Rising Music Star Gaurika: “Why I’d like to start a movement where everyone is more conscious of cause and effect”
I have always had an idea, which I would love to bring to life as a ‘Pay It Forward and Pay it Back’ scheme, a concept where everyone is accountable for themselves and being conscious of cause and effect. What their part is in the world and for actually bringing about change because any amount of money and resources doesn’t solve problems if people’s mindsets and attitudes don’t change towards something’s. I’m not sure if it’s something that has been done before. A movement where you do something good for somebody else and they have to do the same and so on and so forth… Spreading actual consciousness in the right way is required especially to the generations coming, there needs to be changes where we respect all life again as we want our own lives to be respected and go back to clean living… Mental health issues are on the rise and our lives have gone crazy with constant and instant access to everything, we suddenly find the need to pass judgment on everything via social media… There needs to be a movement where a good deed is passed on and for every good deed passed on you do another good deed but on a greater level of life. As humans, if we touch a hot stove, we get burned and we don’t do it again because that is an instant cause and effect… Yet we get comfortable in pushing certain universal boundaries as we don’t see the effect until later to which we then react again causing more and more imbalance — case and example Global Warming, Our EcoSystem, how we treat Life (animals, etc.) A movement of instant accountability and paying it forward while we pay it back. I also think like ‘Jury Service’ there should be ‘voluntary service’ added to schools as a compulsory service every year through to their working life. Hands-on charity and help are greater than just sending money to a cause and it’s that hands-on approach that keeps us all connected.
I had the pleasure to interview Gaurika Hayer. Dubbed by music insiders as ‘A triple threat with her multiple talents’ and “A naturally gifted star in the making” with “Mesmerising beauty and emotive delivery, performing as a worldwide star performer,” Gaurika realized her gift for writing lyrics at the tender age of 11. This global artist earned her stripes the hard way, fully immersing herself in music at such a tender age when she lost her mother suddenly. Gaurika turned to write as a form of expression and healing. Gaurika’s play of words has become an inescapable force that one can’t help but succumb too. Using inspiration from various musical influences, combined with an energetic, emotional yet charismatic stage presence, Gaurika is a representation of everything that is great about commercial pop today with a global sound and yet still manages to take it to another emotional level. Gaurika’s unique musical style is fresh and powerfully moving. Gaurika brings a spiritual yet world-wise approach with a heartfelt, genuine desire to: “Aspire to Inspire.” while paying tribute to the powerful musical influences of the legendary artists before her.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved singing, performing and entertaining. I’ve always had a connection to music and more so when I turned 12 I went through an unimaginable loss of my Mum and that’s when I turned to music in a big way. For countless nights I slept with a Walkman (the new age iPhone) glued to my ears and I understood the real power of music and how it helped me release some pain, feel uplifted and how at that moment, I was totally engrossed in the story of that particular song. It taught me so much, made me realize so many other people’s stories and struggles and gave me this feeling that I was never alone. It was then that I knew this was my calling. I guess at this point my dad would be pleased I didn’t have “Push It” by Salt & Pepper or something on repeat, instead, I grew up listening to Eminem :) LOL, well he came a little later on but generally an array of music that had lyrical meaning, one that had a story to some degree, and that’s where I realized how the simplicity of music had such power to create change because it changed me and taught me so much, it’s funny that some of the most empowering songs came from such a place of vulnerability… So that’s when in my Heart and Soul, I knew this is what I wanted to do for my career. It was something I had an innate passion for, something I had such a connection to and something that came naturally to me, especially with the songwriting, although saying that if I look back at some of the first songs I wrote, I can barely get through a verse without cringing, but saying that like with anything that comes naturally in life, you still have to work because practice makes perfect or perfection in its imperfect sense. Also, I think coming from an Indian background, it’s like my genes were infused by a beat and rhythm that’s infused in my blood that came to life as I began to explore and delve deeper into Music in every aspect. I am also always somebody that lives by the motto “Aspire to Inspire” change by being the change you wish to see in the world so whilst growing up you’re never really told that choosing to be a singer as your career path is ‘acceptable’ as an actual career (at least in UK schools)… You always get told by the school’s career advisor — “Well you might want to have a backup plan” which is an aspect to consider but my philosophy has always been if you do something you are naturally good at, you will have the passion and determination to work hard at it and give it everything you and more making you better at what you do, leading to recognition which gives you security and financial stability and most importantly brings you happiness by allowing you to share that happiness and I am a big believer of anything is possible so no — one should put a ceiling on anyone’s capabilities because you look back in history and the people I have been inspired by, none of them put barriers up, instead they had to break through barriers so we should all empower everyone to do their best and know that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, apply yourself 100% with commitment, hard work, perseverance, and passion, then greatness is truly achievable and your dreams can become reality. So that really brought me to where I am today, It’s funny because once things get into motion and momentum kicks in, people think that you’re an ‘overnight success’ but honestly ask anyone, and it’s one hell of a long night! :)
Can you share the most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your music career?
