singer_shivam

@singer_shivam

"I am Shivam, a singer and songwriter deeply influenced by the soulful musical traditions and modern energy of Lucknow. Music has been my constant companion"

LINKS ARE AT THE BOTTOM

Latest Updates

see my new specs!!

Feb 16

this is my workplace

Feb 16

My Journey

Milestones and updates

February 25, 2026

Dismantling the Stage: The Business of Independent Sound Let's ditch the romanticized myth of the starving artist waiting for a golden ticket. That rejection in Mumbai wasn't just a bruise to my ego; it was my sudden, violent awakening to the actual economics of the music industry. The executives sitting behind those oversized desks didn’t care about the rich, classical heritage of my city or the intricate nuances of a localized raga. They were looking for a highly marketable, easily digestible, 15-second audio hook. More importantly, they wanted a product they could own in perpetuity. The traditional record deal is often just a fancy contract that dictates you will be renting your own voice back from a corporation for the rest of your life. Once I returned to my bedroom studio, the real education began. I stopped waiting for an A&R rep to discover me and started learning how to build the entire machine myself. Being an independent artist today means you aren't just a vocalist; you have to be your own audio engineer, your own digital marketing department, and your own executive producer. I traded my daydreams of flashy recording booths for late nights reading dense manuals on frequency equalization, acoustic treatment, and multi-band compression. I learned how to mix a track so it hit just as hard on a cheap smartphone speaker as it did on professional studio monitors. But then you hit the ultimate bottleneck: distribution. The modern streaming ecosystem is notoriously brutal to independent creators. You can pour hundreds of hours into a single track, rack up fifty thousand plays, and receive a royalty payout that barely covers the cost of a new XLR cable. The math simply doesn't work. The legacy industry is perfectly designed to funnel wealth to the top one percent of mega-stars while the indie class fights over digital scraps. This is exactly why migrating my operations to a community-focused platform like vTogether was a strategic business decision, not just a creative pivot. I realized I didn't need a million casual, passive listeners; I needed a dedicated tribe. By cutting out the traditional middlemen, I could directly monetize my community. I started hosting exclusive, behind-the-scenes beat-making streams, breaking down my vocal arrangements, and sharing isolated track stems so my audience could actively remix my work. Because the platform actually prioritizes a transparent, equitable revenue split, my fans effectively became my record label. Their direct engagement funds my equipment upgrades, my production costs, and my absolute independence. Today, the geographical center of the music industry is irrelevant. You don't need an expensive zip code to make a global impact. You just need an internet connection, relentless discipline, and a digital infrastructure that treats the creator as a partner, not a commodity. The old gatekeepers are obsolete, and for the first time, independent artists are the ones holding the keys.

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February 16, 2026

My Journey from the Streets of Lucknow to the Digital Stage Growing up in the heart of Lucknow, music wasn't just something I heard; it was the very atmosphere I breathed. My earliest memories are punctuated by the distant hum of classical ragas from the local music school and the vibrant, rhythmic chaos of the city’s festivals. My father, a hobbyist harmonium player, was the first to notice that I could hum complex melodies before I could even properly string sentences together. He would sit me down on a wooden stool every evening, teaching me the basics of breath control and the importance of feeling the "soul" of a note rather than just hitting its pitch. Those humble evening sessions were the foundation of my entire life. However, the transition from a traditional background to a modern musical identity was far from easy. In my teenage years, I became obsessed with global sounds—blues, soul, and contemporary pop. I tried to blend these western influences with my classical roots, but for a long time, the results sounded like a noisy contradiction. I spent years performing at small college fests and local weddings, often feeling like I was wearing a costume that didn't quite fit. I was searching for a voice that felt authentic to me—a voice that reflected both the ancient history of my city and the fast-paced world I saw on my screen. The turning point came when I faced a significant setback. I had traveled to Mumbai for a reality show audition, convinced it was my big break. I was eliminated in the first round. The judges told me my style was "too niche" and that I needed to sound more like what was currently on the radio. I returned to Lucknow feeling defeated, and for nearly six months, I didn't sing a single note. It was during this silence that I realized the judges were wrong. My "niche" wasn't a weakness; it was my superpower. I started recording in my bedroom, using a basic microphone and a laptop I’d saved up for by working at a local call center. I stopped trying to sound like a pop star and started singing the stories of my own life. I began uploading my raw, unfiltered sessions—no auto-tune, no flashy production—just a voice and a story. I talked about the heartbreak of failure, the beauty of the Gomti river at dusk, and the struggle of being an artist in a world that demands conformity. To my shock, people started listening. Not just people from my neighborhood, but listeners from across the globe who felt the same "frequency" I was broadcasting. They didn't want a polished product; they wanted a human connection. Building my presence on vTogether has been the final piece of the puzzle. I’ve finally found a space that understands that creators shouldn't have to choose between their art and their livelihood. Today, my journey isn't about chasing fame or a record deal; it’s about resonance. It’s about the fact that a boy from Lucknow can share a song at midnight and move someone to tears ten thousand miles away. My music is a map of where I’ve been and a compass for where I’m going. I’ve learned that the most beautiful songs aren't the ones with the perfect notes, but the ones with the most honest hearts.