Seasoned Singer-Composer Thomson Andrews on Turning Entrepreneur with Throan of Art

When Thomson Andrews released his pop-funk song “I Got Your Money” in 2017, it actually set the wheels in motion for hisThroan Of Art. Andrews, who has worked with Indian music heavyweights such as Salim-Sulaiman, Pritam, A.R. Rahman, Amit Trivedi and others in different capacities, D.I.Y-ed his way through the glitzy music video for “I Got Your Money.”

He says, “Before each of my international concerts, I would plan a month in advance, do an online recce, hiring freelance Directors, D.O.P.s, line producers, actors, dancers and the works, screen their work etc. Post my concerts I would stay back, do another recce to lock shoot locations in person and shoot.”

Throan Of Art has allowed Thomson to take on artist development and do a lot of the same things for other emerging talents in the Indian music industry. In addition to the occasional song featuring Andrews, Throan Of Art has done promo for artists like Gwen Dias, fusion act Sukanti & Anushree, plus released music as a label – most recently “Tea” by singer-songwriter Vernon D’Souza, featuring producer Souvik Adak. “I usually work with artists who have a unique narrative to themselves as singer-songwriters, the urge of learning, ready to work hard and hustle to be their best and achieve success, musically and as people,” Andrews says.

Where some music companies are somewhat opaque and superficial in their dealings with artists, Andrews is very clear that his goals are often intertwined with those on the roster. In that way, he gets to continue learning. “It’s been a learning and enlightening experience to know the business side of how things work for an artist and a label and I’m still learning new things,” he says. There is some cross-pollination, owing to Andrews’ work as a supervisor for ads, films and rehearsals. Andrews adds, “Once I get a gauge of their talent, I keep them in mind for my label as well.”

Along the way, he’s also steadily releasing his own material. While the debut single released via Throan Of Art was in fact a song Andrews had sung on – the pandemic-themed “Badlega Ye Waqt” with Ashna Dhanuka – there are several other styles and themes at play in Andrews’ solo work. “It’s a mammoth task to be honest,” he says. The singer adds, “But it’s truly a super engaged, highly driven and focused job of sorts being an artist and an entrepreneur.”

Watch the video for “Tea” by Vernon D’Souza below.