A Prodigy of rhythm

Young, enterprising and raring to go – these words best describe Manav Poddar, a fledgling 19-year-old musician, who grabbed the limelight with his first single Uske Bina, sung by Shivam Mahadevan (son of illustrious Indian singer Shankar Mahadevan). The video garnered rave reviews, and egged Manav on to push harder in his musical pursuits. Fast forward to now, and the young artist is gearing up for his single release, Teri Baatein, which is slated for release towards mid-June. In a candid chat, he tells us more…

“Love is the most beautiful and powerful force of the universe and inspires me the most to write and compose songs like Teri Baatein, which is very close to my heart. I believe love is the only effective ingredient and the pillar to any song that an artiste comes up with,” begins the singer, lyricist and music composer, who reveals that the whole song was conjured up in two weeks. “The song and composition took place within two months, soon after I finished writing it. The write up went through a lot of changes to articulate and match the words with the scenario. The shooting took place in the hills of Darjeeling, Takdah. I’d like to believe that the experience was surreal.”

It wasn’t a moment of epiphany to pursue music. In fact, the music bug bit him early on – at the age of seven. But, it wasn’t until he turned 16 that he landed his first break – the golden opportunity to work with the legendary Usha Uthup on song he composed and wrote.

One thing led to the other, and Manav soon found himself collaborating with several other popular DJs and artiste in the scene. Taking us through his growing up years, Manav maintains that he was always drawn towards music. “My tryst with music began when I had barely come out of my childhood shell. I often watched my music teachers play the chords effortlessly, and it made an impressionable impact on me. Further, an immense craze developed within me, my father supported me and got me a guitar which I started to learn at the age of seven. I’m really grateful to have gotten the opportunity to train under stalwarts like Amyt Dutta,” he avers.

Quite like most youngsters of his age, Manav is wide-eyed and wishes to emerge as the real deal in a field that’s pulsating with fresh talents and raw energies. Manav, who had shared the stage with Anjan Dutta and several prolific Coke Studio artiste, is aware of the uber-competitive nature of the entertainment industry. “ I think the benchmark has been set.

I was pleasantly surprised by the acceptance Shivam and I got with Uske Bina. Hopefully, we will be releasing another version of that song soon with Shivam and myself in the video,” he maintains.

The video also saw known names like Pratibha Singh Baghel, Shrinidhi Ghatate, Rahul Pandey and Shankar Mahadevan, of course.

The social media wave has offered a leeway for several young tykes to garner attention, Manav believes it’s fortunate to be born in the digital era and wants to milk the opportunity, but he’s also had to deal with the hatred. “Yes I am active and being immensely loved by many people, their love propels me to grow more and the trollers don’t bother much because I believe everyone has their own opinion.” Unsurprisingly, Manav has his sights set on that big dream, which every musician harbours. “To master the position of a global artist and become a leading music director in the industry. I dream big, I dream of grabbing a Grammy! (Grammy awards)."

The road ahead looks promising for Manav, and the uncertainty only adds to the excitement. “I am really looking forward to my upcoming album also in terms of future projects, a couple of singles are lined up with Ankansha Sharma, Rahul Pandey, Suraj Jagan, and several other artiste," he concludes.