I have always been a go-getter and believe that where there is a will there is a way so many years ago, I managed to find direct contact details (after much internet stalking and cold calling people) for a very well known Music Executive within the industry. After many hours of trying, I actually managed to get through directly to him and the next 2 minutes changed my life. He commended my courage, persistence, and sheer insane approach to be that of the making of a star and said he would cover flights, etc. to meet ASAP. I was determined that this was going to work and had convinced myself through the process but was in complete utter shock after it did work. This gave me a whole new fire in my soul to do whatever it takes, don’t stop at ‘crazy’ as sometimes it’s beyond that crazy idea that amazing things happen.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
The most exciting projects I am working on right now first and foremost has to be my official debut single release, ‘I’m Alive featuring Sean Kingston’ It’s been a long time coming and is a bit like giving birth I guess, It’s one night of passion in musical terms that’s the conception of the song, creating it in the studio followed by months of prep with the marketing, getting your team together ready for when it’s actually time to give birth. Followed by the exciting stage I’m in now which I guess would be labor — equally painful in the waiting of all the behind the scenes work, paperwork/admin involved, waiting for the physical release and then to finally share my baby with the whole world and hope they see the beauty I see in it with a great team of doctors/midwives also known as my management and PR team, etc. Childbirth aside ;), I am somebody that loves to multi-task and passionate about life so I am always writing and am also in the process of finishing my third song of the EP which I am so blessed to have a very exciting feature A-List artist who I love and is dominating in the charts… We are still in talks but in principle, he’s agreed to jump on board so I cannot wait to jump in the studio with him and work on such an exciting song.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I have had the honor of meeting and interacting with some very interesting and inspirational people. I remember meeting Nelson Mandela and Will Smith years ago at a Nelson Mandela concert in Hyde Park which was a very memorable experience for me along with David Gest who was a very quirky, eccentric and just a lovely guy, Corey Rooney more recently who was very sweet and an incredibly talented producer… Having been blessed to have worked and been in and out of renowned Music studios and events in both the US and UK, I have met a lot of interesting people, music artists and general industry veterans… They have all been very humble and lovely and approachable. I’m yet to have a bad experience with anyone and actually the one thing I have found is people that have ‘made it’ is extremely humble and approachable and people on the way there can be a little more ‘distant’. I have been to some amazing events, like the Bafta’s and Elton John’s Aids foundation events where I had the pleasure of meeting Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Sam Smith, who was lovely and so down to earth, I have genuinely met some amazing people, Pharrell Williams in Miami… I have had the pleasure of meeting Jared Harris and his lovely wife, who is so beautiful inside and out, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jodie Kidd, Isla Fisher, James Arthur, Jon Secada, Rudy Perez, Mark Hudson, Desmond Child… Now I’m going to stop here because this list seems endless… I do have some very funny stories especially where there were after-parties to the events but I don’t believe it’s right to ‘kiss and tell’ so will keep them to myself… Just to be clear though, there wasn’t actually any kissing that I was involved with in any way! More of a witness a kiss and tell and not tell situation ;)
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
There are so many people in history that inspire me in so many ways, There are the Legends that will never die like Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Anne Frank, Princess Diana, Florence Nightingale, Buddha, Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson (Musically as an artist), to your living day life-changers who are creating history now like Dalai Lama, Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Anthony Robbins, Richard Branson, JK Rowling to name a few… There are so many that it would be an endless list to a degree… The one thing I like to think all these people have in common is their basic ‘principles’ or ‘characteristics/traits’ of life and that’s why they inspire me because they are the principles I live by — Having a deep empathy for others, Expressing their Love and appreciation openly and model equality, they have immense courage pushing through their own personal fears to stand up for justice/what they believe in, they believe in collective power –focused on the progression of everyone, they use every aspect of themselves to make a difference in uplifting the world by giving all of themselves and also I believe they are emotionally healed, now that doesn’t mean they are pain-free to any degree but that they’ve resolved that pain so that they are emotionally healthy and not letting their past experiences/hurt/pain/suffering be the basis of how they approach their present or future because there is a great saying; ‘Hurt people hurt people’ so it’s so important to heal your wounds or at least clean them up so that they don’t affect you or the way you affect the world because I believe everything is connected and what you do effects everything else. They also all express gratitude for life, for their team of people around them, because it's so important to remember that you are never alone in achieving anything and even when you think you are there is a whole universe of events behind the scenes supporting you so Gratitude is key. Last but not least they look at life positively, even in the gravest of situations, you always see what your end vision is, your purpose and you have to go through it, so best to do it positively as there is enough negativity around generally. Again it’s not all about the names in flashing lights but all the unsung heroes that do all of the above in their everyday life with their families and community, people that do it out of the goodness of their hearts and for no recognition. The people that give when they don’t have much to give themselves. There are so many examples these days, animals showing kindness to other animals, children showing love and kindness to other children, that’s one real positive of social media, that we are able to share so many inspiring stories instantly with the whole world and be able to recognize some peoples kindness and humanity.