Sumeet makes his mark on India’s music scene
In this age of iPods, digitally synthesised music and free instant downloads, it is refreshing to find a rare instance where success is achieved in the long, arduous, yet extremely fulfilling manner of India’s ancient learning traditions like the guru-shishya parampara.
The fast ascending star on India’s light classical firmament, Sumeet Tappoo, is one such. Born and raised in the Fiji Islands, where his family has settled for three generations, Sumeet was enraptured by the alluring strains of Indian music from a very young age.
With encouragement from his musically inclined parents, Sumeet made an early decision to pursue music full time. He made his way to India and set up home in Mumbai to learn vocal music from Anup Jalota, India’s celebrated vocalist in the light classical tradition. He had been enthralled by Anupji’s bhajans and ghazals while growing up in Fiji.
Sumeet was in Auckland to attend a family wedding last week, which is when Indian Weekender caught up with him to learn of his recent achievements in the Indian musical scene. “I’ve just signed up a deal with Eros Entertainment for a series of music CDs,” he said.
Eros, which took Bollywood to the world with its ingenious marketing techniques, has recently entered the audio industry. So, being on the global company’s inaugural list of featured artistes is no mean achievement for Sumeet.
He has also signed up a deal with HMV (His Master’s Voice) for another series of 12 albums in the devotional genre. “Many of these are dhuns, bhajans and shlokas of various deities,” he said. He has also composed an album of shlokas and mantras for children. “I enjoyed doing it especially as I am now a proud father of a baby girl named Saisha.”
Billed for release later this year is also the title “Malik Ek”, an album of bhajans dedicated to Shirdi Sai Baba, which he has sung with celebrated songstress Anuradha Paudwal.
Sumeet believes that his strong grounding in classical music has prepared him well for the challenges of performing different types of songs in the wide repertory of India’s light classical music. He is at once comfortable with semi-classical and traditional bhajans, ghazals and modern songs that follow more eclectic styles of both composition and rhythm.
“I’m quite looking forward to my new romantic album later this year,” says the young singer who began his career primarily singing devotionals.
Following years of intense study, hours and hours of riyaz and accompanying his famed Guru through his busy concert schedule across India and many parts of the world, Sumeet began his concert career in right earnest a couple of years ago.
At heart Sumeet is a traditionalist but does believe in experimentation. “Experimentation is important,” he says. “In fact it is experimentation that leads to the evolution of new styles some of which then become popular with a wide range of audiences.”
It is a treat to hear him sing Sanskrit shlokas. His diction is perfect and is testimony to his long hours of practice not just singing them but also in pronouncing and intonating them correctly –a challenge even for those educated in India.
That natural flair for the world’s most ancient classical language has given him the ability to appreciate its influence on the poetry of middle age saints like Kabir and Meera who are household names among Indians anywhere in the world.
“Though I don’t understand the full import of the Sanskrit words, their effect is soothing and their use in devotional music of the singing saints is truly elevating,” he said.
Settling down in India’s music and entertainment capital Mumbai has continually opened new vistas for Sumeet. He has performed with nearly every emerging star music director and musician and the list with the talent he has jammed with reads like a veritable who’s who of India’s modern music scene. “I’ve even begun lending my voice to non-Hindi productions,” Sumeet said. “I recently sang for a Bhojpuri film.”
It wasn’t too hard to get under the skin of its intonation, he said. “The language reminded me a lot of certain ways that Fiji Hindi is spoken, especially in the Labasa area,” he added (Labasa is on the other large island that makes up the major land mass of Fiji).
Sumeet has so far given more than 250 public performances at soirees, solo concerts and major music festivals (one with 80,000 in attendance) not just in India but also in Europe, England, the USA, Africa, Oceania and of course his native and beloved Fiji.
Blessed with an endearing stage presence, Sumeet has his own special way of connecting with his audiences by constantly communicating with them in between his songs and even while singing. He encourages his audiences to sing choruses, particularly when singing devotional songs – something that enhances the experience of the audiences several-fold.
Sumeet’s discography is equally impressive. He has sung compositions of some of the best-known music directors in India for a number of major commercial music labels.
