Music

Sharvi Yadav

Sharvi Yadav
Photo: © Colors Infinity

The Stage, India’s only English singing competition on Colors Infinity, witnessed a nail-biting climax. Viewers who watched the show each weekend had their own favourites, hoping that they would win. Did you bet on Sharvi Yadav winning?

The Stage Season 2 saw 21-year-old Sharvi Yadav being declared the winner. Thousands of aspiring artists from across the country participated in a series of online and on-ground auditions, but it was Sharvi who competed against the best of the best to win the coveted title, taking home a Renault Kwid and a record deal with Universal Music.

With a grade five Trinity College of Music distinction, Sharvi is also a pianist. She learnt jazz from the Berkley College of Music and is a Manhattan School of Music graduate as well.

Sharvi always stood out with her exceptional singing and flawless performances. Despite losing her voice for a year, she could be seen gunning for the win from the moment she stepped on stage, keeping the competition at her heels and judges, Vishal Dadlani, Ehsaan Noorani, Monica Dogra and Devraj Sanyal, on their toes.

Our music correspondent VERUS FERREIRA met Sharvi a few days after her win for an exclusive interview.

Congrats on winning The Stage Season 2. How does it feel to win the title?
Thank you so much. It feels quite overwhelming to take so much home apart from the title. I’m taking back so much love from the nation; I’m taking back appreciation from top musicians in this industry. I feel I have a responsibility towards all of these people to make more qualitative music.

Your biggest competitors in the competition.
Abhishek, Arunaja and John were my biggest competitors. Though each co-contestant had something unique about their voices, it was really hard to even predict who would get eliminated in the next round.

Sharvi Yadav, winner of The Stage Season 2
Sharvi Yadav, winner of The Stage Season 2

Did your song selection play a big part in showcasing your vocal range?
Absolutely. Every song that I sang was different. I had to be versatile to sing and get through each and every round. A lot of the songs I sang showed my vocal range, from Creep to Don’t Stop Me Now, lower ranges to higher range. I wanted to show the nation all that I have and my song selections made sure that I did just that.

Who is responsible for your success in winning the title?
No doubt, my teachers, Tracy Fernandes, Lima Kichu, Julie Hill and Vasundhara Vee. It’s for this reason that I value the student-teacher relationship the most. Teachers are the guiding light in your life and without them I wouldn’t have done this.

Living in Noida, a Hindi-speaking state, was it easy for you to learn English and sing in English?
It wasn’t really difficult to learn English and English songs. I was from a Christian school and most of my music comes from there. In fact, my first western songs were hymns and Christmas carols. It was also a little funny because all my friends would listen to Honey Singh and I would listen and sing the complete opposite.

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Verus Ferreira is a music journalist for over three decades. He is the author of The Great Music Quiz Book and The Great Rock Music Quiz Book and the founder of Musicunplugged.in

Verus Ferreira

Verus Ferreira is a music journalist for over three decades. He is the author of The Great Music Quiz Book and The Great Rock Music Quiz Book and the founder of Musicunplugged.in