Mumbai: “Without music life would be a mistake,” Nietzsche proclaimed in 1889. And true to this statement, music has the power to transcend every barrier man has ever created. It is thus imperative that an entity as powerful as this be celebrated in all its glory. Keeping this in mind, MTV, India’s No. 1 youth brand that introduced the world to the concept of Music on television, along with Musiconcepts, which aims at starting new conversations around music and musicality in India and around the globe, decided to come together to launch a first of its kind gathering of over 50 artists celebrating non-Bollywood music in the form of MTV India Music Summit. The summit, which will be attended by artists from various backgrounds and belonging to different genres of music, will be held from October 27 to 29, 2017, at the scenic locales of Fairmont in Jaipur.
The MTV India Music Summit is a congregation of music lovers and musicians under one marquee and the kind that straddles a rare variety of genres – from Hindustani and Carnatic classical to jazz, folk, devotional, electronica and more — and will enthrall audiences for three days in the beautiful city of Jaipur. Designed to dissolve the distance between the stage and the audience, where the energy of the music, musicians and music lovers becomes one, the Summit aims to create new sound and content, get artistes out of their comfortable templates, disrupt the existing myths surrounding genres and create platforms to showcase themselves the way the world hasn’t seen or heard before.
Speaking about the MTV India Music Summit, the Founding Partners of Musiconcepts said, “Given the diversity that Indian Music represents, there is much to discover, new musicians to be heard, new compositions, sound and lyrics. From the Nuances of the Gharaanas to the Golden Era of Bollywood, from meditating with music to discovering the healing power of music. Not just that, but the combinations that can be made possible are fantastic to say the least and it is important that these must be explored and thought about. In presenting an eclectic collection of our brilliant musicians, it is both challenging and exciting to be able to curate different genres, sound and energy in a free-flowing format for audiences to discover and appreciate.”
“The richness of the content that we have for the MTV India Music Summit is evident from our pick of topics, genres and artists. From Seduction by the queen of classical Kaushiki Chakraborty to the energetic Brilliance of UstaadShujaat Khan’s sitar to the soulful renditions by Ustaad Rashid Khan – it has been interesting to see what combinations can come together in this spectacular space,” the Founding Partners of Musiconcepts added.
Shedding light on the association with the summit, Mr. Raj Nayak – COO, Viacom18 said, “MTV initiated India into the experience of music on television, making it a socially and commercially successful phenomenon. Today the brand is synonymous with being reflective of the country’s youth – their preferences, beliefs, opinions, desires et al, especially where music is concerned. This presents us with the unique opportunity to partner with initiatives such as the India Music Summit which aims to bring artists from diverse musical backgrounds together to celebrate the rich variety of sounds available to us today including some which we may have forgotten, and some which we haven’t yet discovered. It’s an extremely noble and exciting event and we’re sure those attending the MTV India Music Summit will have a musically enriching experience.”
Delving deeper into MTV’s association with the summit, Mr. Ferzad Palia – Head, Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18 said, “MTV is the universe of the young and music being one of the cornerstones of youth culture in India, has always been a key element in the brand’s development over the years. Be it introducing India to music television or providing a platform to innumerable artists through our extremely popular music based shows such as MTV Unplugged, Coke Studio@MTV, MTV Sound Trippin and many more, MTV has always been the brand defining India’s taste in music…right up to launching very successful 24-hour Hindi music channel MTV BEATS just a year ago. Thus, it is but a natural fit for a brand like MTV to be associated with a summit that is all about celebrating music in all its forms. The MTV India Music Summit is going to be an educational, enlightening and enriching experience for all those who attend and I would urge anyone who is even remotely interested in music to be a part of it.”
With an array of rich musical experiences planned for enthralling the audience, the MTV India Music Summit will allow attendees to discover a different side to the thumri queen Girija Devi and watch her converse and croon with Pandit Jasraj, understand the world and viewpoint of Carnatic classical wonder TM Krishna, watch sitar maestro Shujaat Khan’s famed gayaki and meld with the contagious sax riffs of American saxophone player George Brooks and Lesle Lewis’ master production ideas, be seduced by Kaushiki Chakraborty’s passionate thumris, get into the jazz bar with VasundharaVee and have folk throb through the heart and the soul.
The sands of Rajasthan are going to be steeped in music as the MTV India Music Summit gets ready to open its doors to music aficionados from October 27 to 29, 2017, at Fairmont in Jaipur.