THIS WHIZZKID HITS ALL THE RIGHT NOTES

He was only 10 when he released his first album. Meet musical prodigy Shourya Kumar Lal who has already worked with big names like ‘Badri Ki Dulhania’ singer Dev Negi, Sufi artiste Hashmat Sultana and Shahid Mallya, the voice behind hits like ‘Ik Kudi’ and ‘Rabba Main Toh Mar Gaya’.

“People get surprised when they meet me and realise how young I am. But they like my work and that’s what matters,” says Shourya, who was in Lucknow recently.

“Working with grown-ups is easy once they get used to you. I was nervous before recording with some of these famous artistes but they talk to me very politely and always manage to put me at ease,” he adds.

Shourya’s parents, being music enthusiasts, were quick to identify his sizable musical talent. An unfulfilled dream of becoming a musician prompted his father to encourage his son, who was only four-year-old then, to pick up music.

And he left people in awe as he performed his first stage show at seven years of age. “My parents have always been supportive,” says Shourya.

His tryst with composing came at the age of 14 when he composed his first song — a Punjabi-Arabian fusion number named ‘Albee’.

Since then he has recorded six songs with leading Bollywood singers, the latest of these being ‘Mere Saiyaan’. Released last month, the song has already garnered five million views on YouTube.

Although he hasn’t yet written songs for Bollywood, Shourya reckons the works he’s composing are stepping stones towards his eventual goal — composing for his favourite actor Shahrukh Khan.

“These compositions are testing grounds. I have a lot to learn and explore before I start composing for the film industry” he says.

He tells us that his favourite genre is ‘Bollywood romantic’. “While I don’t want to be tied down to a particular genre I’ll have to admit that doing romantic songs is fun,” says Shourya.

He’s currently working on four projects two of which, a Punjabi and a Sufi-romantic single, are slated to be released soon.

Standing up to the composer’s stereotype, Shourya’s creativity flows after the witching hour. He’s often found working late in the night on some or the other composition at his home studio, an erstwhile store room.

Despite this, studies go hand in hand for the young maestro who has tied his studies down to a tight schedule. Shourya is studying in Class 11.

When asked how he feels about the Board examination next year, he gives a reply that seems to indicate that he has it all figured out.

“I’m going to wrap up most of my projects by then. Besides, I’ve taken up humanities, I’ll be fine,” he says.

Shourya Kumar Lal