped her music grow.

Now as a 34-year-old, Taylor has been praised for her maturity, right from her second album onwards, in which she sang about boys and heartbreak, fun, sneaking out of windows at night to meet boys, while gently playing the guitar and self-penning all 16 songs on her album, giving her clear leeway to speak her heart out.

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Bangalore-based, ultra-talented singer-songwriter and committed Gen Z icon, Mary Ann Alexander, is slowly but surely getting her music recognized all over the country and probably overseas as well. The Indian audience is now discovering her freshness and her irresistibly moving lyrics. Mary’s unifying and intimate, powerful, melancholic, sweet, mainstream yet trendy songs are generational anthems about love or modern times.

Mary started singing and occasionally playing the piano at a very young age, tagging along with her father when he went to the studio for his music sessions. This got her closer to what she wanted to do — write and sing songs.

The bespectacled and dusky Mary Ann Alexander recently performed at Vh1 Supersonic in Pune. VERUS FERREIRA met up with the singer who he said is very committed to her music and what she wants to do in her life.

Can you share with us your growing up days, academically, and what you intended to do before taking music? 
I went to Carmel Convent School in Trivandrum, Kerala. I grew up in a very encouraging, artistic household. I had a lot of interest in anything art-related like drawing, dancing, baking, and lots more, but I always knew that singing and making music was within me. Since my family was apprehensive of me following my passion for music, my plan was to become a graphic designer. 

So how did you get into music? 
My dad is a playback singer, and I used to spend a lot of time with him in the studio. I started recording for projects at the age of seven. I also took every opportunity to sing on stage. Besides, I can play a little bit of keys and guitar and produce too. But I mostly ideate and arrange music using layers of my voice.

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From Arunachal Pradesh, the land of the rising sun, comes Taba Chake, known for his eccentric way of playing fingerstyle percussive guitar chops. In 2014, he was awarded the title of runner-up in the All India Finger Style Competition in Bangalore. Chake comes from a Nyishi tribal family in Arunachal Pradesh. Inspired by tribal folklore and his intimate connection with nature, 31-year-old Chake began writing songs in 2007 and is known for his unique vocals, songwriting and performing style, singing in more than four languages. 

VERUS FERREIRA met up with the charming musician at the recently-concluded Vh1 Supersonic 2024 in Pune. Read on.

We understand that your name was Chake and your real name is Taba, but you changed it the other way around and we know you as Taba Chake.
You are the first guy, the first one to ask this question. Thanks. So when I was submitting my paper for the board exam, I went to school and just changed my name. I came home and told my mom and dad that I’d changed my name; I didn’t ask anyone. It’s just that I didn’t like my name, because in the hostel and in boarding school, everyone used to tease me with that name. That’s why I decided to change it. My name is Chake. Taba is my surname.

Tell us about your family background and how you got into music.
My parents decided to put me in boarding school; that’s where I got introduced to music. There was this teacher who was teaching us how to play the piano at that time, so I started with that and then the guitar and then songwriting. He would teach us how to write melodies and how to write lyrics and songs of MLTR (Michael Learns to Rock). We thought at that time that it was a song written by him to teach us how to write melodies and tunes. (Laughs) So we practised a lot of MLTR for the longest time. But after around 2-3 years, I got to know that MLTR was actually a band and one of their hit songs was Sleeping Child. I was around 9 years old at that time.

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With his father (Nepal Shaw) a musician, it was natural that Rhythm Shaw didn’t have to choose what he wanted to do in life, for music was destined to be a part of it.

Born in Kolkata, and now based in Mumbai, Shaw has around 55 guitars strewn around his house, and he says each has a specific job to do, and hence he takes special care for each of his guitars which to him are like special friends.

The extremely-talented guitarist, who has won awards like the All India Finger-Style Guitar Competition, played in the prestigious Guitar Night Tour (18 concerts in a row in Germany) with Peter Finger, and has won international classical guitar competitions in Thailand and in India, recently performed at the Mumbai Drum Day 2024 in February.

VERUS FERREIRA met up with the Shaw to delve into his world of guitars.

Let’s go back in time. You started playing the guitar at a young age. Tell us about the journey.
From what I’ve heard from my parents, I started when I was three. The journey started with me learning tabla and guitar side-by-side. Dad wanted me to learn a melodic/harmonic instrument and a rhythmic instrument so as to grasp both the sides of music, which are really important. I don’t think I have played with toys as much as I’ve played with musical instruments, because they were always around. That’s how my interest grew and I kept doing it until I figured that this is what I wanted to do all my life. At some point, I realized I can actually learn any song I hear or play anything that is running in my head. So here I am today playing with some of my most favourite people in the world.

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Pune-based Nemophilis is a three-piece rock band emerging with their electrifying as well as calming songs powered by enchanting harmonies, adept playing and seamless songwriting that narrates stories, perceptions and events that they witness in their lives.

The band originally had four members, until session guitarist Mayank Katare parted ways. Mention must be made that, along with Katare, they reworked an impressive cover of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. The line-up now comprises vocalist-guitarist Kshitij Kumar, bassist Saurabh Lodha and drummer Akarsh Singh. Their long hairdos, raging appearances and music reflect the stereotype of an alternative rock group.

