Singing his Song - Jude Lazaro

(c) 2007 Puja Goyal

Twenty Two year old Jude Lazaro was five when he first picked up the mike to sing. He was encouraged by his mother to sing in choirs and later grew up to be a solo artist. "There was no particular moment when I decided to move on from choir to solo acts… I think it would have been when I sang at the 'Festival of Songs and Solos'," says Jude. Performance always came naturally to the young musician. He admits though that a career in music is not lucrative enough, "I cannot call myself a professional musician. Musicians in India still have a long way to go before they can effectively earn from it. We do have to work in other financially rewarding jobs."

"I experience a high when I'm performing. Nothing can compensate the experience. Music is a very good way of expressing myself and I wouldn’t want it any other way," says Jude. Besides music, Jude also likes to perform in musicals and has starred in Chicago, Romeo and Juliet, and most recently as Joseph in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. "I'm known as Oliver Twist by most because that is the role that started me off. Musicals are a big deal; they are amazing and entertaining. I like the concept of putting together music and plays," smiles Jude.

While most Bangalore musicians are crazy about rock, Jude has decided to take the mushy lane. "I'm eclectically inclined when it comes to listening music… but when it comes to performance I'm a softy for the oldies. This is why we will be performing love songs in our upcoming show. They wanted us to do a recital but I wanted a story line and a love theme which would connect the collection and make it a romantic night". Jude does not like to stick on to one band. He likes to perform with lots of people and specializes in "Barber Shop" type of music. His own band the "K-Sharp" is acoustic in nature. "Lots of people are doing rock… and there is a misconception that there is no market for acoustics. Today, it is not only the old but also the youth that is taking interest."

Jude admires Frank Sinatra for the performance value Sinatra adds to his videos, and his all time favorite song is Can't help falling in love, by Elvis Presley. He is happy that he is a part of a family business that allows him to "get away with it", like he puts it. Jude dreams of performing in more corporate shows and musicals; he wants to write a musical and stage it within the next year. Jude Lazaro and Robin Colaco will be performing on August 17, 2007 at 7 pm at the Alliance Françoise, Bangalore.

Comments