‘WILL.I.AM LOVED MY STYLE, MY CULTURE’
‘Music man’ with his ‘trademark’ bindi, 10yearold Krishna Shil talks about life since his performance on a UK reality show went viral
Indian origin boy, Krishna Shil’s mash-up of How Deep is Your Love? and Balam Pichkari, during the blind audition of The Voice Kids UK, turned him into an overnight sensation. We got in touch with the 10-year-old, who says his life has changed for the better.
Krishna, who has been learning music since the age of two, is a student of St. Andrew’s Primary School, London. One of the mentors on the show, American rapper, singer and songwriter Will.i.am was bowled over by the young one’s performance. It was Will.i.am who named him “the music man”, shares Krishna.
You received so much praise for your act. How do you handle all the adulation?
I’ve performed at many places and people have praised my singing, so I’m used to that. But [since the show] people stopped me and asked if I was the boy who performed in The Voice Kids. And then, they had a lot of good things to say.
Will.i.am couldn’t stop praising your singing and your kurtas... He was a kind and friendly person. He loved my style, my culture. Meeting him was a great privilege. He gave me tips, and told me to add more flavour to the song. Are you still in touch with him? Unfortunately, we were no longer in contact after the auditions. But, my brother and I were called to do an interview with Lorraine about my experience, and we were suddenly given a surprise visit by Will.i.am. After the interview, we had a good chat. He told me to keep the good work going.
How did the idea of a mashup come about?
It started off when the shows producers got in touch with my parents after seeing my videos on YouTube and Facebook, and asked me to participate in the competition. I had never sung an English songs before [so] the producers advised that I could do a remix of an English and a Bollywood song. My brother (Josh Shil) is influenced by English songs; he chose How Deep Is Your Love by Calvin Harris and Disciples. And I chose Balam Pichkari (from the film Yeh Jawaani Hai
Deewani).
My mother (Mahamaya Shil) helped me combine the tracks.
What kind of Indian music do you listen to?
I love Bollywood music; to be specific, the Qawali type of songs. I mostly sing devotional songs. I go to different cultural festivals and sing bhajans, kirtans etc. My father (Johar Shil) feeds me with Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar’s songs. I am a huge fan of Anup Jalota, and also like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s songs. Any plans to come to India? Yes, it would be a privilege to work in films or music industry... I want to become a famous singer/actor.
Lastly, what’s the secret behind your cute bindi?
As they say, ‘Nazar na lage’… It’s my mum, sitting on my forehead with a big cannon to shoot down anyone who may cast evil spells on me. I’m just joking! My bindi is representative of my parent’s blessings and it is also my trademark.