Nirali Kartik: Award-winning musician putting India on global stage

[00:00:00] Kailiyaar cheeta, kail cheeta ka nahi nahi Ras bhi ne pare I feel globally people want to get connected to their roots If I tell you let's go to an Ed Sheeran concert or a nice Ben Bahmer concert

[00:00:47] When you listen to a chap te lag or a sakhal bann That's home for you How many years did you go to become a classical singer? So it's not like you're not learning or you're not mugging something You don't have a melody that you remember and recreate

[00:01:07] But you are given a structure And you have to take that structure in yourself We use this word You don't want to practice anything in the wrong way You want to practice it in a correct way so that it actually becomes beneficial to you

[00:01:29] Hi everyone I'm Shailja Saraswati Are you watching yet another episode of Unstoppable Woman Today we have Nirali Kartik blessed by Goddess Saraswati She's a musician, an artist and a singer Let's get on with this soulful journey into the land of music with her Welcome to Unstoppable Woman Nirali

[00:01:49] It's so good to have you here today When did you experience that spark in music for you to get attracted enough to it to pursue your profession? So music has always been part of my childhood And my mom is a music lover

[00:02:05] She sings beautifully, she has the voice of Lata She also taught my brother the tabla And my brother is five years elder to me So when I was there the music was always a part of the soundtrack And more so I was attracted towards classical music

[00:02:33] And it's strange because I don't come from a family of hardcore classical musicians In classical music there is a given trend that You should have a classical family Music should be a part of the family Then it's a very natural outcome for you to become a classical artist

[00:02:55] But not to have classical music per se in home and to take it up Was quite fascinating and it was a very fascinating process as well And my mom was amazed too because I was so attracted to the aspect of creating your own music

[00:03:11] From the very beginning, from the very childhood So do you remember early days like the first instance That it's very interesting So in classical music we have this If you have four swars All the gama, these are four swars Now if you make your own music in that

[00:03:33] How can you make it? So it's very unique All the gama, I just made it I'll change it now This is something different So that I was so attracted to it And I must also thank my first guru, Srivika aspari Who kind of made this so enjoyable

[00:04:03] He always used to encourage me and motivate me that This girl has that spark to take up classical music Not many youngsters or kids would like this aspect Your mother spotted this in you? She spotted it There was a school nearby our place

[00:04:23] And luckily I found a guru that matched my musicality Which I came to realise very later in life And then of course I continued my journey in the same gharana And I'm still learning What is the name of the gharani? Mevati gharana

[00:04:41] That was popularised by Pandit Jasraj Ji But then of course there have been legends In this gharana before him And now I'm learning from the mevati gharana Maestro Pandit Sanjeeva Bhankar So learning is a very, very, very I would say I think I love the aspect of learning

[00:04:59] And it's still complete It's ongoing How many years does it take to become a classical singer? So this question is not the direct answer Because it is very temperamental And it is also very spontaneous And you are creating your music You are understanding something You are imbibing it

[00:05:23] And then putting it out there So it's not like you are not learning Or you are not mugging something up You don't have a melody Which you have to remember and recreate But you are given a raga, a structure And that structure

[00:05:39] You have to take it in yourself You have to be self-sufficient We use this word So you have to be self-sufficient Then it comes out And then you can kind of elaborate the structure for hours So that is a mastery It always sounds like mantra japa

[00:06:01] Like something like in spirituality Mantra bhi aapka apart banjaate hain You know that vibration keeps going on And that's what's felt by the world when they meet you Likewise aap swarki through pataare Swarki haam mantra karte rahte hain Aur alag lag rake mantra japa karte rahte hain

[00:06:15] But tell me, let's say my son is 7 Which I did mention to you That if I have to put him in classical music If he is showing early science So what do you suggest that parents should do? Yes, so there is a process to it of course

[00:06:31] So for 7 years is like where you learn the basics of it The fundamentals of it Wherein you can learn say nicely 7-8 raga Wherein maybe you are not yet ready to improvise But of course you will get the fundamentals correct And then after 7 years your journey starts

[00:06:50] So saath saltha ka fundamentals he is seeking And that you have to go to a guru Yes, and to get the correct guru and the discipline They go hand in hand If you have a nice guru But if you don't have the discipline to follow it

