Ambarish Nag shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Ambarish , thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Hey!
Thank you so much for the opportunity and for having me. I agree and once again, it’s a pleasure to do this.
I usually start my day at 7 am.
The first thing I do after I wake up is drink some luke warm water and freshen up.
After that I put on a pot of coffee and get to my meditation.
Once I’m done doing that, I enjoy my first cup of coffee. Then I make my bed, get my gym bag ready and enjoy my second cup of coffee. After that I go to the gym and workout!
I also like to drink a cup of luke warm turmeric water with some apple cider vinegar and a squeeze of lemon added to it but that hasn’t been regular lately.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Sure. I am primarily a Guitarist who happens to compose and write my own songs. I have released five singles and a full length album till date which are in two languages, English and Hindi. The compositions are my own and I usually sing my own songs but I also collaborate with other vocalists depending on the kind of voice the composition demands based on the sound that I have in mind and sometimes, the genre. I have collaborated with other vocalists in the album keeping in mind the same.
I go by my first name as an artist under which I do solo acoustic shows.
As a band, we go as ‘The Ambarish Collective’.
I primarily write songs in English and collaborate with other songwriters when it comes to writing songs in Hindi since I don’t have a good grasp on songwriting in that language (which I am currently working on). I also cover songs in the Bengali language from time to time, which happens to be my mother tongue!
There are a couple of things that make my music unique:
1. Most of the songs I write come straight out of my journal and hence are my most vulnerable thoughts and feelings.
2. My music is a blend of Western and Eastern influences that I have had over the years of my life, which also helped in shaping myself as a musician, thus contributing to my identity as an Artist.
I am currently working on a new composition in Hindi which is an extension of an unreleased song (think Part II) in the same language. This one is special for me because I am writing the lyrics myself and I hope to do justice to the song.
I hope to share them with you soon!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
It wasn’t one moment as such but a culmination of several moments during my time in Los Angeles.
My time in LA was really great but also eye opening and somewhat painful at the same time. Eye opening because it helped to see the world with a much broader perspective and an open mind, and painful because I went through a radical transformation.
As much as I enjoyed LA as a city (to the point where it became my favourite city in the world), my time there led me through what psychologists call, ‘Dark night of the soul’ or spiritual Gurus call a ‘Spiritual Awakening’.
Until then, I was living in survival mode and music was my refuge.
My debut album is based on the experiences I had during this time and is called, ‘Awakening’.
To elaborate, I had to fight some demons that were inside, seek counselling and reinvent myself as a better human being which came with a lot of ‘goodbyes’ to old patterns of behaviour and ‘hellos’ to new and better ways of living. Making friends from around the world and understanding their cultures also helped to shape my vision of the world.
Although it was painful, I am glad I went through it as it made me the person I am today!
LA has given me so much! I can’t wait to be back living in the ‘City of Angels’. I hope that time comes soon!
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, there were multiple times when I felt like almost giving up including a few months back. My career in India has been stagnant for a long time and the frustration got to me! These were times when I felt like giving up and go do something else with my life. 99% of my being believed in that and was ready to do so but, there is that 1% which refuses every time I fall and instead teaches me to crawl, every single time!
To be honest, even this interview came into my life when I have been crawling for a while and I am SO grateful that it did!
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
A human being I admire for their character, not their power is Dwayne Johnson.
His humility, work ethic, discipline, being a family man and the way he shows up for himself in front of the world inspires me!
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I am definitely doing what I was born to do!
Music has been a lifeline for me while growing up, be it learning an instrument or simply listening to songs to the point that it became my refuge!
It is the medium through which I can express myself and my perception of the world the best and I am so glad that I am being able to do just that!
Contact Info:
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ambarish16
Image Credits
Unique Borah
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