‘Music runs in my blood’ says composer-musician Anadi Mishra

Singer, composer, music producer, recording artiste, music programmer, and a live performer, Anadi Mishra wears several hats with a pomp. The 28-year old has achieved a lot of success at a young age. He is the youngest  Grade A singer of the country. After completing his Bachelor’s in MultiMedia from Apeejay College of Fine Arts (ACFA) in 2012, the Jalandhar-based boy went to pursue his Master’s. He also received a gold medal in MA in Music. Subsequently, the promising artiste completed his PhD in Music from Banasthali University, Jaipur. In a telephonic interaction, Anadi Mishra mentions he was trained by his grandfather in classical music. Edited excerpts: 

How did you develop interest in music and song composition?
I began singing at an early age as I grew up in a family of musicians. I am the fourth generation in music. A lot of people used to come to learn music from my grandfather, Pt. Shankar Lal Mishra and so there was always music around. Both my grandfather and father, Dr Arun Mishra are my inspirations. In fact, my father is the cultural coordinator of ACFA and my mother, Dr Amita Mishra, is the Head of Department in Music. So, music runs in my blood.

You have been performing from a very young age. So what kind of music are you fond of and the kind of competitions you participated in?
From western to folk to classical music, I have performed in every category.  My grandfather and father have trained me in a way that I can sing in any genre. I used to participate in any music competition that took place in school or college.

Do you only focus on singing Punjabi songs?
It’s not like that. Since I belong from Punjab, I started with Punjabi music. However, my next step is to focus on singing songs for Bollywood.

Who is your musical inspiration?
 Like I mentioned, my grandfather is my first inspiration from whom I have learnt music. From the industry, it’s the living legend, Lata Mangeshkar ji and Late Ustad Amir Khan Saheb. My grandfather was the disciple of Ustad Amir Khan Saheb of Indore Gharana. In fact, my grandfather owned original recordings of Ustadji. I was very young then but my grandfather made me listen to those recordings and teach me as well. Moreover, Dr Sucharita Sharma, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Apeejay Stya University and my teachers from school and college have also played a great role in supporting my music career.

What change did you experience from the time you were learning music from your grandfather and today?
Music training has undergone a transformation. Earlier, if a student went wrong with even a single musical notation, he/she had to sing the entire song. But today with music studios,  recording of songs has become very easy. A singer can sing the song as per his/her convenience and availability and instrumental music can be merged later on.

In addition to your first commercial hit Rabb Da Deedar, how many more commercial hits have you added to your list?
Rabb Da Deedar broke records in the Punjab music industry. The song became a huge hit commercially. It received more than 1.8 crore organic views on YouTube. Till date, I have sung and composed eight commercial video songs in addition to executing a lot of composition work. When I was in ACFA, I had composed two songs that were sa. I have performed in more than 1000 shows across many countries like Singapore, Malaysia, etc. In India, I performed live for more than three hours during the biggest fair that is the Kumbh Mela in 2018. After that, I received the title of the youngest – Grade A singer of India from the Central Government.

How much time do you invest in composing and creating a music video?
I have my studio. It has all the hi-tech instruments installed in it. So whenever my song is ready, recording takes no time. I spend hours in my studio and I do not keep a track of time. The interesting part is I do not have any watch installed in my studio (Laughs). It’s because I do not like to look at the watch while recording my music.  Moreover, my father always emphasises that there is no shortcut when one wants to sing and compose good music. So I spent almost 6-7 hours every day on music.  

Any words of inspiration for those aspiring to make a career in music?
Music needs a lot of dedication, consistency and practice. Do not rush for fame