[00:07:05] Then your guru ka matlab kuch nahi karse They can only show you a direction But one has to take one's own journey When you say discipline, what did you do? Like what was your routine like? When you were the first 7 years, the fundamentals Jabab sikreeti

[00:07:20] So I would say that discipline cannot be enforced upon First it has to come out of the love But yes, I agree to you probably as a parent You may have to tell your kid to sit And maybe you can make it very joyful

[00:07:38] And kind of make it so fun That the kid starts really getting interested And then I don't think so If somebody is really interested Then they can definitely take out an hour or so Just by a little bit of nudging But you think your environment

[00:07:54] You said that the soundtrack was running at home So that helped So what was the environment like? The environment means that the music in our house Is saved by music And it's classical music Oftentimes classical music We are talking about it Your parents used to discuss it

[00:08:10] Or how was it? I would say it was more in the environment More than talking I think that's a very common aspect In the music families Wherein they talk about analysis of different rags And all of that That's natural Yes, that's natural

[00:08:30] But it was there and I'm also a Vaishnav So Haveeli Sangit is like a very core aspect Of Vaishnavism And Haveeli Sangit is all rag based So my Nana used to sing all these Krishna Pud in rags So there used to be a Jagane ka pad

[00:08:48] There used to be a Bhog ka pad There used to be a Sanjika, Aarti ka And they were not like bhajans Which is like everybody can sing It was like a proper classical bandish Set in a rag And I was very close to my Nana So sweet

[00:09:04] So I think that really helped So my Nana used to tell this girl is going to go far So means that someone has to pick up or feed them That goes in a rag Yes, absolutely I think today's parents should listen to this

[00:09:18] I will sing a little bit of it If Krishna wants to wake up So Wake up, Mohan Wake up, my beloved The morning sun is in the sky Aati manabhaave Sundar Lal haa maare Jago Mohan pyare Who won't wake up?

[00:09:49] You will have to wake up in this slur Beautiful So all these things I have grown up And my Guru was also good My mom was also there My brother used to play tabla with me So we used to also engage in those Jugalbandi practices together

[00:10:06] So it really helped So one is about doing something as a career And as a passion But then it's something else When you're enabling other people And you're creating a platform out there You have a platform called Mati Bani So Mati Bani is a band that

[00:10:24] Me and my husband who is also a musician I'm so fortunate to have My husband also has a musician So we started this together And he comes from a very different musical background He is totally non-classical He is super into funk and blues What are you saying?

[00:10:44] Yeah, and his idol is Pink Floyd Jackson, Jagjeet Singh So we used to jam for certain projects And I really felt this guy is super talented And because we had an opportunity to work together On a couple of projects We really came close after that

[00:11:07] So yes, and then Mati Bani was like It's like two worlds coming together His world is non-classical And mine is very classical So we brought these two very extremes together And started Mati Bani And it's been going on since last 10 years

[00:11:26] And we have collaborated with more than 250 artists Amazing, and with their Fox and Superwoman They are part of this, right? Yes, so they are one of the collaborators So what is the platform about technically? Are you doing some outreach program for it?

[00:11:45] How does another artist sitting in maybe UK know about it in Australia? Yes, so it's mainly a band But as you said correctly It's also a platform in which We are not always in the spotlight We really feel that India has so much to offer

[00:12:01] In terms of music, culture, arts, everything So our spotlight has often been on the folk music So we also bring folk musicians from interiors Of our country and perform with them We create songs with them, collaborate with them So there's a call to action

[00:12:23] Do you put something on your platform That we are working on this project Come and collaborate with us? How does one reach out to you? No, no, the process is we reach out You reach out, you identify, you reach out And what is that mechanism which you're holding?

[00:12:38] So if we feel that we have a certain song Which will go with this musician We reach out to him or her Then we record it together Is it also a community as well Or is it mostly for content creation?

