Ankur Tewari, Manj Musik, Tesher Turn Mentors with New Platform for Indie Artists

Top artists across pop, hip-hop and electronic music like Ankur Tewari, Manj Musik and Tesher are part of a global initiative’s India chapter to guide emerging musicians in India’s independent and mainstream music space.

Tewari, Manj and Tesher have been assigned two mentees each as part of the India edition of global platform Ballantine’s Glassware True Music, a collaboration with music label Big Bang Music. With workshops, studio time and performances all accessible within a timeframe, Ballantine’s Glassware True Music India includes Tewari working with singer-songwriters Anoushka Maskey and Akshath, while Punjabi artist Manj Musik is mentoring singers Raashi Sood and Kunwarr. Adding even more global yet desi flavor is Tesher, who’s been remotely working with hip-hop artist Shia and pop artist Ronit Vinta.

While Sood and Kunwarr will perform today (June 3rd) with Prabh Deep headlining a Ballantine’s True Music event in Gurugram (where Manj has a masterclass on creating “timeless Punjabi sounds”), more shows featuring the six emerging artists are yet to be announced in Mumbai and Bengaluru. The first of 12 songs from the project – Akshath’s dreamy tune “Sahaare” – released earlier in May.

Tewari says that being part of a project like this in between all his work as composer, songwriter and music supervisor is not just about finding the time. “For me, this is very important. This is probably more important than any other work. Because you kind of keep yourself apprised of what’s happening around you and also hear new sounds and you meet new musicians and you learn a lot,” he says.

Sharing his observations about working with Maskey and Akshath, Tewari highlights the stories younger artists want to tell through their music. “They’re very bold, they’re out there. They’re not scared, they’re not second guessing themselves, and it was very exciting to see the clarity of thought that the musicians had […] My idea was to kind of make a safe circle and a safe space for artists to express themselves and then just enhance what they want to say instead of imposing my ideas on them,” he adds.

Manj, for his part, is regularly asked advice and says he’s often been a mentor, pointing to the likes of rap star Raftaar. Where this platform differs for Manj is in terms of availability. “This is something that’s definitely needed because I think people lose a little direction. They get excited in what they feel is the best moves and the best thing to do for their career. And it’s always nice to have advice.” Mentoring Sood and Kunwarr, Manj says he also loves getting in the studio with new talent. “I myself need to be up to par with what’s happening and this is a great experience that way,” he adds.

Tesher has been FaceTiming with Shia and Vinta as part of the project and considers it exciting. He says about his mentees, “I’ve gotten to know them briefly, through the initial Zoom calls we had. They’re both very different in their own ways. Ronit’s from Shimla and Shia is from Mumbai. Shia’s making music that sounds very like international hip-hop, while Ronit’s making very lo-fi, moody pop records. So I think it’s interesting to see where they’re from, and seeing the international influence in their music – I think it’s an interesting fusion.”

The Indo-Canadian artist behind hits such as “Jalebi Baby” and “Young Shahrukh” points to the global success of Korean artists to say that while brown artists have an undeniable “international influence,” there’s still work to do before the same Indian music can start charting on Billboard. “But we’re getting there,” he adds.