Daily Inspiration: Meet Aman Sagar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aman Sagar.

Hi Aman, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a small town called Haldwani in the Northern part of India. Growing up, there was always music in the household, from my father’s old Bollywood record collection to pop and rock music that my siblings were consuming. I remember being a very observant and obsessive listener as a kid, which then led to me learning to play the guitar when I was 14. There was absolutely no formal music education accessible for western contemporary music but fortunately YouTube was picking up right around that time and I was able to self-teach myself for the most part. Coming from a more or less typical Indian family, I wasn’t allowed to pursue music full time right after high school on account of it not being the most lucrative career choice so I decided to study English Literature instead.

When I moved to New Delhi for college, I was exposed to live music for the first time and eventually became a part of “the scene”, winning various college competitions and slowly started making a name for myself playing in various bands. In the early years, I was mostly playing with jazz-fusion, funk and experimental bands which inculcated in me a deep interest and appreciation for music theory, while at the same time the music I was writing stemmed from my early pop sensibilities and a newfound love for blues guitar. In the spring of 2016, I decided to take things a step further and applied to Berklee College of Music in Boston, and as luck would have it, I was awarded the first ever A R Rahman Scholarship, which covered the entire tuition cost and was good enough to convince my parents to let me explore my passion. Since then, I’ve been in the United States working as an artist and producer.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There were a lot of struggles in the beginning. There were the logistical problems of growing up in a small town and not having access to music teachers or even good internet for that matter. I grew up in a place where there were power cuts for at least 4 hours everyday. Then there were the intellectual struggles of finding like-minded individuals to hang out with. I remember being one of only two guitar players in my high school and probably the first person there to start a rock band. Being in college for something other than music added to the struggle of not having enough time to work on music as my parents in the beginning were not fully supportive of it. It was and still is extremely difficult to make a living playing “western” music in a conservative country like India, no matter how good you are. There are extremely strong forces in India working together to make you believe that music is just not a viable career option, from financial instability to lack of appreciation for the arts to consistent criticism from not just society but sometimes one’s own family. But all in all, I am grateful for all those experiences as it made me appreciate music even more and gave me a sense of purpose to keep moving forward and not settle for mediocrity.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am primarily an Artist and Producer. Owing to my extremely diverse musical upbringing, being a producer helps me delve deep into different styles of music and create something meaningful. Before moving to the US, I was primarily Guitar Player/Performer but Berklee exposed me to ton of exciting opportunities, from performing my own music to recording large ensembles. One of those opportunities that I cherish the most was interning at Power Station Studios (Formerly Avatar Studios) in NYC. It made me realize how much I enjoy the process and challenges of making music from scratch to the final master. I graduated right in the middle of the pandemic in August 2020 and since then, I have put out about eight songs with artists from the US, Mexico and India and have been able to garner hundreds of thousands of streams and editorial playlist placements on major streaming platforms. The music that I have written and produced ranges from Contemporary R&B to traditional Jazz to Hindi Hip-Hop. I also recently won a Beat Battle hosted by the legend Kenny Beats on twitch, which is probably what I’ve been most proud of lately. I guess what sets me apart as a producer is the fact that I am highly skilled as a ‘traditional’ musician and multi-instrumentalist with a very versatile background and graduating with a degree in Music Production and Engineering has given me the technical skills to bring my ideas to fruition quite efficiently.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I guess a listener might not fully understand what goes into producing music that I make as it is such a broad term. But there’s often been times when I’ve received demos from artists and then re-structured the entire composition/arrangement, played and recorded each and every instrument myself and mixed and mastered the track. But that is only possible because the song demo is incredible and inspiring. But typically modern producers don’t really get the credit they deserve.

Pricing:

• Music Production – $300 and upwards
• Mixing – $250 and upwards
• Mastering – $100 and upwards

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amansagarr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicbyasj
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGR_Yx13lK9fd8HYRasKF9nX7Xcj91jPF
• SoundCloud: https://open.spotify.com/artist/44RHVQwXmrmkfsOnSuURmF?si=jA-I0AP5SOO2CXmnAI35QA&dl_branch=1

Image Credits:
Parth Daga, Grant LaButte, Agney Mulay, Raissa Anasthasia Talehata, Prabhtoj Singh