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I don’t think anyone needs success to bring goodness into, the world, we are all capable of it every day in everything we do. I live by always doing good, in any way possible not just the big noticeable ways but every which way… I have this vision of everyone being accountable for themselves and everyone around us we are all connected and looking at it, I feel with all of our growth as a human race we seem to have lost an element of humanity along the way and it’s instilling that back, like with animal cruelty, processed food to the point where we are hurting the very animals we are ingesting and hurting the planet causing major nature shifts… We are a huge system in every aspect and that system reacts to every action, maybe not instantly but after a while, those effects show, like with Global Warming, which is so apparent. So we must be accountable and conscious and know that we are by no means the most powerful being but we are able to be through the balance of everything ‘being’ together. For me, I look at all Life as equal and once we can all look at all life this way, we can be more conscious and aware of what we are doing and whether it is for just our instantaneous benefit or the greater good of life. So I will continue to do this and again with more success, I hope to have a larger platform or connectivity globally to get involved in all aspects of bettering humanity in whichever way possible and support causes I am passionate about in any way I can with a more hands-on approach.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I have always had an idea, which I would love to bring to life as a ‘Pay It Forward and Pay it Back’ scheme, a concept where everyone is accountable for themselves and being conscious of cause and effect. What their part is in the world and for actually bringing about change because any amount of money and resources doesn’t solve problems if people’s mindsets and attitudes don’t change towards something’s. I’m not sure if it’s something that has been done before. A movement where you do something good for somebody else and they have to do the same and so on and so forth… Spreading actual consciousness in the right way is required especially to the generations coming, there needs to be changes where we respect all life again as we want our own lives to be respected and go back to clean living… Mental health issues are on the rise and our lives have gone crazy with constant and instant access to everything, we suddenly find the need to pass judgment on everything via social media… There needs to be a movement where a good deed is passed on and for every good deed passed on you do another good deed but on a greater level of life. As humans, if we touch a hot stove, we get burned and we don’t do it again because that is an instant cause and effect… Yet we get comfortable in pushing certain universal boundaries as we don’t see the effect until later to which we then react again causing more and more imbalance — case and example Global Warming, Our EcoSystem, how we treat Life (animals, etc.) A movement of instant accountability and paying it forward while we pay it back. I also think like ‘Jury Service’ there should be ‘voluntary service’ added to schools as a compulsory service every year through to their working life. Hands-on charity and help are greater than just sending money to a cause and it’s that hands-on approach that keeps us all connected.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Don’t waste your energy on negativity and remember that everyone you are dealing with is human… Don’t take any unconstructive criticism to heart and the biggest tip is to be yourself, don’t try and change to fit a mold that they might find a better fit for and you’ve wasted your time and energy and one thing I stand by, the biggest commodity you have is time, not money because time is something you can’t gain back, once that moment passes it’s on to the next one. I found when I was working round the clock (quite literally) you have to balance and prioritize and the biggest thing you have to preserve is you, so take 15 minutes during the day to meditate and clear and rebalance and switch off. I do this religiously, 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes before I go to sleep. This keeps everything into perspective and you are ‘acting’ in situations as opposed to ‘reacting’ to them. Don’t do anything against your innermost gut feeling regardless of what the promises might be because of this industry unfortunately like many others have a lot of opportunists that tell you what they think you want or need to hear to get what they want selfishly for themselves so don’t give them the time of day. Work — hard, take time for yourself and Be You always. Because a combination of the above will wear you down and burn you out over time instead of thriving.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
•A famous Oscar Wilde quote — Be Yourself, Everyone is already taken
When you are young and new to the industry there are many people that are in positions of taking your career to the next level but that involves you fitting within a mold that isn’t true to you. I remember feeling like I was making a mistake at the time when walking away from a deal that involved me not really being me… I do believe that sometimes you have to do what you have to do, to do what you want to do, so at the time I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing but fundamentally if it isn’t you then don’t do it.
