Progress to perfection
R& B singer Thomson Andrews’ new single, People Ain’t Things, is just a glimpse of greater things to come tomorrow...
His professional music career began at the age of 17, and at 18, Thomson Andrews was juggling singing, college and work. Today, the 26year- old has worked with the biggest names in the music industry and the release of his new single, People Ain't Things, is just the beginning of what the artiste wants to further accomplish.
The first R& B singer and songwriter from India, Thomson’s tryst with music started long ago, when he was only 10. Born and brought up in Mumbai, he was a part of his church choir and that brought him opportunities like TV shows and concerts on his way.
“In 2010, I got my major musical break. I got to perform with none other than A. R. Rahman at the IPL ceremony. After that, I started getting offers to work with innumerable music directors,” he recollects, tracing back. He kicked off with providing vocal arrangements and then background scores for many films.
One of his most acclaimed collaborations was for the Oscar- nominated movie 127 Hours. “I had to give addi- tional vocals for the title track of the film. After that, I also worked on Superheavy, an album which featured songs by the likes of Mick Jagger, Jass Stone, et al,” he says.
Since then, he has gone on to work with A- list Bollywood composers such as Vishal and Shekhar, Vishal Bharadwaj and others. For his upcoming R& B album, the first single of which is People Ain’t Things, he even had Grammy award winning engineers working for him.
Thomson, who can sing in 15 different languages, has made his debut in Tollywood with the film Run Raja Run with music director M. Ghibran. “Because of my work in B- town, I got widespread recognition and that fetched me work from down South as well,” acknowledges the youngster. “I actually have a few more projects lined up with M. Ghibran in Tamil and Telugu,” he further divulges the dope.
“For the initial four years, I worked for free. My aim was to gain as much experience as possible. Money was not my main priority, which is why I was going to the college to continue with my studies, simultaneously working part- time and then concentrating on my music too,” he briefs his humble beginnings.
Learning lessons from his own life, Thomson dispenses his advice to today’s budding musicians: “When I had joined a corporate house, I would toil nine hours a day and then go for four hours of music practice. But finally, I gave up my corporate life to wholeheartedly pursue music. So my suggestion to avid aspirants would be not to chase money. Instead, follow your heart and go for that ultimate experience to bring you a real taste of wealth worth of gratifying accolades.”
Don’t run after money. Rather follow your heart to live your dream which gleams like a light at the end of your struggletunnel.