[00:12:54] I would say that it has been a pioneering phenomenon In terms of putting Indian cultural music in the forefront We started this in 2012 And we have garnered more than millions of views on our songs So we have reached out Our audience has literally changed generations

[00:13:19] They reach out to us and they feel very emotional When they talk about how they feel about our song called Banjara Or a song called Lagan Lagi These are the songs that they have They have very strong memories associated with it Very hybrid fusion sort of music

[00:13:38] I saw a few of them So what's next after a Mati Vani? Mati Vani is not going to stop Because it's a very massive idea And it's an all-encompassing idea It can take in as many musicians as we want to

[00:13:56] Today we want to collaborate with, let's say, a musician from As you said, UK or England or US or Africa We can do that We can create an album out of that And do primes have an opportunity? Yes We have collaborated with many brands

[00:14:14] Like Target, India, Vivaanthabai Taj Vodafone, we have collaborated with So the brands would reach out to you for these collaborations Yes Very interesting When you are talking about both of you Come from very different types of music Do you see the world is also changing

[00:14:37] And adapting more to some more fusion Something different? Is it the Gen Zs? Yes, totally There is this trend in which the youngsters love The Sufi songs, classical-based songs Suddenly they are very much in trend And as we saw what happened to the songs with Heera Mandi

[00:15:00] They are all over the place and they are all rag-based They are hardcore classical songs And people are loving it So I feel overall globally people just want to get connected to their roots And music is of course one of the most

[00:15:16] I would say it's a very strong foothold For anybody to get connected to where they come from So if I tell you like, let's go to an Ed Sheeran concert Or let's go to a nice Ben Bomer concert Where we will have a great time

[00:15:36] But when you listen to a chap Tilak Or when you listen to a Sakal Abana That's home for you So no matter what music we love Home is always your music, your culture Everything which is where you come from

[00:15:54] You mentioned Heera Mandi, any favourite song from Heera Mandi Sakal Abana which is very classical We were saying two lines from that So Sakal Abana is based on Ragh Bahal And I'll sing a little bandish in Ragh

[00:17:23] Thank you Lovely, that was beautiful Thank you So it's talking about spring So many flowers And they are also colourful Thank you so much We just got transported to another space and time right now Okay, you know we were talking about Dedication and discipline

[00:17:47] You have obviously found and discovered your mojo In music very early on But there could be challenges You know sometimes people might face In terms of not finding the right Guru Or not finding the right place to do Riyaz Because to do Riyaz you need a environment

[00:18:05] I remember my elder sister she got into playing tabla So that morning when she played tabla at 5 in the morning We would object that it was such a loud sound We are not able to sleep So you know I'm sure you know You are aware of these things

[00:18:20] So how does one circumvent all of this And continue to not do it People are reacting So yes, nothing without discipline And this art or music or any art for that matter Demands a lot of discipline More so when you are growing

[00:18:36] And you want to take up music as a profession As a hobby, it's okay to spend 2-3 hours In between somewhere But if you are planning to take it as a profession Then there has to be a proper schedule of Riyaz

[00:18:57] When you are learning what all of that is very important And there has to be proper guidance to your Riyaz also Because I just read it like practice doesn't make you perfect It just... No, what was that?

[00:19:15] It's like if you practice it wrong then it kind of fits in So you don't want to practice anything in a wrong way You want to practice it in a correct way So that it actually becomes beneficiary So to find a right place

[00:19:32] And to find that inner calling That requires time, patience I think patience is a virtue that we all need to cultivate No matter what profession we are into And I think we totally underrate what patience can do to anything And we cannot like...

[00:19:56] Your life is not going to turn around if you are practicing For 6 hours, for 6 months You have to stay with it for years and years together And then when it shows its magic to you It is so fascinating, it's so beautiful

[00:20:12] It literally pulls you into a world which you never knew existed before And it gives you so much of bliss and so much of fulfillment So I think any artist who gets to do what the artist wants to I think that there is no bigger blessing than that

[00:20:32] Because that's an artist's calling And the artist is able to do that as a profession And in the process, the artist is finding so much of self-fulfillment And they are also creating so much of beauty around you

[00:20:44] And people are able to see it, touch it, feel it, experience it So I think discipline is the starting point And like a total sense of fulfillment is probably your destination And no, I would not say the destination but outcome

[00:21:03] And it stays with you forever, it never leaves you So that's like a wisdom or a music knowledge which just stays with you It's just like you've been blessed with it And then obviously you are in gratitude

[00:21:16] That I have got it and I have to nurture it further But the point was that one has to really keep the flame burning You may not get support in your house Maybe you might not get accolades at the right time outside But you have to keep it

