Today we’d like to introduce you to Karthik Mohan
Hi Karthik, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and brought up in India in a house where music there was constantly playing. My father used to listen to Indian Cinema music, Indian Classical Music, Soul Music, classics from Harry Belefonte and many other genres. I developed a liking for rock music when I started my engineering and was exposed to the rock and roll music bands like Dire Straits, Led Zeppelin, ACDC, Metallica and some Alternative rock bands like Linkin Park and Creed. I started playing the guitar in college, but playing music was never more than a hobby for me.
I immigrated to the States in 2005, got my Masters in Engineering from Texas A&M and after graduating, I started working in Houston. It was a quite suburban life till the Covid 19 Pandemic hit all of us and our movements got restricted. With a lot of time on hand, I started a YouTube channel and started uploading some cover songs. After getting encouraging feedback from Family and friends, I thought of taking this hobby more seriously and making my own music. I invested some money and made a home studio and started producing music more seriously. Many of my music videos have gone on to win awards and laurels in international music and film festivals. I have been surprised by the traction that some of my music videos have generated. This has encouraged me to spend more resources and efforts and constantly improve the production quality of my music videos. My latest music video Faansle was shot in New Mexico and it garnered more than half a million views on YouTube.
My music does not conform to generes, it straddles boundaries of rock music, pop music and Indian classical music.
Live performances are a big part of my musical journey. I partner with my friend from Grad School,Stephen James, who is an excellent piano player, together, we have performed live in several arenas and venues in the general Houston area.
Do check you local listing and come watch us perform when we go live next time.
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?
As a music producer the biggest challenge is managing a budget, at the same time making sure that quality of production is at a high level. We face competition from big record labels who have the resources and means to get their music in front of millions of people at the same time spend tens of thousands of dollars on music videos. It’s a constant struggle to make quality music production on a tight budget, but the love my listeners have given me, has made all of the struggles worth it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As I had mentioned earlier, I am a music producer and performing musician based out of Houston. I pride myself at being an independent artist, this gives me the latitude to produce what’s close to my heart. I write my own lyrics as well as work with other lyricists to come up with songs that take on the complex issues that surround us. I look at music production beyond the realms of convention, I am mixing genres of music to come up with a sound that vibes with me. In the process, I am able to produce something unique at the same time, I endevor to make the videos a visually pleasing experience for the viewers.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I have inspirations from Indian Classical Music, film music and rock and roll music, but I try to stay disconnected from trends and what’s popular. I feel it influences me adversely, I like to be able to do what is close to my heart rather than what is trending. What I have experienced is that there is always an audience which is able to appreciate an honest effort.
On the technical side though, I never stop learning, I am constantly striving to becoming a better music producer, looking for the latest plugins for compression, reverb, eq and mastering. On the vocals I practice Indian Classical music on a regular basis and keep striving to increase my musical knowledge.
Pricing:
- We do perform Private Gigs. Please contact me if you would like for us to perform at any special occasions. We can discuss pricing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://karthikmohansinger.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karthikmohansinger?igsh=ZHlxenRkMm1kYXE5
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karthik.mohan.752487?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@karthikmohan?si=WhJZ_78IFl3RNkpW
Image Credits
Photograph credit for Singer in the park : Sunil CKPhotography
