Wilbur Sargunaraj, the Youtube sensation behind the track Love Marriage comes to town today for a fun-filled lesson in cultural learning
Wilbur Sargunaraj, the Youtube sensation behind the track Love Marriage comes to town today for a fun-filled lesson in cultural learning
He says he hasn't seen Sacha Baron Cohen of Borat and we believe him. But one cannot help but remember the Kazakh man and his series of cultural learnings when one looks at Youtube star Wilbur Sargunaraj. "I have heard these comparisons for long, people tell me he is vulgur, in that case I am very different from him," says Sargunaraj. In town for the launch of his second album today, titled Simple Superstar after a debut in the year 2008 with a self titled one, Wilbur is on show mode and performing for the first time in the city.
Brought up in the small town of Madurai in Tamil Nadu and settled in Canada, Wilbur Sargunaraj shot to fame with the release of his music video Love Marriage on Youtube. In no time, the word spread and his distinctly different style (read unintentional accent) earned him fans across the globe. Think racy numbers, catchy beats, pelvic thrusts, Tamil slang and a lesson or two in cultural learnings pertaining to the use of eastern toilets and elevators. The backdrop could include anything from autorickshaws, colourful dancers to toilet seats for demonstration.
In a telephonic interview Sargunaraj talks about his passion for dancing that got him started. "I always wanted to be different and original; something I felt was missing in the music industry. Music and dancing came naturally to me. I never set out to do something like this," says Sargunaraj.
His purpose though is much larger than that of entertaining people through his music he tells us. "I want to promote cultural learning and intelligence. When you have a high CQ (Cultural Quotient) you know where you come from and are open to learning more. It is also the ability of engaging with another culture", says Sargunaraj.
Wilbur Sargunaraj is a trained drummer and has learnt the art in Cuba besides the native Mirudangam. He debuted in 2005 with a song called The Blog Song that was a sarcastic take on the blogging frenzy that had taken over the globe at that time. He defines his genre as Indo-world fusion and admits he was always attracted by the sound of western music and didn't really train in music as a child. "My music has so many different sounds and I do believe I am a global citizen. About training in music, it is something you look at in hindsight and wish you had done," says Sargunaraj.
Future plans of this perpetually formally dressed star include a book titled the Wilbur Cultural Intelligence Book that is being illustrated by Bangalore-based Nithin Rao Kumblekar and the Wilbur film. The show in town he tells us will feature songs from his new album and old numbers, Love Marriage in particular.
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