Today we’d like to introduce you to Upasak (Upa) Mukherjee.
Hi Upasak (Upa), please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a Tabla player, Film Scorer, and Music Producer from India. I have been learning the Tabla from a very young age from my Guruji, Grammy-nominated Pt Subhen Chatterjee. From very early on, my inclinations were towards music and eventually, by putting in the practice hours, I kept getting better and better! Even though I have always wanted to be a musician, I was made to appear for the standard exams that every kid in my school was taking at that time. Eventually, I got accepted into a top dental college in India and had to follow my parents’ guidance and accept the role of a dental student. Even throughout my dentistry phase, I was winning many awards for my tabla playing. The good thing about studying in a more International college was that it exposed me to many new genres of music, and I started to fall in love with the guitar through this journey. In the last few months leading up to my graduation, I was very convinced that I still wanted to pursue my career in music and started taking guitar lessons. Right after the graduation, I went back home and ended up being able to convince my parents to let me audition for Berklee College Of Music.
Through the next year and a half, I dedicated all my efforts into learning the guitar and ended up getting accepted to the only music college I applied for! From this point on, I have had the honour and privilege of collaborating with greats like Jamey Haddad, Patrice Rushen, Abeer Nehme, Jon Paterno, Kala Ramnath, Edward Perez, the Berklee Indian Ensemble, etc. Apart from these collaborations, I have also been composing rhythmic arrangements, which became really popular in Berklee and led me to be featured in their YouTube. Eventually, I’ve had the privilege of performing my pieces in Spain and the USA, and the pieces have been covered by many magazines and blogs like the AnRFactory, Rhythm Passport, Savaal Magazine, etc. Apart from my performances, I am also investing a big chunk of my time to learn the art of composing for films and music production in Berklee. Learning from some of the masters of these fields has been a real privilege, and I am looking forward to working in Wisseloord Studios, Netherlands in the coming summer! I am very excited for what the future will bring to me and am looking forward to more amazing things!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As I mentioned previously, the road has not been smooth, but the journey was definitely worth it! Going in a direction that does not align with who I am gave me the conviction to follow my dreams no matter what. Now that I’ve been there and done that, I know for sure that there is no turning back! Every bit of hard work I put into my present moment is because of this conviction, and I am grateful that I went through with this journey.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My background as a Tabla player and learning the art from none other than my Guruji, Grammy-nominated Pt. Subhen Chatterjee has been a blessing. Coming into a diverse environment like Berklee has opened up many doors for me because of my unique roots. I have had the opportunity to play in several big productions like the Budaya, which was premiered in conjunction with the Georgetown Literary Festival. Getting to collaborate with the Berklee Indian Ensemble has also definitely been one of my highlights. Performing with the SilkRoad ensemble is also something that has opened me up to music from the World. It is very rare to play in an ensemble which includes, for example, Tabla, Guzheng, Iranian Vocalists, Viola Da Gamba, Accordion, Duduk, etc. working together to lend their unique characteristics to the same piece. Working in such diverse situations has opened me up to new soundscapes.
Inspired by projects like this, I have also created my own rhythmic compositions which include musicians from different parts of the world, like Japan, Singapore, Chile, Poland, etc. Drawing from the music of these different cultures, I blend this unique mixture with my own Indian roots. My videos, shot with a 360 camera, exploring rhythms became really popular in Berklee and eventually led me to be featured in their YouTube channel. I am really thrilled with the response this particular “Two Track” project has received and want to continue creating more and more of these projects. Alongside this, I have also had the opportunity to engineer and produce a single for Amanda Mena, the star of Voice and Golden Buzzer performer of America’s Got Talent. Very excited for the release of this one! Last but not the least, I am also continuously working on my film scoring skills and working on many projects in and out of Berklee. Film Scoring is actually in the forefront of my work right now, and I am looking to lend my unique voice to bigger-budget films in the near future!
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid has, of course changed how the world functions. Specially for people in the field of music, things have been rough because of the lack of live shows, etc. Even though such a crisis was difficult to navigate for most musicians, I was really inspired by how some people I know actually turned the tides in their own favour through this crisis. For film composers, it of course became more of a norm to be working from home, in their own studios, and connecting with the directors mostly through Zoom. I was also mind-blown by the innovation of one of my professors who teaches music production and engineering. He usually engineers the recordings of live orchestras.
During the last phase of covid, when live orchestras were starting to get recorded again, he built a few “recording kits.” These had specific microphones and other hardware necessities required to run a session. He would then ship these kits to different parts of the world. During the recording, he would assist the staff present in the location to set up the mics through Zoom and then run the session remotely. The advantage of such a system is that he could record two different orchestras in two different parts of the world on the same day without having to travel there himself! I believe Covid has opened the world of music to many possibilities, even though it was such a rough time to survive in!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/upasakmukherjee
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/upashock.wav?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/upasak.mukherjee.1?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/upasak-mukherjee-661a55146
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@upasakmukherjee8986?si=GQGTD5kEtKXUdV4E
- SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/M7NSq
- Other: https://youtu.be/kSTaivT2L9A?si=G5RPH6AUqlRvGyST
Image Credits
Hannah Rose (For the Pictures Named With Silk Road)
