Kaushik Menon: An artiste must give back & that is what I aim to do in my current stint

Kaushik Menon has about 200 songs to his credit as a playback singer, not only in Malayalam, but across all the southern industries, but to him, being a true musician means doing more. This was his aim when he moved to work as an RJ in Dubai, where he also wants to mentor and encourage upcoming talents.

“I don’t feel that only if you sing in the movies will you be a musician. And today, particularly since the pandemic, people have learnt to use technology to work from any place,” says the singer of the Bow Bow Song from Anugraheethan Antony. When he received this opportunity in Dubai to be an RJ, he decided to take it on, because it was an ambition he had nurtured since childhood, and also because he felt it would be a way to give back.

“I love listening to songs sung by youngsters and I would really like to try and do my part to encourage kids in this region and bring them into the industry. Now, their musical talents are restricted to stage shows here. I have a studio in Chennai, so I feel I can use resources I have at my disposal for them, whether in films or as independent singers. A true artiste will always encourage and hand-hold upcoming talents and that is what I’d like to do,” says the singer, who started out as a celeb Tamil RJ, doing a weekly show.

Kaushik’s positivity seems to be a good trait as an RJ on the morning show, which he now hosts, on a Malayalam radio channel. “I mix up my music with motivational messages, either talking about inspiring personalities or reminding people about what their dreams are as a pravasi Malayali and to chase them. My signature style is to be not a typical RJ, but to be like someone in their household. I am keen to convey only positive messages,” he says.

Interestingly, as a celeb who has been interviewed several times, he says being on the other side has given him a sense of how tricky it can be. “I have done many interviews and it is easy to give long answers to explain what you want, but I find it is quite a heavy responsibility as an interviewer to find the right questions to ask and create a comfortable environment for my interviewee,” he says.

While he has had to miss out on a couple of good opportunities being in Dubai, Kaushik says that some music directors are willing to wait till he is available, and he now has a couple of Malayalam and Telugu projects awaiting release.