In this age of iPods, digitally synthesised music and free instant downloads, it is refreshing to find a rare instance where success is achieved in the long, arduous, yet extremely fulfilling manner of India’s ancient learning traditions like the guru-shishya parampara.
The fast ascending star on...
In this age of iPods, digitally synthesised music and free instant downloads, it is refreshing to find a rare instance where success is achieved in the long, arduous, yet extremely fulfilling manner of India’s ancient learning traditions like the guru-shishya parampara.
The fast ascending star on India’s light classical firmament, Sumeet Tappoo, is one such. Born and raised in the Fiji Islands, where his family has settled for three generations, Sumeet was enraptured by the alluring strains of Indian music from a very young age.
With encouragement from his musically inclined parents, Sumeet made an early decision to pursue music full time. He made his way to India and set up home in Mumbai to learn vocal music from Anup Jalota, India’s celebrated vocalist in the light classical tradition. He had been enthralled by Anupji’s bhajans and ghazals while growing up in Fiji.
Sumeet was in Auckland to attend a family wedding last week, which is when Indian Weekender caught up with him to learn of his recent achievements in the Indian musical scene. “I’ve just signed up a deal with Eros Entertainment for a series of music CDs,” he said.
Eros, which took Bollywood to the world with its ingenious marketing techniques, has recently entered the audio industry. So, being on the global company’s inaugural list of featured artistes is no mean achievement for Sumeet.
He has also signed up a deal with HMV (His Master’s Voice) for another series of 12 albums in the devotional genre. “Many of these are dhuns, bhajans and shlokas of various deities,” he said. He has also composed an album of shlokas and mantras for children. “I enjoyed doing it especially as I am now a proud father of a baby girl named Saisha.”
Billed for release later this year is also the title “Malik Ek”, an album of bhajans dedicated to Shirdi Sai Baba, which he has sung with celebrated songstress Anuradha Paudwal.
Sumeet believes that his strong grounding in classical music has prepared him well for the challenges of performing different types of songs in the wide repertory of India’s light classical music. He is at once comfortable with semi-classical and traditional bhajans, ghazals and modern songs that follow more eclectic styles of both composition and rhythm.
“I’m quite looking forward to my new romantic album later this year,” says the young singer who began his career primarily singing devotionals.
Following years of intense study, hours and hours of riyaz and accompanying his famed Guru through his busy concert schedule across India and many parts of the world, Sumeet began his concert career in right earnest a couple of years ago.
At heart Sumeet is a traditionalist but does believe in experimentation. “Experimentation is important,” he says. “In fact it is experimentation that leads to the evolution of new styles some of which then become popular with a wide range of audiences.”
It is a treat to hear him sing Sanskrit shlokas. His diction is perfect and is testimony to his long hours of practice not just singing them but also in pronouncing and intonating them correctly –a challenge even for those educated in India.
That natural flair for the world’s most ancient classical language has given him the ability to appreciate its influence on the poetry of middle age saints like Kabir and Meera who are household names among Indians anywhere in the world.
“Though I don’t understand the full import of the Sanskrit words, their effect is soothing and their use in devotional music of the singing saints is truly elevating,” he said.
Settling down in India’s music and entertainment capital Mumbai has continually opened new vistas for Sumeet. He has performed with nearly every emerging star music director and musician and the list with the talent he has jammed with reads like a veritable who’s who of India’s modern music scene. “I’ve even begun lending my voice to non-Hindi productions,” Sumeet said. “I recently sang for a Bhojpuri film.”
It wasn’t too hard to get under the skin of its intonation, he said. “The language reminded me a lot of certain ways that Fiji Hindi is spoken, especially in the Labasa area,” he added (Labasa is on the other large island that makes up the major land mass of Fiji).
Sumeet has so far given more than 250 public performances at soirees, solo concerts and major music festivals (one with 80,000 in attendance) not just in India but also in Europe, England, the USA, Africa, Oceania and of course his native and beloved Fiji.
Blessed with an endearing stage presence, Sumeet has his own special way of connecting with his audiences by constantly communicating with them in between his songs and even while singing. He encourages his audiences to sing choruses, particularly when singing devotional songs – something that enhances the experience of the audiences several-fold.
Sumeet’s discography is equally impressive. He has sung compositions of some of the best-known music directors in India for a number of major commercial music labels.
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