While the band members come from different parts of the country, since the last 10 years they have been living in Pune.

In November last year, Nemophilis released their much-anticipated album The Iceberg consisting of 9 songs, with a music video One Last Time which is the second single from the album. The same month they also won the I Rock (Independence Rock) Band Hunt 2023 competition and performed at the I Rock Festival in November.

VERUS FERREIRA met up with the band members for an interview prior to their knockout performance at the Indie Global Festival in December.

So tell us how did the band start off?
Kshitij Kumar: We started out in 2018, I believe, that was when we released our first song. 2016 and 2015 was the time where we kind of met each other, but there was never a possibility or even a thought of making a project together. But after we kept releasing songs and did a couple of shows, since 2018, we played like four or five shows or something like that and then COVID happened. We went on a hiatus just like the entire world, but we kept on working, writing material, doing music videos or something, whatever we could while we were locked up. As soon as things opened up, we saw it like an opportunity. So we put all the stuff that we have out there at once and it gained some momentum. Since the last one and a half years, we have done shows in almost all the big cities of India.

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Goan rapper, hip-hop artist, producer and singer-songwriter, Nathan Joseph Mendes aka Tsumyoki, can’t believe how his life has changed after winning the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Indian Local Act in November last year, beating the likes of Divine, Mali, When Chai Met Toast and Dee MC. He won the award for his song It’s Alright featuring Prophet Joegus. It would have been a proud moment for Tsumyoki to be at the 2023 MTV EMAs on 5th November in Paris, France, but due to the Israel-Hamas war, the event was cancelled.

From White Tee in 2019 to Daboij in 2021, an album from which the single Jackets made waves and got a great response from his growing fan base, to 2021 with his debut EP Way Too Messy, it is apparent that Tsumyoki (pronounced sue-ma-yoki), or simply Yoki, is an artist who is manifesting good music. Apart from his solo music, Tsumyoki is also one of the founding members of Goa Trap Culture (GTC) or GTC Crew. The band, best known for the album Daboij, includes artists Elttwo, 2jaym and Kidd Mange.

In June 2023, the 22-year-old released his fourth project A Message from The Moon. Tsumyoki was featured on Goan Insider’s 50 Most Influential People list two years ago. The Margao lad, who also plays the piano, guitar and ukulele, has been performing all over the country and has made a name for himself on the music circuit, gaining fans wherever he goes.

VERUS FERREIRA spoke with Tsumyoki about his new album, A Message From The Moon, and his musical journey.

How does it feel to win an MTV EMA?
It’s an indescribable feeling and a sign that my hard work is paying off. My mom started crying, and the fact that I was able to make her so proud of me will be one of my greatest achievements. It feels really good.

What qualities do you think put you on the top of other Indian rappers/hip-hop artists and made you what you are today?
My sound is very different and I’m very versatile. I go to very different genres and don’t hold myself back with regards to anything.

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Described as India’s first and currently only pedal harp player, Mumbai’s Meagan (Meagan Chrines Alphonso) Pandian began playing the keyboard in church and also sang in the children’s choir. As a 7-year-old, Meagan had no idea that people still played the harp until she watched Greg Buchanan play Amazing Grace.

The Aldona-born Goan, who also plays the piano, violin and viola, has worked alongside some really great musicians like A.R. Rahman, Pritam, Shankar Mahadevan, Stephen Devassy and Sameera Koppikar, with her first harp performances being part of the Arijit Singh symphony concert series where she performed all over India and abroad. She has also performed with the Bombay Chamber Orchestra, the South Asian Symphony and the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic from the Czech Republic. In August, she performed at the Museum of Christian Art in Old Goa and at the Independence Day Harp Concert at Alliance Française in Panaji. Besides numerous corporate events and private shows, Meagan recently performed at the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2023 with Ranita Banerjee. She recently completed a four-city, six-concert tour launching the latest ESUV for Mercedes Benz playing alongside cellist Lavine Da Costa.

VERUS FERREIRA spoke with Meagan to know more about the harp and her musical journey.

Tell us something about your growing up days and how you got into playing the harp.
I once saw Greg Buchanan play Amazing Grace on the harp on the Billy Graham crusade on TV as a 7-year-old. In those moments, my feet didn’t touch the floor. The memory of his performance stayed with me. Since it is not possible to get a harp or even a harp string here in any music store, far from learning the instrument, I never even conceived of myself as being able to play the instrument.

In Nice, France, many years later on a scholarship for piano in 2013, I was at a multi-instrument summer school. There were students trolleying around their harps, getting harp lessons and even giving tea recitals in the canteen area. Even as a musician, it had never occurred to me that this was a possibility on the harp. I looked up the list of harp students at the summer school hoping I would find someone from India there. But, to my dismay, there were none. Now at 22, it dawned on me that I had kept this impossible dream just a dream for the last 15 years. I realized it was now or never. I came back to India after summer school and started researching how I could import a small harp online. I could not afford even a small 22 string harp. Harps, to my astonishment, can be very expensive going up to even 36 lakh rupees! Add to that the cost of transportation, the 35% import duty and 18% GST taxation that the Indian government levies on imported music instruments and you are left with an insurmountable figure.

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