Daily Inspiration: Meet Shulin Rudra

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shulin Rudra.

Shulin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Music has always been a part of my life in some capacity, whether it was the instruments I played growing up or the songs I’d listen to on my mom’s iPod. I think a good place to start my story is in 2015, when a babysitter introduced me to GarageBand. It was the first time I’d heard about music production and I immediately fell in love. I started producing everyday, subjecting my family and friends to tracks I made that were undeniably bad. It didn’t matter though – I was hooked. Eventually I transitioned over to Logic Pro as my main software. Sometime in high school, I started posting my beats on YouTube, emulating the production styles of popular artists in a format known as a ‘type beat.’ I found my niche in this corner of the internet, growing my channel steadily with songs in the style of Lewis Capaldi, Billie Eilish, and others. When COVID hit, the silver-lining was that I suddenly had all the time in the world to dedicate to my craft, and I dove in headfirst. It was during this time that I also started to collaborate with artists online, releasing songs onto streaming platforms for the first time. By the time college applications came around, I knew I wanted to study music and pursue music production as a career. I spent four years at Drexel University, where I graduated this past June from the Music Industry program. Even early on I knew that one day I would end up in LA. I wasn’t sure how, but there was never a doubt in my mind that it would happen. Sure enough, in the summer of 2023 I found myself here for the first time doing assistant production work for an Indian producer named Zeek, who I’d met via a cold DM on Instagram. LA immediately felt like the place I was meant to be – it felt like home. Now I’m here full-time, and I’m continuing this journey as a music producer.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think there’s such a thing as a smooth road if you work in the arts. No, there have constantly been struggles along the way. Once my YouTube channel started taking off, my work began to attract attention within the industry. I was 18 years old when I had a song reach one million streams for the first time. Truthfully, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I didn’t have a manager, I didn’t have a publisher, and I certainly didn’t know the first thing about how to navigate the industry on my own. In spite of this, the songs I was producing started gaining momentum, and my own brand followed suit. I felt like everything I had worked for was finally paying off. But soon after that, I hit a cold spell. I wasn’t sure exactly what changed, but clearly something had. The number of songs coming out slowed down, and so had the growth of my brand. Fewer and fewer artists and managers were picking up the phone when I called. I had lost my momentum entirely. At the lowest point I became fully disillusioned with producing, and I was considering giving up entirely. I was mad at the industry for moving on from me, and even madder at myself because I thought I blew only my shot.
I now realize that such stories are par for the course. That any aspiring creative has to deal with setbacks; it is the very nature of what we do. Nobody can believe in yourself as much as you do. I realized that with a career in constant flux, it is vital to fall in love with the process above the results. I took that to heart, and spent time focusing on myself and my artform. I fell back in love with the work, and became more inspired to take on challenges and embrace failure. Ultimately I believe that everything happens for a reason, and that the struggles exist to help you grow as an artist and as a human.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The role of a music producer is vague, and it can take on a different meaning depending on the person and the environment. However you get there, to me the goal is always to help the artist craft their best work. For the music I love making – singer/songwriter and pop – that means going into the studio, figuring out what it is they need to say most, and amplifying their artistic voice as much as I can. I heard an analogy once that explained producing as spotting your friend at a bench press. For some, you help a bit at the end of the rep, making sure they get the weight back onto the rack. For some, you’re almost pulling the entire weight yourself. And for some you’re just there for moral support, adding some words of encouragement while they do the real heavy-lifting.

I am most proud of the songs I did with an artist named Zevia: ‘life, i’m over you’, and ‘manipulation’. These were some of the first songs I was a part of, and they became bigger than I could have imagined. They were part of her debut EP which culminated in her signing a record deal with Columbia. More importantly though, these songs were vulnerable and came from a place of raw truth. They connected with her fans deeply, and I found myself reading messages of how her songs – our songs – made a significant impact on her fans. Messages saying how much those songs helped in battles with depression, anxiety, and other mental health struggles. They proved to me that we have the ability to make a difference in the world with our art.

I think what sets me apart is my ability to hear a song for what it is, and making sure nothing detracts from it. There are a lot of tricks and tools you can use in the studio to elevate a track and hide its deficiencies, but ultimately a great song is great when it’s performed by a singer alone with their instrument. The worst mistake a producer can make is to overproduce and take away from the song itself. Once I know what the core of a song is, I make sure that everything else comes second sonically. I produce with the end goal of seeing the artist perform live for their fans, and I make sure that my work aligns with that.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
The biggest piece of advice I can give for finding a mentor is that help comes to those who seek it. The same thing applies for networking; you have to go out of your way if you want to meet new people. Asking for help was not something that came naturally for me, so I can speak from experience. Once you make the effort, the rest will follow. Many of my mentors have come from a cold email or Instagram message. The same can be said for a large part of my network. I’ve always been somewhat introverted, so walking into a room and immediately approaching strangers has never come naturally. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using the internet to meet people. That said, talking to someone face-to-face is an invaluable experience, so I would encourage it as much as possible. I also think it’s important to be genuine. The goal should always be to make a human connection before any sort of career gain.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shulinrudra/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@shulinrudra

Image Credits
William Keating