My first salary was Rs 750: Usha Uthup

People were quitedismissive of her initially given her “powerful” voice andunconventional music.Unconventionally enough, Usha started singing at anightclub called 9 Gem for the first time in 1969. Said Usha, “My firstsalary was `750. And no it wasn’t for one song, or for one night ofperformance, but for the whole month. I stood out, wearing a sari, and lookingthe way I do! But I was many kilos less, and yes, less greyhair.”Talking about humble beginnings, Ehsaan Noorani, who was contemplating to be a graphic designer but heard his calling in music, said, “I sang two jingles for a footwear brand in my first job.” And how much did he get paid? “I got `300 for the two jingles, including cab fare!” he laughed. Talk about meagre beginnings. And Parikrama’s keyboardist, Subir Malik’s story is also quite similar to Usha and Ehsaan. “For my first concert at a Delhi school, I got `500.” While many know Subir only as a musician, it is interesting to note that he used to run a successful auto spare parts business till a few years back, which he gave up to concentrate on music fulltime. Follow us on Twitter for more stories