That’s music to the ears!

Gurnaaz Kaur

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With a week full of stardom, Akull Tandon says he couldn’t have asked for more. But, that does not mean this music composer-turned-singer became an overnight star. “I’ve given many years of hard work and toil to my profession. For most people, it may come across as ‘wow! This person did one song and has become a hit’ but that’s really not the case. A lot has gone into reaching where I am today,” says Akull Tandon, whose song Laal Bindi has become quite a rage online and on all music apps. It has even got one million views on YouTube within a week. This song has been produced by EMI Records India, a collaboration between film director Mohit and Universal Music. This January, EMI came up with a new project called VYRL Originals, wherein it launches a new single every month.

Which means, it can be a great platform for budding artistes, and Akull says, “I couldn’t agree more. It did not just give me an opportunity to showcase my work; it brought me recognition and face value.”

Akull’s story is not very new or different. A B Com graduate from Delhi University, he didn’t have much interest in studies and wanted to pursue a career in some creative field. Much against the will of his parents, he chose to get into music. Right after graduating, he joined a production company in Delhi and made jingles for radio ads. A few years of experience and know-how, Akull’s dream for something bigger, better became Mumbai.

“I had done music composing and arranging in Delhi and that’s what I did here as a freelancer. I’ve worked for and with other artistes, but that was mainly to start in this big city. Alongside, I started making my own songs,” he says.

What followed was perhaps a life-changing conversation with Mohit Suri. “I had met producers and directors to share my work with them. Along those lines, I went to Mohit Suri. I gave him some rough tracks for his movies and he asked me if I had something else. That’s when Laal Bindi surfaced. I sang the song and he was so impressed with it that he asked me to make a video for it and ready it for VYRL.”

Rest, as they say is history.

Of the many things, Akull is now planning to launch a music album and collaborate with other Punjabi artistes to bring out some urban Punjabi, hip hop, and out-of-the-box music.

We would also get to hear his music in movies by the end of this year. With all this planning, things seem to be streamlined for this music man and we can expect some more surprising entries- thanks to VYRL Originals.

gurnaaz@tribunemail.com