Music
Indie(an)-Australian TUSHAR Creates Satisfyingly Bouncy Bedroom Indie Pop
In conversation with South Asian Australian TUSHAR—a grandmaster of bouncy bedroom bops.
Indian-Australian TUSHAR is a grandmaster of bouncy bedroom bops.
You mightn’t have heard of TUSHAR (yet), but the Adelaide-based South Asian Australian’s debut EP Arthur and Sadie has collected over 283,482 streams on Spotify (yes, we counted). And he’s graced the stages of South by SouthWest in Austin, Texas, this year, too.
Here at Brown Boy Mag, we have a soft spot for indie music—perhaps a lingering effect of our Fitzroy-filled twenties. So, stumbling upon TUSHAR felt triumphant and only comparable to every Indian kid discovering Jay Sean in the 2000s (IFKYK).
Influenced by Two Door Cinema Club, Dayglow, The Kooks, and more, TUSHAR’s sound is satisfyingly familiar. He creates music that makes you want to bounce around, like a Shake Weight workout (again, IFKYK). As Tushar puts it, “I want listeners to sing along to my chorus and dance around. Nothing beats a live show watching a group of people jump around to one of your tracks!”
We had the absolute pleasure of chatting with TUSHAR about discovering the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a bowling alley, being taught to play the guitar by his sister, and leaving cheeky self-reviews on Triple J Unearthed. This smiley Indie(an) kid is geared to hit the big time. And we’re just along for the ride.
TUSHAR will be performing at MusicSA’s Scouted 2023 on 4 August 2023 and Space Jams Fest at Alma’s Hem Inman Valley between 7 and 8 October 2023. Be there or be square.
Brown Boy Magazine: You describe yourself as a local Indie(an) boy, which we love. Who is TUSHAR? Can you tell us about your background? How did you get started in music, and what role did music play in your upbringing and in shaping your identity?
TUSHAR: My grandparents moved from India to Singapore, seeking a better future for their families. My whole family and I were born in Singapore. I was six years old when we moved to Australia. My parents are chefs, and they opened an Indian restaurant, Raj on Taj, back in 2000.
I grew up surrounded by Hindi music. Parties at our house reflect a stereotypical Bollywood movie, which I absolutely love. My mum is a big fan of Lata Mangeskar, Sonu Nigam and Mohammed Rafi. However, my parents have also always loved playing Western music. Our car rides through town shuffled through cassette tapes playing Elvis Presley, Elton John, Michael Jackson, and Simon and Garfunkel.
Being one of the only two Indians in my school, I didn’t have many people my age who shared my culture. I still remember being nine years old when a friend invited me to go bowling for his birthday. As he was getting ready to bowl, he turned around and said to me, “You have to watch this video clip, Tush; you’re going to love this band”. It was Can’t Stop by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I truly fell in love with music that day. I convinced my mum to purchase Stadium Arcadium, the Chili Peppers’ latest release. That was the first album I ever bought, and I still love it to this day!
Although I’ve always loved listening to music, I never had the passion to pursue it until later in life. My passion was sports. My sporting lifestyle ended abruptly when I was diagnosed with arthritis at 16. I was told to quit all my sports and carry on with life. I felt depressed for quite some time as I just didn’t know what to do with myself.
A year passed, and my sister asked me if I wanted her guitars as she wasn’t playing much anymore and wanted someone to use them. We sat on her bed, and she patiently taught me Wonderwall by Oasis (yes, it really was that cliché). I remember strumming the final cord and feeling comfortable playing the entire song. I never stopped playing after that day; I was completely hooked.
BB: Tell us about the story behind your EP Arthur and Sadie and how you wrote each song in less than nine hours.
TUSHAR: I took a break from writing music in 2019. I was experiencing major burnout from playing shows and dealing with toxic members of the music community. It took the COVID-19 lockdown, of all things, to reignite my joy for writing. I had all this spare time during lockdown to write, and I’ve always had a soft spot for indie pop/rock music.
The songs in Arthur and Sadie reflect a very recent chapter in my life and tell stories of my relationship, struggles with physical health, enjoying being a big kid at heart, and more. Each song on the EP took us—my friend and now producer Benny Tamblyn and I—around 8 hours from start to finish writing and recording. We are so proud of what we have accomplished.
BB: What’s your experience been like pursuing indie music as a South Asian artist? How do you feel about the current representation and diversity in the Australian music industry?
While I was in Austin performing at SXSW this year, I had many Indian Americans come to my show. I was shocked as this does not happen in Australia. I asked them how they found out about me, and they told me that the Indian community in America strongly promotes Indians trying to break through in the West. They also said to me that it’s rare for Indians to be making indie/pop music, but they loved it so much that they paid to come to my shows. This experience really inspired me to reach out to other Asian Australians and to advocate for more inclusiveness in the Australian music scene.
All it took was for my name to be on the SXSW lineup, and many Indians took the time to look me up, listen to my music and come to my shows. I was so moved by this!
BB: You’re obviously a really fun, infectious person. It’s absolutely hilarious that you’ve reviewed your own songs on Triple J Unearthed:
BB: What’s the story behind this cheekiness?
TUSHAR: People in Australia who start out in music often fall into the ‘Triple J trap’ where they try really hard to produce a sound they think Triple J will love. Some musicians may disagree, but I know many bands and artists who have gotten so fixated on trying to get Triple J’s attention that they’ve lost their passion for music along the way.
I am not trying to throw shade on Triple J; they’ve played my music many times over the years, which I’m super thankful for. I just want emerging Australian artists to know that there is a whole world out there that is ready to hear your music, so keep an open mind, and don’t close yourself off trying to appeal to one radio station or even one country for that matter.
This is why I have some fun reviewing my own tracks on this platform. If Triple J plays my music, then great, but I won’t be hung up on it if they don’t. My goal is for the world to hear my music, not just one radio station, and I think that is a more positive mindset for emerging artists.
BB: What advice would you give to other South Asian Australian indie artists who aspire to make music?
Connect with artists who are already in the scene. I wish I had done this sooner. It’s been amazing connecting with other Asian Australians in the music industry as you get to relate on a deeper level and understand each other’s challenges. You can work together to find solutions to strengthen opportunities for Asian Australian musicians looking to break into the scene.