[00:21:35] The patient is the point you were making It will come, it will happen You be on course So that idea of discipline and scheduling And you keep doing all that But I always tell anybody who has asked me

[00:21:52] How long it takes to be an artist or to be where you are In the Q&A that we keep on doing on social media So I always say that there is not going to be anybody But you, to change your life You don't wait for anybody

[00:22:10] If somebody comes, gives you this opportunity Then my life will change You will spot them Yeah, you don't wait for that moment You just keep working and working and working on your craft with so much love And then people like yourself Mati Bani is exactly doing the same

[00:22:29] If you have that talent, you are identifying that And you are giving them a platform there Yes, yes So people will come to you if they are honest And you have done something good You know you are so modest Nerali in the beginning I really wanted to mention

[00:22:47] The number of awards you won But it's amazing to see somebody so humble And you know, so like, it doesn't matter It just shows you are so... I am truly grateful I am truly grateful to be able to live a life that I love

[00:23:03] And an artist creates something out of air There is nothing And I will sing something like this And you will like it too I like it very much So that feeling, you know And suddenly like just imagine life without art I would say

[00:23:26] Just take out all sorts of art from your life People say, oh business, money I mean everything has its own place But we suddenly have started to put so much of importance on these things To these things, yeah But what about the art? It's giving you the soul

[00:23:45] It's giving the society its soul Art is where the soul is I think that's how I see it While there's a huge debate going on on AI these days And that's a fundamental difference Yes, Mass Ben is into a lot of it

[00:23:58] It's gonna help, it's going to accelerate whatever we are doing But that soul will come from humans But it's not like that It's not like that Because I think we were saying the same things for internet When it came, say 30, 35, 40 years ago 30 years ago It's a great tool

[00:24:19] Of course everything has its unethical usages And of course internet has its unethical usages People are getting addicted to it There are so many wrong things that are happening But it has also empowered so many people It has empowered me as an artist

[00:24:36] So I think that is exactly what AI is going to do For example, if I want to make a video for Matibani And I currently don't want to invest in creating a video A good video, a basic good video will cost me about 5 LR

[00:24:54] And if I want to create a video just with prompts I have something right in my head So it's empowering me as an artist So that's what is accelerating your journey 3X or 4X But at the same time the feed is coming from you

[00:25:07] I mean that's what we've seen doing content as well Till the time you don't prompt properly The output is not going to be proper So yes, will it help you or accelerate it? Yes, like we did a song called Savan So we did its artwork with AI

[00:25:26] So the song has the AI cover So that doesn't mean it has taken away from my art It depends on how we use it But do you see any more usage coming in future Like you said your husband is into it Yes

[00:25:41] So a lot of people feel it's not good And totally agreed that it can take away a lot of things From a lot of people But if we kind of use it in a way Which as you said it accelerates in whatever field we are in Whatever

[00:26:00] Like right now we are using it in music To create a video through AI And we are just experimenting on it And we really like how it's sharing stuff So it's right now being made We don't know if it will be shareable

[00:26:18] But yes I think it will really help us as musicians So you travel quite a bit for concerts and do brand collaborations Also any concerts you're going abroad? Yes I usually do one tour abroad every year This is solo or this is along with a group?

[00:26:39] Both, sometimes it's matibani Sometimes it's just me as a... So it's called matibani only? Yes And sometimes it's with my solo classical concerts So every year one tour is fixed And of course then we get any South Asian concert Or Dubai concert and yes

[00:26:57] Okay tell me on your very tough days You know there would be one song you would want to hum I don't want to hum anything on my tough days What do you do on your tough days? Because when I sing I'm happy Okay so you're never unhappy then

[00:27:13] No when I sing it totally shifts my mood Energy shifts Yeah energy shifts but if I'm really low I won't sing on that day What do you do? How do you recuperate? I just let the day pass That's it and it's very natural right? Especially as an artist

[00:27:33] You want something You want to create something for example Or you want to reach a certain thing Wherein you can visualize it but you don't know how to Then you need to pause Ultimately you will find it yes But then you often feel low

[00:27:51] And there is nothing wrong in it It's just a part of being an artist Nice Totally fine with It's okay to take a pause It's okay to take relax It's also human to be like that I think that's the point I was also trying to make

