Voctronica Talk Japan Trip, Crowdfunding and Future Plans
The Mumbai-based vocal group placed second in the Asian A Capella Competition of the Vocal Asia Festival
Mumbai vocal group Voctronica in Takamatsu, Japan for the Vocal Asia Festival earlier this month. Photo: Courtesy of Mixtape
When Mumbai vocal group Voctronica made their international debut at the Moscow Spring A Capella Festival in May, they were already plotting their next move in the Far East. The Vocal Asia Festival (August 9th to 12th) held in Kagawa, Japan had been in action for 10 years and Voctronica were one among eight groups selected and invited to participate.
Clyde Rodrigues says, “The scope of the all vocal community worldwide, was truly something we discovered In person during our Moscow Spring Festival adventures.” Voctronica launched a crowdfunding campaign and raised over ₹ 8 lakhs to secure their trip to Japan, which the group counts as “unbelievable,” “high standard” and rigorous. Warsha Easwar adds, “All in all, this [crowdfunding] campaign was surreal and fired us up even more.”
The group placed second, clinching silver at the Asian A Capella Cup at Vocal Asia Festival. The winnings involve $2,000, a trophy and certificate. Nagesh Reddy says, “Might we add that winning over that crowd was the biggest win of all.”
It took a total of 22 hours to reach Japan, followed by a four-hour bus ride to the host city of Takamatsu in Kagawa, and Aditi Ramesh says there was “no room for spillage or relaxation” once they were there. The singer recounts that they had about 10 days in Moscow, but Takamatsu was all about “sustained intensity packed into one evening.”
Arjun Nair adds, “In sporting analogies, Moscow was a long format high intensity competition, and Japan was a short format pressure cooker of a contest. And for us personally, we were just happy to be performing for people around the world, the competition is sure a great way to go about it.”
Beyond the win, Voctronica members agree that this festival and Moscow has helped them get acquainted with what Avinash Tewari calls the “all-vocal-verse.” He adds, “There are amazing festivals in Norway, France, Finland, Spain, and the Americas, some of whom are already prospects in progress.” The trip did however push back the release of the group’s forthcoming material, but Tewari says they’re working on it. With more gigs and their Fancam video series for engaging fans, it’s still busy times ahead. Tewari says about the plans for the coming months, “Ambitious, yes, but doable, and exciting.”
Watch Voctronica tour video from the Moscow A Capella Spring Festival in May below.
