MUMBAI: From a young entrepreneur in the field of Fashion to the house-hold voice emerging from Kerala, GQ’s 2016 edition of ’50 Most Influential Young Indians’ acknowledged and honoured some of the finest game changers in its July issue.
1. Benny Dayal
Dayal’s journey as a professional musician began with S5 – the pop band formed in 2004. Few years later, Rahman discovered the vocalist and what ensued later ensured Dayal became a house-hold name or voice across the country. With songs in five languages, Dayal has been an inspirational figure to the emerging artists in the south as well as mainstream Bollywood front. Dayal won his first Filmfare Awards in 2008 – at the young age of 24.
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2. Sahej Bakshi a.k.a. Dualist Inquiry
In the alternative music scene, no electronic producer have garnered instant fame in such a short period like Delhi-based Sahej Bakshi. Performing under the moniker Dualist Inquiry, Bakshi wasted no time and the producer was acknowledged by leading tabloids as “the next big thing in electronica”. With over 1 lakh supporters on Facebook and almost 85k followers on Twitter, Bakshi’s scale of success in the alternative music scene defines how effectively influential of a role he played in the last five years or so. Bakshi endorses Levi’s and rock-influenced electronic, and hardly a week goes by, when the young influential musician does not occupy the center-stage in India (or even abroad).
3. Tej Brar
Heard of Nucelya? And Reggae Rajjahs? Of course, you did. Some of the credit for these act’s success goes to a man orchestrating a lot of activities – PR, marketing, branding – behind the stage. Tej Brar – OML’s Head of Artist Management – has created an impression in the alternative music community that most continue to find difficult to achieve. In Brar’s case, it was more than being at the right place at the right time. Brar associated with the right people, and a the relentless drive involving networking, reimagining management in an under-developed music scene and strong clientele has acted as an ideal example for anyone who aims to be in this hectic, demanding and – if done right – rewarding profession.
4. B.L.O.T. (Avinash Kumar and Gaurav Malekar)
The electronic duo comprising of Avinash Kumar and Gaurav Malekar called B.L.O.T. or Basic Love Of Things’s influence on its followers ranges from as obvious as electronic music to as important as initiatives involving social causes. With its elaborate use of visuals during live performances, BLOT continues to remain ‘more-than-music’ act. BLOT has been receiving rave reviews for every initiative on the sonic front, and also won VH1’s Best Electronic act in 2014. The Delhi-based duo has brilliantly infused Indian elements in its visuals backed by the electronic sound born in the west.