[00:28:04] Because with so much of performance And so much of giving to the world It's also how you're looking at feeding your own soul So that becomes equally important as an artist How do you rejuvenate I've seen social media is full of it

[00:28:21] There has been a burnout in the artist community It's just led to even mental issues Or mental health has got impacted So what is your point of view Is it like too much of just focusing on the craft And not on self and self love

[00:28:38] Yeah you're absolutely right Because there is suddenly so much of comparison Going on social media And you're comparing yourself With like the best of the best Not just in your area But across the world Before it used to be okay You are just sharing a space

[00:28:59] With your fellow singers, fellow students Or maybe in a city You're participating in a competition With all the songs in your city You compete with that Closed in community Now you're suddenly competing With everybody across the globe Like there is this person in the US

[00:29:21] Who is doing a classical fusion And he's doing it Why not? So why am I not doing it? So that definitely affects But as an artist When I have to understand what one's strengths are Everybody cannot be everybody Correct So what is my strength?

[00:29:40] I have to understand it And I have to stick onto it And then work and build over it Instead of If they do this, I'll do it too So I'll get more views It never works like that Views is never in your hands

[00:29:53] You just keep doing what you genuinely feel You must do this Do you compose your own songs? Yeah, I do You do all the time, right? Yeah What is the next big project you're working on? Is it an album or a music video? Yes, it is an album

[00:30:06] And it is both for classical and for matibani We have a lot of songs ready But me and Kartik with matibani We have to work together And right now he's busy in another individual project That he is doing So I'm focusing right now on my classical album

[00:30:23] And then once we both are free from our individual projects They'll again come back together And bring all these songs together into an album So it's very exciting Thanks, Nirali I think we got to know who the artist is Now a little bit about the human behind it

[00:30:41] So what are your hobbies? My hobbies are to read, to travel I love nature of course But I also love to visit good architectural places Good architectures like food for soul Like we're all women I love old places which has soul to it Character to it

[00:31:02] And I love to roam Being in Rome I just used to go and visit There's this fountain called Trevi Fountain And it's so crowded all the time But I was like, no, I want more of this I want to experience when I'm just there with this beautiful thing

[00:31:20] So we went there at 4 a.m. We went there at 1 a.m. And we were just there Just taking the beauty of that place So history and architecture Yes Nice Okay, this brings us to our next round Which is Quick Bites Okay

[00:31:38] How do you jumpstart your day with coffee or tea? Tea Tea With Masala Tea? With Masala Tea, I'm the brand ambassador of Taj Mahal tea So I have to Okay, and you also do the bethak Yes At Taj

[00:31:52] You want to talk about a very unique and interesting project? It is Yeah So I am associated with Taj Mahal tea Since quite sometime now, 2019 almost And it's so iconic to be associated with a brand that is So much into classical music And that signifies

[00:32:12] And that has put Indian classical music at such a At the forefront So yeah, it's great And then I offered them if we can do bethaks At this beautiful place that they have in Bandra So Bandra is like very hip happening Very cool guys and girls

[00:32:31] And suddenly in the middle of this very happening neighbourhood We have a place which kind of brings out classical music So I think that's very special Very nice I remember my grandfather used to do these bethaks Like when I was a kid A much shairi Correct, mushaira Mushaira

[00:32:51] At that time I was very young I was like 5 or 7 My dad took to it because he started singing I told he was the first announcer And a singer in all India Radio But none of us sing and I love singers I love artists, I love music

[00:33:04] And I hope Ait San becomes one one day But coming to my next question Mountains or beaches for you? Mountains Why? Just because of the mammothness and so much determination That inspires you Are you a morning person? Morning person What is your morning routine?

