Breaking boundaries

Breaking boundaries

Thomson Andrews belongs to the era of artists who believe in versatility. A playback singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, TV show host, and global influencer, Andrews has dubbed for Frozen 2. He has done the additional vocals for Elsa’s song in the Hindi version of the film, which released on November 22. “The experience has been purely awesome to work for Disney on 2019’s biggest Disney flicks including Aladdin, The Lion King 2, Toy Story 4 and now Frozen 2,” he says. 

The singer is also working on his Hindi-Punjabi single Smell. The song is his debut Hindi single. “This one is super special for me. The song is a very sticky tune which will have you hooked within the first 30 seconds. I’ve got some big industry names who are my friends, to compose and produce the music. People who know me, will hear a new and unique side of me which they have never heard before! I am super excited about the music video too as it’s also entirely produced by my production house Throan of Arts Productions, with a very special team of creative people on board who have worked with me on several Bollywood and other film projects in the past,” he adds.

For his second Hindi single — Happy Nagar, Andrews is collaborating with Earth Electro duo Sukanti and Anushree, who are known for taking forward folk music. How are they going to balance the two diverse styles of music? “I had a fabulous time singing for Sukanti and Anushree’s Happy Nagar; which is due to release soon. The lyrics have been written by Tushar. This music video has also been conceptualised by my creative team at Throan of Art Productions,” he says.

The singer-songwriter and musician says his music influences have ranged across various genres like Rnb, soul, blues, funk, pop to sufi and Indian music elements. “Hence blending my world and knowledge of music via my singing on this beautiful composition was simply so fulfilling in every way for me. We are all extremely happy and excited for the way the song turned out post my dubbing; with the blend of a brilliant ethnic sounding music production approach and of course, the peppy composition. The video looks magnificent with a visual storyboard that’s inspired by Royalty, running across the relatable lyrics that reach out to every listener in its own unique way,” he says.

Throwing further light on how the diverse musical knowledge has helped him grow as an individual, he says, “My evolution as an artist and the diverse musical knowledge has purely been a result of my exposure and interactions with musicians, artists, songwriters, people of different cultures, faiths, races and colour during my several tours across 20 countries and more than 500 shows globally. As a person, I am more appreciative of every culture and person, and I see no boundaries or divide between people. It’s made me unbiased, sensitive, proud of my heritage and secure to embrace the world,” he points out. 

When he listens to music from any genre, language or culture, he absorbs the nuances and feelings it passes on to a listener and even though he may not understand it, he appreciates it. “I feel as a musician, you can never hate any form of music. One may not prefer a particular genre; but all music is good music, subjective to individual preference and musical diet that they’ve grown up listening to. I have realised that the emotions and sentiments that each and every person feels after listening to music are different. We, as artists, impact their lives, directly or indirectly,” says the singer who has sung on the background score for the Oscar-nominated Hollywood movie — 127 Hours. 

He has collaborated with established composers like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, A R Rahman, Amit Trivedi and Pritam. Ask him how that inspired his own style and he replies that he has been blessed to work with legends from Bollywood, music and advertising Industries. “I’ve evolved so much due to working with all these artists whom I consider as my mentors in the musical journey. I learnt what makes a beautiful melody, how important it is to emote while singing, being meticulous about pitching and expression, clarity, diction and so on,” he says, adding, “The knowledge, experience, joy, excitement, pressure, giving music priority over money and fame, always going the extra mile to exceed people’s expectations from me as an artist, working on my craft and many life lessons — I owe all this to these legends and also my family and friends who supported me.”

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