The man behind Nucleya, Tej Brar, talks about his just-launched boutique label, fighting mediocrity and why indie artists need to address entitlement issues
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It was a night in Vancouver a few months ago when artiste manager Tej Brar and music producer Udyan Sagar, popularly known as Nucleya, were having a heart-to-heart. Sagar asked Brar to change his mind, and return to India where he had been head of artist management at Only Much Louder (OML) until April this year. Brar then left the country after six years here to explore opportunities in America and Australia.
"Him asking me is the reason I came back. I want to continue working with Nucleya, and I believe his journey is just beginning," says Brar, 29, during an interview at a co-working space in Bandra Kurla Complex. The return hasn't been uneventful. His mailbox has been buzzing with job requests and hip hop demos since last week when he announced the launch of his agency, Third Culture. Once used to refer to children raised (in cultures other than) their parents, the term is important to Brar, who was born in Delhi but grew up across Australia, Washington DC, Boston and LA. His Indian father and English mother now live in Sierra Leone. "So, I identify with that [the upbringing]. The label is also about finding a middle ground between Indian sounds and international ones, the way Nucleya does. That, too, then becomes a third culture," he explains.
Edited excerpts from an interview about artiste management and navigating the world of indie music and Bollywood.
What kind of artists do you hope to bring on with Third Culture?
My target market, as far as clients go, is people who have hit the glass ceiling, who have plateaued. They believe they can't crack the ceiling. That's false. There are ways to work around and with an artiste's career when s/he has reached that point. My job is to squeeze them out of that mindset, and bring them opportunities that are not obvious to them.
Where does the indie scene stand right now, talent and money wise?
There is tremendous earning potential for musicians. But two things are happening: One, mediocre talent is getting a lot of attention; people who are okay are hailed as great.
Second, there is a sense of entitlement that indie musicians have. It's shocking. I haven't seen that in artistes anywhere. You are indie, and on your first EP, and yet, you want to be flown around and wined and dined by your promoters. That's absurd. There are bands and DJs across the world, who do a really hard job — they do their own tech, drive themselves from gig to gig, do their own heavy lifting. Indian artistes don't do that. There is also the problem of lack of venues. There are some five venues that everyone is fighting over. And we are shortsighted about return on investment. We want to make money. But, we need to do it for the love of it; that's the right attitude to have.
How will you navigate Bollywood?
I have been open to Bollywood, but I am seeking the right opportunity. There are two areas I am unwilling to compromise on: we will not have a music producer sitting on our heads telling us what to do. And, just because we are being paid to do this, we won't conform. When a brief arrives, we will work on it. If they like it, cool. If not, no problem. We won't charge. The music that is expected to come out next reflects this. The first one is a song with Divine for the title track of Anurag Kashyap's Mukkabaaz.
Great managers like Scooter Braun, set their artistes' career on track, like he did with Justin Bieber. How do you approach your job?
I want to work with artistes who are open to being moulded, and willing to take criticism. As far as creative input goes, I am careful because I don't want to step into the artiste's realm. With my background as an audio engineer, I do offer technical feedback, on the mix, mastering, and arrangement. As a manager, if you have done your job well, no one needs to know you exist. You need to be the magic that's happening in the background [around the artiste].
Indie music needs to better its production standards. Why cannot it 'sound' as great as international music?
Money is key. The kind of gear we use and where we are recording [is important]. A lot of artistes end up going to the wrong people to get their stuff mastered. I don't know of a truly equipped mastering studio in India. I worked at Universal Mastering in LA and the way they operate is like this: They have four sets of different speakers in the room, and they will also test it on any other medium they can find. Nucleya's stuff also sounds international because he has experience, and knows the tricks. This is the reason I am working with him and Blot; these guys are solid at their stuff. They don't need to be hand-held.
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So what does the indie artist sitting in a small town like Raipur do?
There is immense talent [in small-town India], and it needs to stay hopeful. That's why I answer every message that arrives on my Facebook page and email. I am starting an initiative where we will do video capsules of one-on-one conversations with people who matter. For instance, a chat with Khodu Irani (High Spirits Café) on how to book a venue; Vijay Nair will discuss how to make it to a top music fest. We are shooting the first one with Irani soon, and then we'll have a new video up every week.
What did OML teach you?
How a manager should behave. But also, that there is so much to do. There is the brands angle, then there are collaborations, YouTube. And that the world is bigger than India. There are artistes all over who are ready to work with you. If you are a kid sitting in Jaipur or Vizag, it doesn't mean you can't write an email to someone in Copenhagen [to collaborate]. We are all connected thanks to the Internet.
What kind of music do you listen to when not working?
I listened to a lot of hip hop, and then got known as the electronic guy. Then came slightly weirder bands like SBTRKT. Then I got into UK dubstep stuff.
What about pop?
Anyone who says they don't like pop music is f*****g lying. Right now, all pop music is electronic music. Someone was asking me about hip hop the other day, checking if it's dead. Will it have its day again? And I said, it's having its day right now. If you look at the top 10 tracks today, at least five will be hip-hop. They may be considered pop songs, but they are hip hop.
Taylor Swift?
I don't have a problem with her music, but I don't like her attitude. I like Rihanna, and Kendrick Lamar. I love The Weeknd [Abel Makkonen Tesfaye]. He is the new Michael Jackson.
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