[00:33:24] First I do my riyals Which is like one hour fixed One hour riyals 5.30 Yeah Then I do my riyals and then I gift myself A nice cup of tea It's like my gift to myself Is there anything about 5.30? Like this is like that's

[00:33:41] So you will wake up before that Ideally 5 Ideally 5 But yeah But it is true It is true It impacts your riyals and your voice quality also Yes, and right now when I wake up Like I am surrounded by the koelka Lovely, lovely

[00:34:01] Okay if your life was a story And had its own soundtrack Do you want to compose one right now On this spot? Why not? My life is a story Which will be a story of Joyfulness, persistence And vision I would say Joyfulness, persistence and vision

[00:34:24] These are the 3 words that I think define my life So story will be around it So how will I show you my joyfulness? Persistence

[00:35:35] My life is a story My life is a story It's a hit Soundtrack is a hit, story is a hit Absolutely I think I would love to read a book Or a movie if it has this soundtrack Oh lovely Really pull one in

[00:35:52] Okay you know while you were singing What was coming to my mind is that Every sound has a vibration You put it into emotion And the determination came out of it A completely different sound So do you use these also to Reverse the emotion in you

[00:36:13] Like you said that if I sing My emotions will change So you do that and it works Because what I am asking you This is in meditation we do this Sound vibration on Japa Jaap or Mantra Jaap To change how we are feeling Or to feel elevated

[00:36:31] So you are doing it anyway through your craft Yes So do you do consciously as well While you are practicing Yes in fact every rag has its mood And we have to connect with that rag To bring out that mood So it's very important to understand

[00:36:46] The nature and essence of that rag Before we sing it And once we sing it It naturally happens It literally takes you in its world Then you are up, up, up enjoy Karubas Till you reach that point You have to make some effort

[00:37:05] What are your ambitions, bucket list left? Bucket list I am a very moment by moment person So yeah I just really like I just want to sing That has always been my one thing I just want to sing I just want to sing I just want to sing

[00:37:26] I just want to sing I just want to sing I will enjoy this moment if I am singing I love to sing That is so divine and so pure I think you are a very purest approach to life Everything will fall in place

[00:37:41] As long as I am following my passion And I am grounded in that Because we as artists It's a byproduct to travel I travel every year So wherever we go we explore So of course that's happening already I loved travelling I am a hardcore saaji

[00:37:59] So I probably chose to be an artist So that I could travel So that's already happening And I am singing So that's already happening So what else do we need? Just sing, sing, sing Okay in your definition Just give us how do you define The unstoppable spirit

[00:38:17] So I feel when you are motivated It's great You are going to do so many things But I think the unstoppable aspect comes in When you are not in that phase When you don't feel motivated enough To do things that you should be doing

[00:38:38] Or that your soul knows you should be doing Your soul knows, your intuition knows That you have to do this You know what you have to do But on those days when you don't want to do certain things

[00:38:50] Or on days together when you don't feel like doing certain things Or your probably circumstances change Your situations change Maybe things have changed so much That you feel oh it's not the same How will you adapt to it? How will you change it?

[00:39:07] How will you make things again work for you? Those moments are unstoppable You have a different definition Because everybody comes on the show They have a very different take on this And this is so beautiful Some people say it's all within

[00:39:21] Or it is the attitude which is always there Always on But you are saying that in the instances and time period You need the most important thing unstoppable That's the time you... Yes, that's the time when you have to pull up yourself Let's do it

[00:39:39] Pull up can be a song for you It can be a meditation for someone It can be an art for someone So every...the techniques could differ But you need to pull up yourself If I am a musician then I won't be unstoppable

[00:39:52] And I want people to experience my art And if I wait for say a director to come And chill out saying for my Bollywood film You know that's not the real thing I am doing what I want to do irrespective of somebody

[00:40:10] Calling me or asking me to do That is important I will create...I will sit and sing You know that is that I have sung in the...in the bethaks that I organized Because I had started doing this

[00:40:23] I started from home and I would call people at home Really? Yes, so sometimes I used to sing Sometimes I used to call my friends and ask to perform Lovely So that is how I created opportunities for myself And I am very good-ju in that sense

[00:40:38] I am a hardcore like entrepreneurial I do it So you were attracted to situations Yes But at the beginning you have to do it yourself That is the point you are making That you don't stop and that is being unstoppable

[00:40:53] Because I have often seen like in Indian Idol People that you don't hear about And some artists have really done good for them Some people go there Yes, they have not won Even then they go ahead So what is that? That's unstoppable Nice Thank you so much Nerali

[00:41:10] Thank you for coming on this show I think you added a very different perspective Thank you Shanty And singing is very close to my heart And thank you so much Thank you so much And wish you all the best Thank you

[00:41:24] There is much more coming in your life Wish you all the best