•There will always be someone that doesn’t see your worth — Don’t let it be you
There will be many knock backs and it’s important not to take them personally (easier said than done when you really want something and have worked so hard) Take any criticism that is constructive to grow and discard any negativity and bear in mind the law of averages — This kept me going along with U2’s story… For every 10 No’s there will always be 1 yes so if you’ve had 10 no’s, persevere and find the Yes. Don’t let it get you down.
• If it hasn’t been done before, it doesn’t mean it can’t be done… Always explore…
When I first was auditioning for projects within the music industry I remember people saying they weren’t sure where to place me as a British Indian doing fully commercial pop music and not with an Indian twist as there wasn’t a full-blown commercial artist of my background doing what I was auditioning to do… It always made, I feel like, well there are ‘more of me’ out there so I’m sure there’s a market and why not explore it if it hasn’t been done before or ‘tried and tested’ to a degree.
• Everybody, has a story, don’t let their bad experiences shape your journey…
There are so many times that people that have had negative experiences tell you that’s the ‘fact’ and ‘how it is’… Don’t allow their negative experience to shape your journey or alter what you are doing… Their journey is their journey, not your journey so take a step back, take the information on board if needed but note that it is an opinion not a declared fact especially with the changes within the music industry over the last few years.
• Don’t jump at the first ‘Yes’ or first ‘deal’
It’s always so lovely to hear your first ‘YES’ when you have been working so hard to get it but weigh up your options and make sure it is the best deal for you… I have seen friends jump at the first deal and regret it so many times.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to interview and be in touch with some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this, especially if we tag them :-)
Now this question could have me here all day with a list as long as my arm because there are so many people I’d love to have a private breakfast or lunch with (not sure I’ll be doing much eating in that scenario). I would LOVE to have breakfast with Ellen DeGeneres because I absolutely love her and what she stands for, she is what we need in this world at the moment, someone that reminds you how important it is to be kind to one another and so inspiring in so many ways especially with her own story, singing on her show would be an absolute dream come true for me. I’ve seen her cooking with Oprah before and they are Neighbors, I’ve heard, so that would be a double whammy as Oprah Winfrey is somebody else that would be a dream come true to meet as she is extremely inspiring and her exploration of spirituality along with her gratitude for life and changing so many lives along her journey is truly inspirational. Musically, Celine Dion is my reason for picking up my pencil to write my first song and I love her music, the way she captures the emotion and her truth in her voice is just beyond words. After my mum passed away her album “Let’s talk about Love” was one I had on repeat and helped, I grieve in a way that I needed at that time. A few others would be Pink for always being true to herself and being true to her music and if I ever had a daughter, would love her to have Pink as a role model, she advocates people’s individuality and especially for girls, telling them smartness is sexy, I would love to write with her or sing with her one day! She is definitely one of my, music idols. Ed Sheeran — A true artist in every way and so down to earth and hasn’t allowed his success to change him or the essence of him and his music is his truth, I love his writing style and the simplicity of his songs and his story is inspiring and shows people that anything you love is worth working for. Eminem — Swear words aside, for me, Eminem is great, his story and total truth throughout his career and life is commendable and the way he writes just cuts through you. He feels every word and is someone I would love to meet or work with. Cristiano Ronaldo, I’m not an avid football fan but he has to be one of the most remarkable athletes of all time, the way he plays is just effortless and so smooth and outside of that he’s been known for helping children, and lot’s of charity work and supports so many causes and finally, Obama — Who doesn’t want to have breakfast or lunch or 5 minutes with Obama?! He is so inspiring, one of the best public speakers and someone that is so approachable and has time for everyone, you could feel his genuine passion to do good for all. He had conviction and perseverance to bring about change positively and he always has a ‘we’ not ‘I’ attitude, which is so refreshing. He took risks and has the art of communication and connecting which is because it comes from a place of truth. I am a huge fan of Kevin Hart & Dwayne Johnson so to have lunch with those two, would be incredible, firstly I can only imagine what lunch with The Rock would be like (the guy is like a real-life giant, muscular superhero) and then there’s Kevin, a small ball of explosive energy! So passionate, animate, inspiring! It would not only be a double whammy explosion of extreme comedy but also really inspiring as they both have such humble beginnings and have worked immensely to get to where they are today and together they are just the perfect pair! I mean who doesn’t want to have lunch with those guys?
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Twitter: @GaurikaOFFICIAL
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