He’s a sixteen year old beat boxer who really loves his art. Having started only a short while ago, he has only been improving with time and is really pushing himself to do the best he can – while having fun at the same time. Ultimately, he wants to be a super star, and who can blame him?

Nilesh Narendran

Talent - Beat boxing
Age – 16
Musical Preference – EDM such as Klingande, Deadmau5, Skrillex, and DJ Ranindu’s Bailatronic mixes
 

When did you start beat boxing?
I've been beat boxing for roughly a year. I started messing around with it when my sister showed me a video of another beat boxer
 

Was it difficult at first?
I watched tutorials on YouTube and kept practicing what I saw. Yes, it was hard to start off with because it's not your average genre of music. Also I didn't really show it to anyone simply because I knew they would think I’m crazy.
 

If you kept it a secret, how did people find out about your talent?
My friends heard me in school and they liked it. After a few months I was asked to guest perform for a drama competition – Drama Comp 2013 in fact.
 

How many performances have you done so far?
I can't really remember. I’ve done quite a few since then I'd say around 20 gigs.
 

Wow, that’s amazing. How do you prepare for a performance? Do you practise certain beats or is there an element of improvisation?
I don't prepare beats. I just improve my technique and I do whatever comes to mind on stage. It's all impromptu!

Impromptu? Has your mind ever gone blank because of nervousness?
Not really. Beat boxing is very natural for me so I've never frozen yet.
 

What gigs do you have that are coming up?
I was asked to perform at Elixir 14.
 

What’s your dream, as a beat boxer?
I would like to collaborate with an artist and tour the world!
 

That’s really cool. Who would you say inspires you?
Reeps One. He’s a beat boxer from the UK.

How would you describe the feeling of being on stage and performing?
It's the best feeling in the world I wouldn't trade it for anything.

By Marissa van Eyck