There is a gleeful satisfaction in having your detractor compliment you for the very same thing he once complained about. And while a few of us may have had the pleasure of that experience, for musician Shourya Malhotra it became the pivot for his future. <\/p>\n
\u201cI started my journey in high school where I was part of a band,\u201d says Shourya speaking on the phone from Delhi. \u201cWe performed our first song at the school assembly and someone came up to my guitarist and said, \u201cYou should fire the vocalist \u2014 he is really bad\u201d. At the time I was in class 8 and that comment cut deep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to listen to a lot of metal music back then such as Lamb of God, Metallica and Pantera, and inspired by the metal vocalists, I tried to emulate them.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Shourya](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/ed8eiz\/article68519418.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/Photo%2002-08-24%201%2056%2048%E2%80%AFPM.jpg\" "\\"Shourya")
<\/div>\n\nShourya Malhotra
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\nSpecial Arrangement\n<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n Shourya says when he started performing metal vocals, \u201cThe same person who said I ought to be fired was astounded and complimented my singing.\u201d <\/p>\n That was the impetus he needed, says Shourya. \u201cI put together a progressive heavy metal band in college called Trigger and we did fairly well. We performed at various venues across the country, eventually going on to win Blitzkrieg 2013 which is IIT Delhi\u2019s cultural festival.\u201d<\/p>\n His journey in music began as a first year Law student in Symbiosis, Noida. \u201cToday, Trigger is in the process of writing a full-length album set to release next year.\u201d A fitting retort to any number of detractors Shourya may have encountered along the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always considered myself to be a singer first, and then a musician,\u201d says Shourya, who learnt the guitar on his own while in his first year of college. <\/p>\n \nShourya Malhotra\u2019s Still Breathing <\/div>\n \u201cAfter five years of studying, I started practising in 2015, specialising in energy and mining law. Just before the pandemic hit, I had begun to feel detached from my career as a musician \u2014 my passion had taken a backseat ever since I began working. So, I quit practicing in 2020 and started my solo career as a singer songwriter,\u201d says the musician, based out of Noida.<\/p>\n \u201cIndie folk music has always been one of my favourite genres and one of my dreams was to create something more mellow than the usual stuff I was doing as a metal vocalist,\u201d says Shourya. <\/p>\n \u201cI started that project in 2020 and released my first song \u2018For Lost Memories\u2019 in 2022. It took me a long time to put out my first song because I needed to convince myself that I could do this. It didn\u2019t help that the world was reeling under a tough time as well.\u201d<\/p>\n He says \u2019For Lost Memories\u2019 was about a final goodbye drawn from a relationship that he\u2019d had. Shourya has released four more songs since 2022 with \u2018Still breathing\u2019, <\/i>the fifth, coming out Shourya says his inspiration for indie folk acoustic stemmed from the works of Elliott Smith, Nick Drake and Nora Marling, \u201can incredible songwriter\u201d. <\/p>\n \nShourya Malhotra <\/div>\n \u201dI had started writing songs when I was in my third year of college but did not release them because streaming platforms had not yet come to India. Releasing music was a very different ball game at that time.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cWhen I took the plunge in 2020, I told myself that I might not become the richest man in the world or the best musician, but I would get to write the sort of songs I always wanted to. I pictured myself five years down the road and I didn\u2019t like what I saw of myself as a lawyer. I think going all out is paying off a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy inspirations come from a lot of artistes whose work I enjoy, and my idea is to find an outlet for the things I want to say \u2014 share my story and my life experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want to make music which might change someone\u2019s life, just as a lot of artistes changed mine. One of the songs that come to mind is \u2018Between the Bars\u2019 by Elliott Smith. It\u2019s a song that holds a lot of meaning in my life; it saved me in a way,\u201d recalls Shourya. \u201cIf I am able to write something similar, even one song like that in my whole lifetime as a singer-songwriter, I\u2019ll consider it a success.\u201d<\/p>\n After 2020, Shourya started assisting a lot of musicians on contractual disputes, \u201cI used to say I\u2019m a lawyer who\u2019s also a musician, but now I say that I\u2019m a musician who is also a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n Shourya says an album which will include around four more new songs is likely to be released in November, and adds that he will continue to launch his Hindi songs as singles.<\/p>\n Still Breathing is out on all streaming platforms<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Shourya](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/5shs7z\/article68519419.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/Shourya%20Malhotra%20%20Still%20Breathing%20Artwork%203000x3000%20px%201.jpg\" "\\"Shourya")
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\nSpecial Arrangement\n<\/p>\n![\"Shourya](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/to9cw2\/article68519420.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/Photo%2002-08-24%201%2056%2048%E2%80%AFPM%205.jpg\" "\\"Shourya")
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\n| Photo Credit:
\nSpecial Arrangement\n<\/p>\n