Coffee shop gigs and cramped tour buses are a thing of the past for musician Zubin Thakkar. After years of honing his craft, he has finally burst onto the Canadian music scene as a talented producer.
Dreams do come true and he has the evidence to prove it.
Persistence pays off. It really does. Input A + B to get C. It’s just that simple. It is the motto Zubin Thakkar lives by and demonstrates perfectly. This system’s design engineer threw away his nine-to-five office job in order to produce, compose and play guitar.
Now a fulltime musician, he can honestly say it was the right choice to make. After all, rock and roll is about saying 'no to the man,' right?
After playing gigs like the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and travelling all over North America opening up for mega stars like Bruno Mars, Gavin Rossdale and Maroon 5, thirty-year-old Thakkar is now creating music for some of Canada’s hottest pop artists. Not bad for a self-proclaimed 'shy kid' from Waterloo, Ontario.
Waiting patiently for his arrival, I catch a glimpse of the troubadour as I take one last swig from my coffee cup. He is appropriately dressed in true rocker chic style. Plaid shirt, white tee, fitted jeans and motorcycle boots. Rugged, yet well-put together.
I’ve known Thakkar for four years now but never learned the specifics about what actually started this journey into music. I’m glad he’s agreed to fill me in.
“I started playing guitar in seventh grade after seeing a Smashing Pumpkins video on Much Music and I was just glued and totally got obsessed. It was 'Bullet with Butterfly Wings'. It was those silver pants. I needed to have those silver pants”.
He didn’t get the silver pants, but for his thirteenth birthday he convinced his parents to purchase a guitar and literally became obsessed.
“At the time my parents were like, really? I don’t think we’re going to give you a guitar because it will lead to drugs. But I can be a day trader and snort coke all day. So yeah, that was the best gift I’ve been given since it started everything.”
Monica Pilwal: What was your first successful project?
Zubin Thakkar: My first real band Prize Fighter, which lasted from 2004 to 2008. We recorded two albums and got the attention of a lot of fans and industry people. I’d like to think that it’s still not over. Like, we’re on an infinite hiatus.
MP: What motivates you?
ZT: Endlessly wanting to find that perfect song. I think it’s what motivates a lot of artists. You’re never happy with your work and you always think you can do better.
MP: What do you do differently to separate yourself from other artists?
ZT: I just try to keep my finger in as many parts of the industry as possible. Whether that means playing guitar for hire, which is definitely a big chunk of my work or being a songwriter/ producer for hire which also takes up a big part of my time.
I just always try to do as much as possible. I always have a positive attitude as well. I get really excited about everything that I work on. It’s a tough industry and there’s a lot of downers…Lots of negativity and rejection are involved so being positive really helps.
MP: Would you ever branch off into other areas of the entertainment industry?
ZT: I’d like to get into the managing side of things a little more. I currently manage an artist by the name of Nate Hall (of The Next Star fame). We’ve been doing some really cool stuff together.
MP: Congrats on Tyler Shaw’s single 'Kiss Goodnight'. It was a successful smash hit that went Gold. What did this achievement mean to you?
ZT: It’s just one of those things you dream of as a kid, getting a gold record, but you think it’ll never happen…Especially in today’s age where people don’t really buy music the same way as in the past. I’m just so happy and blessed that I was brought in on it.
MP: What new projects/ collaborations do you have in the works?
ZT: I’m working on some stuff with Tyler Shaw and Nate Hall. I'm also working on stuff with Suzie McNeil– always working with her. I’ve also been pitching songs to artists and producers, getting songs heard by those who need to hear them. They might find legs somewhere.
MP: Do you have other hobbies?
ZT: I love movies. I get inspired when I watch anything from documentaries to comedies to dramas to thrillers.
MP: How do you de-stress?
ZT: There are times when things just go crazy and everything is sort of hitting at the same time…Writing sessions, rehearsals and shows. It just gets crammed but that’s life. I love what I do, so I don’t get too stressed out. I deal with it by working harder to get things done. So maybe that’s how I de-stress, by working more.
Feature Image: Zubinthakkarmusic.com
Monica Pilwal
Author
A dreamer, creator, writer and believer, Monica is simply trying to decipher the world one word at a time.
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