/ Mixing It Up

by Anokhi Admin

Mixing It Up

Apr 04, 2014

Burgeoning artist Jeffrey Iqbal blends Indian and American sensibilities to craft a sound all his own.

You may not have heard of Jeffrey Iqbal before, but in all likelihood, you’ll be seeing plenty more of him soon. The 30-year-old singer is currently in the process of transitioning from up-and-comer to bona fide star and in the process, he’s bridging the gap between American and Indian music. Case in point: He made history by recording “Rubaru” for the flick Dehraadun Diary in 2013, becoming the first ever American-born Bollywood singer.

This March, he released a web video series, a live collection of seven traditional songs with a new twist on them, as well as his first original single. And he’s currently working on his first album.

Inspired by legendary ghazal and qawwali singers since he was 10 years old, Iqbal’s upcoming project will be a fusion of Sufi and R&B styles.

“The melodies and the intricacies, the depth, the richness [of Sufi music], it’s so amazing and beautiful and historic. That was just what felt right to me,” he explains.

The singer-songwriter tried out for talent competition Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in the mid-2000s, but didn’t make the cut. Following that, he went through an apathetic period, in which he found himself lacking commitment to his art. It would take the opportunity to perform alongside one of his idols to put him back on track. In 2007, A.R. Rahman was holding auditions in New York for his upcoming tour. Iqbal landed the gig and hasn’t looked back since.

“At this point I had gotten rejected for so many things . . . I had given music a solid effort, I was on my way in business, I had a future set. But when I made it, when I walked out on the stage and I saw 50,000 people, it was this dream that I had. One day I wanted to be on a stage like this, and I want these people to be here for me, and my life just started to make a 180.”

After that, Iqbal had the confidence to try out for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge U.S.A. once again in 2008; this time, he made it and actually finished first runner-up. Then, in 2009, he became the first American-born artist to represent the U.S. in the show’s Indian challenge. Oddly enough, he’s grateful he didn’t win either competition.

“Criticism is a very, very good tool to learn, to humble yourself, to re-evaluate what you are doing, so you know what you need to improve on,” he says. “It ignites the competitiveness in me. Had I won, I wouldn’t have been like, ‘I want more. I want more.’”

Iqbal says he truly discovered his path as an artist when he started being regularly thanked by people for putting on an enjoyable show for the whole family. A member of Unity Thru Music, a nonprofit organization that aims to unite the world through music, he hopes to bring people together through his East-meets-West style.

“In the States, I think a lot of my peers had a hard time relating to Desi music and culture . . . At my shows, there’s not only Desis, there’s a lot of Americans too. My background is different than your average Bollywood singer, I’d say. It’s different when you see someone born and raised in the States.”

Though he’s proven quite popular on the Indian music scene, Iqbal has no intention of going down the overly beaten path of trying to be a Bollywood star. Instead, he’s drawing upon his education in business to help him form his own unique career model.

“You have to look at it as a business, a product and a commodity that you’re trying to make, distribute and market,” he says. “You’re building brand recognition.”

His latest extension of that brand sees him serving as the ambassador of an energy drink in Guyana, and the face of a new reality singing TV show, the latter of which is, indeed, a sign of just how far he’s come.

“Where I was once a contestant, I’m now a judge,” Iqbal marvels. “To now be considered an authority on singing, I’m very, very honoured to be able to do that.”

_{BY DEEPIKA SHEWARAMANI

PUBLISHED IN THE BEAUTY ISSUE, SPRING/APRIL 2014}