Today we’d like to introduce you to Hriday Jain.
Hriday, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My birth took place on a little bit of a dramatic side as I’m always told, a few days before my mother was due she decided to go for a Bollywood movie named “TAAL” which means “Rhythm”. As the music in the movie started, I began to kick frantically. Not much was made of this incident until later that night when my mother went into labor and I was born. I grew up in a family full of cultural music enthusiasts. My grandfather a Tabla and Harmonium player largely influenced my musical interests.
Growing up in India every festival comes with its musical charm, but my favourite was the sound of the Dhol (an Indian percussion instrument) during Ganesh Chaturthi. Excited, I would run to my window whenever I heard the Dhol during Ganesh processions. As I would rush back to the kitchen and pick up utensils to recreate the sounds I had heard, I knew I had discovered my passion.
My first victory was at the age of seven when I participated in a competition organized by the Times of India and won the first place. I was also a part of the world music festival held in Mumbai. My journey went only uphill from there. In school, I participated in all the annual events, I was a part of my college band, judged one of my annual college competitions and performed at the Goa music festival.
In December of 2017, I moved to Los Angeles to study Drums and Audio engineering from the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. My first year in LA was pretty intense. I auditioned to play at the Oscars, was selected in the quarter finals of the Hollywood Drum Off, played around with several local bands at venues such as The Mint, The Viper Room, Whisky a go go and Silverlake lounge. After a year, I took a quarter break and came back to Mumbai, India. I took up a short internship at Island City Studios where I could network with a couple of artists from the Bollywood scene. In the meantime in Mumbai, I got together with some insanely talented artists from India and produced an Indian version of the Stranger things theme song which has been released on my YouTube Channel “Hriday B Jain”.
After a long break, I flew back to LA and started my course in the field of audio engineering where I came across some of the best instructors who have won multiple Grammy awards and worked with artists such as Kanye West, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith and many more. Through my network in school, I ended up getting an internship at one of the world’s best studios “Westlake Studios” where I got an opportunity to work with artists such as Dominic Fike, Ricky Hill, Young Guru and Usher. I was also working on my own project on the side where I collaborated with some of the best drummers in the world and came up with the First Biggest Worldwide Online Drum Collab which was also released on my YouTube channel. I had to fly back to India because of the COVID pandemic and I’m now preparing to release a series of podcasts where I would be interviewing well-known artists from all over the world who work behind the scenes in the music industry.
Has it been a smooth road?
I was only 17 when I first landed in LA!! I won’t lie living alone was tough initially. I struggled as I tried to manage my household tasks and studies, but soon it started growing on me. I enjoyed living independently and when I now look back, I realize that these very experiences have helped me grow immensely. Most importantly, I feel extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to study music at one of the best locations for the industry in the world.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a 20 years old Drummer, Producer, Engineer and a Podcaster. I specialize in the field of drumming and engineering. I play almost all styles of music and love engineering for other artists. I’ve been trained under Francis Buckley and Adam Kagan in the field of recording, mixing and mastering. Some projects I have worked as a producer, arranger, engineer and drummer are Stranger Things Indian Classical version which was approved by the creators of series and the First biggest Worldwide Drum Collab featuring some of world’s best drummers from United States, India, Sweden and China. One thing that I think sets me apart from other artists is that I always infuse an original Indian element in all my projects like a Shehnai, Indian Flute, Sitar, Hindustani Vocals or Tabla. And I love doing outdoor shoots that put a whole new level to the project visually.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yess without any doubt!! LA has got one of the best artists from all over the world and I strongly believe in collaborations. I love getting together varied perspectives and cultures in everything I create, I believe this adds a unique blend to my productions. This has helped me create a supportive network across the world, made my music more accessible and has helped me grow.
Contact Info:
- Email: hriday425@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hridayyy_music/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hhridayyymusic
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoHN9z1hBjMZqQ1zhK4wnFQ?view_as=subscriber
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