First Indian rock band on America's Got Talent is from Northeast
Growing up in Sikkim's Gangtok on a steady diet of gritty tunes and razor-sharp riffs by pioneering hard rock icons like The Eagles and Guns N' Roses and local rock talent like CRAB and Still Waters, members of the four-piece Girish and The Chronicles never concerned themselves with conforming to India's mainstream music scene — one that is often dominated by film music and represented abroad through Indian classical music. The band, instead, for the last 16 years, doubled down on a sound that was unmistakably rooted in classic Western hard rock and metal.
But even for a band which built its identity on a genre far away from typical national temper and trends, they never factored in America's Got Talent: one of the most popular TV shows in the world. Their breakout moment on the show's Season 20 last week: a roaring performance of Adele's 'Set fire to the rain' in the audition round knocked the socks off of the frenzied audience and judges — Simon Cowell, Sofía Vergara, Howie Mandel and Mel B — not expecting an Indian rock band to perform actual hard rock.
Just as the band flung itself into the pop song with distorted guitars and Girish's unhinged voice, all four were stunned, followed by an enthusiastic standing ovation and a resounding entry into the next round. 'The whole experience was surreal… it was electrifying… something we'll never forget. Years of touring, dreaming, and staying true to our sound led up to that moment. We're just incredibly grateful to be part of something this big, and to share a piece of our journey with the world,' said frontman Girish Pradhan in an email conversation with The Indian Express.
'You come from the other side of the globe and do something so traditionally American.. It was so beautiful,' said Howie Mandel on the show.
On Friday last week, hot on the heels of their now viral performance with 1.7 million views, the Bengaluru-based band — comprising vocalist Girish, guitarist Suraz Sun, bassist Yogesh Pradhan (also Girish's younger brother), and drummer Nagen Nags – with their long tresses cascading behind and goatees that harked back to the 90s, sang a set at the Capital's newly opened The Piano Man. As if plucked straight from the golden age of rock 'n' roll and planted in the cosy live music venue, the band had those present flipping out as frontman Girish's soaring vocals pierced through with the song 'Rock n roll is here to stay'. With limbs pounding, someone from the crowd screamed, 'AGT winners'.
Girish obliged by crooning the performance from the show. 'The outpouring of love and support we have received from across the globe has been overwhelming in the best way possible. It's a reaffirmation of everything we've worked so hard for, and a reminder of how far we've come,' said Girish.
It all started when a producer from America's Got Talent reached out to Girish via Instagram, after seeing a soundcheck video he had posted from a show at Independence Rock Festival in Mumbai.
'That conversation opened the door for us to pursue AGT, and the rest followed naturally,' says Girish, who identifies the global perception of Indian music, which is traditionally centred around classical genres and Bollywood. 'But as a band, we never set out to fit into that mould. Coming from Sikkim, we were already on the periphery of the mainstream spotlight – and in many ways, that gave us the freedom to chart our own course…We're not trying to redefine what it means to be Indian. We are simply sharing our story,' says Girish.
Girish and his younger brother Yogesh are the sons of Bimla Pradhan, a well-known Nepali folk and classical singer, and football commentator Shyam Pradhan, who was deeply passionate about music, and also the band's first manager, mentor and financier.
While the brothers grew up with the traditional sound of folk music at home, they were soon drawn to Northeast's deep connection with rock and metal.
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