Meet Nexa Music Top 24 Artist: Bryan Ernest

The first time we came across Mumbai singer-songwriter Bryan Ernest was in 2017, when he addressed depression and suicide on his debut single “Its OK Not To Be Okay.” The musician has since gone on to perform gigs all over India, formed a duo called StringyCheese & CrackerJack with fellow singer-songwriter Neethi Anne and started community art and travel company Motojojo Co. Recently, Ernest also made the Top 24 for Nexa Music, the nationwide hunt for English-language artists from across the country.

Two years ago Ernest also played a set at gig series Nexa Baleno Wicked Weekend at Mumbai’s Hard Rock Café Andheri and is delighted to see the brand take things a step further with Nexa Music. “I think they have just hit the bullseye when they came up with the Nexa Music concept,” he says. Ernest adds, “To be honest, I feel privileged and humbled to be selected as one of the Top 24 in India.”

Ernest is preparing to release new music at the turn of the year and is also working on an 11-instrument live looping set which includes guitar, violin, drums and more. Ask the singer-songwriter about how he feels the platform can propel his career and he says, “I really think there is a movement that has caught on since [U.K. singer-songwriter] Ed Sheeran exploded in the scene, making people more open to this kind of music and a platform like Nexa Music really gives the artist all they need to get right up there.”

Apart from just having a boost for himself, Ernest also mentions that he is honored to be collaborating with composers A.R. Rahman and Clinton Cerejo over the course of the competition. He says, “I’m happy that they’ve seen this and have worked towards turning this far-fetched dream into a reality. There’s so much that they can impart musically to me and so much I can learn from them. Really looking forward to that.”