July 2019 │ │ 57
S
ince its inception, YouTube has been a storehouse
for diverse talent and content. More than
anything else, it has been the perfect place to
discover new music, which not only worked in the
favour of established artistes/bands who wanted to
reach out to more people, but also for up-and-coming
musicians who could share their talent with the
world through covers and build a following. There
are many artistes around the world who owe their
success to YouTube like Justin Beiber, Shawn Mendes,
among others. Even in the Northeast, a lot of young
artistes gained attention though YouTube. Antareep
Hazarika, hailing from Assam, is one such example.
He is definitely a force to be reckoned with, some of
his covers have even crossed the million mark. He was
also the first Assamese to perform in the YouTube Fan
Fest, 2015.
Under the Covers
Born and brought up in Guwahati, Antareep’s
musical journey started at an early age. Part of the
reason why he was introduced to music when he
was very young is because he comes from a family
of seasoned musicians. ‘Music has always been an
integral part of my life. My love for music inspired me
to make cover songs.’ And so, along with his friends,
he started making covers of his favourite renditions.
‘I uploaded my first video in 2015, it was a cover of
‘The A Team’, sung originally by British pop star, Ed
Sheeran.’ That was just the beginning, he currently
has more than 45 videos on his YouTube channel. His
cover videos for ‘Despacito’ and ‘Girls like You’ have
more than a million views each, and have been greatly
praised by netizens from across the country.
He mostly collaborates with his friends and
young singers from the region. Suryaprakash Medhi,
and Illiyana Gogoi are two talented YouTubers who
are familiar faces in Antareep’s videos. He has also
collaborated with American musician and cover artist,
Kurt Hugo Schneider. ‘I have to say that collaborating
with Kurt was one of the best moments of my life.
He is the very reason why I started uploading cover
videos in the first place.’ In addition to that, he has
collaborated with fashion and lifestyle vlogger, Sejal
Kumar, and YouTube sensation Shirley Setia.
The Right Ingredients
Of course, like everything else, a lot of effort goes
into making quality cover videos. ‘Life of a YouTube
content creator is only half as glamorous as it seems. I
have memories of spending hours holding a light at the
oddest possible angles in order to get the best lighting
for a video. This is just one of the many experiences
that I have had. Something that not many people in
this field talk about is that it is equal times fun and
exhausting.’ He reveals that besides creativity and
hard work, you also need a lot of DIY skills in order to
create videos worth watching.
Besides the great music, one thing about Antareep’s
videos that most viewers talk about is the pleasing
aesthetic. Unlike many other cover videos that you can
find on YouTube, he along with his team go the extra
mile to ensure the backdrop is just as beautiful as the
melody. In fact, they have featured many breathtaking
locations across the Northeast in the videos. Antareep
credits his friend Sazzad Hussain for the beautiful
cinematography.
Original Flavour
Antareep’s musical feat is not just limited to cover
videos. He is currently working on his own music
album, which is likely to release next year. The young
musician also has plans to venture into fulltime music
production and commercial projects eventually. In
fact, music lovers can already sample a little of his
creativity and originality in the track ‘Lazy Day’ that
he uploaded on his channel. Featuring sounds that
have been created using household items, it has a
unique flavour that will keep you hooked.
From doing covers to working on his original
music, it is true that Antareep has come a long way,
and yet, the journey is only just beginning. It is only
natural to expect a lot of great things from this young
musician in the coming years, and we are all ears!
My choice in music is not limited
to any one genre. Everything from
AR Rahman to Metallica finds a
place in my personal playlist.
