On stage and here to stay

Singer-songwriter Alisha Pais has played at venues across the country including popular festivals such as Sunburn Goa, Storm festival and Nh7, but the guitar-toting ‘rockstar’ reveals that she never aspired to become a musician. Her solo gigs at the age of 17, across local cafes and restaurants in Mumbai eventually got her the big ticket. Alisha decided to go with the flow and today her name features prominently in the line-up of most major indie music festivals. Revealing that she never had any formal training in music, Alisha says, “There was never a phase when I aspired to become a musician. I did it because I loved it — I’ve been dedicated to music as a passion, but I never took it seriously. In fact, even today I pursue this craft because I like being on stage and singing. I never consciously decided on taking it up as a career. I was doing solo gigs across the city and people came up to me, asking me to play for them, — one thing led to another and here I am.”

Alisha will be playing with her band of 10 members, Cruella & The Puppycoats, this year at the NH7. She admits it is a homecoming of sorts. She last played here in 2011, since her schedules made it difficult to perform for the fest. She reveals, “In 2010, when The Magic Numbers were performing, they took a little time to set the stage up. A festival manager asked if a friend and I would like to perform for a few minutes before the band went live. It was an obvious ‘yes’. So we did an impromptu gig for the next thirty to forty minutes. The next year, we were officially a part of the festival.”

The singer was also recently part of the first English music show on Indian TV, The Stage, where she was eliminated last week. Alisha reveals that she took up the show for the experience. She says, “The process was surreal — there were times when we’d wake up at 6 am and go to sleep only at three the next morning. I was also put on the backing tracks— something I have never been a part of. My stint on the show taught me how things really work professionally and that’s an eye opener.”

Up next is an album titled Moving On for Alisha, which is slated for release next year. Calling the album ‘personal’, she says that it will feature songs that she has been working on for as long as seven years. She says, “Each and every song is personal. I do not want to rush the release of the album. The songs are still evolving for me personally, so I don’t want to release it without being convinced of it.”