*Emerges topper in Pune, seeks votes
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, July 25: Surprising! But true. That Jammu boy Surya Ganjoo, singer, songwriter, having the honour of being the Pune finalists, without receiving any training in the field of music, has made it to the top eight bands of India to compete with the cream of the country in the ongoing prestigious Red Bull Spotlight contest.
By making it to the top eight bands of the country, Surya has proved that “Talent is wahat you possess and genius is what possesses you”.
Surya possesses all that is required to win the contest, but for doing so he needs support in the form of votes to get into the finals. He is the only face of Jammu Kashmir in this high profile competition.
Surya, who is studying Mechanical Engineering at Pune, has taken lead and qualified from Pune in the Red Bull Spotlight, a nationwide programme to identify and tap top talent across various fields.
The 21-year boy currently performs as a singer and songwriter using an acoustic guitar and his vocals. The voice and the art of this charismatic singer is the same described by poets.
Ganjoo, the winner from Pune will have to compete with other finalists namely Heavy Metal Band Illucia from Bangalore, Hindi Progressive/Alt Rock Band Last Minute from Mumbai, Hard/Alt Rock Band Drone from Kolkata, Rock Bank Sword from Hyderabad, Deathcore Band Jammers Graveyard from Guwahati, Progressive/Alt rock TNT from Goa, Progressive/Alt Rock Band Khalnayak from Delhi and Hip-hop/Soul Band Amogh and The Homies from Chennai.
While all the other finalists are bands, Ganjoo is the only individual singer-songwriter in the competition but he is using it to his advantage.
“My music is honest. I say what I want to say without the fear of being judged, that’s the reason people should vote for me,” Surya urges music lovers.
Supporters and fans need to log on the Redbull website to vote. The link is open till end of this month only. To vote, log on to (www.redbbull.in/spotlight) or
(https://www.redbull.com/in-en/projects/red-bull-spotlilght-2018).
At the end of the voting period, the judges will select one winning band, which will get the chance to record an entire album of their own at a professional studio, along with a complete press kit, and a session with industry experts – including artist managers, booking agents and venue managers.
When contacted by EXCELSIOR and asked as to how he managed to be the part of this prestigious event, Surya said, “One day earlier this year, when I was blissfully napping at home, I woke up with a WhatsApp message from my friend, who sent me a pamphlet of a competition being held in their college at this time. It was 4:30 pm and jumped up, got ready and dashed. I reached there within half an hour and thought of giving it a try. And it was how I went on to win the Pune round of the Red Bull Spotlight competition”.
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