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Jeffery Iqbal Brings Bollywood To Hollywood Unite Thru Music
Xperience Bollywood To Hollywood With Stunning Jeffery Iqbal with the idea Jeffery Iqbal Brings Bollywood To Hollywood Uniting Thru Music
“Unite Through Music”
Jeffery Iqbal Brings Bollywood To Hollywood “Unite Thru Music” Xperience Bollywood to Hollywood all in one evening! The USA born and bred, Jeffrey Iqbal, has been entertaining audiences and music royalty, globally. Amassing millions of views on social media platforms, and appearing on TV shows such as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, India’s Raw Star, and Jammin 2018, Jeffrey has also toured and performed alongside some seriously big names such as, AR Rahman, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal, Atif Aslam, and the list goes on.
Jeffrey is one of the world’s renowned artists whose voice is able to authentically bring together music from the East and West, ranging from Classic to new Bollywood and new aged English pop chartbusters.
Jeffrey’s “Unity Thru Music” mission and belief is that music can break down all barriers and unite people of different ages, cultures, religions, gender, and anything that can divide us from love and community. It is magic to watch him as he takes you on a beautiful journey through a valley of romantic songs and lifts you to an energetic high, all from the comfort of your seat!
You are quite known in the music industry and don’t need an introduction. However, shine some light on your name. Is Jeffery your birth name? Or you have adopted this name for the singing profession?
Soooo this story starts with my eldest sibling (Im the youngest of 3). When my Dad moved to the USA, he faced some hurdles having an ethnic name. A name that may have put his resume/CV, or work application, at the bottom of the pile. When my mother was pregnant with my brother, my Dad made the choice to name his first son Michael. This was to help his kids blend in with the country and culture they were going to live, work, and interact with. Initially, when I was younger, I used to wish I had a more desi, or hybrid kind of name, but now, I love the fact that I am Jeffrey.
Jeffrey Iqbal: The perfect hybrid and very confusing to most people kind of name.
How challenging it was to get your first assignment as a singer? Tell us more.
It wasn’t very challenging honestly. When I was young, I would participate in music competitions and community cultural events. When people would hear me there, they would approach my parents and ask them if I would come perform at some event or another. That was how it all began at a very young age.
What is your experience as a stage performer?
I started off as a ‘sit down with the harmonium and tabla’ kind of performer for so many years. That was what I knew and what I thought was the only way. It wasn’t until I performed on stage with AR Rahman that I sang standing up for the first time in my life. Needless to say, that was the end of sitting down for me.
Do you have a mentor?
I always wish I had a mentor honestly. For those of you that have had a mentor in life, you should be really grateful. My music career has been a very lonely yet exciting journey. Through this journey, I encountered all sorts of people who wanted to help and see me grow or people who acted like they wanted me to grow but really used me for their own agendas. A lot of heartaches, emotional stress, and empty bank accounts, but a dream to succeed kept me going! Regardless of the circumstance, I had to extract as many lessons from all the situations and move forward. I have to say, being a musician isn’t for everyone. Even if you are super talented, there are so many other attributes you must overcome to truly break through the noise. OR have someone who can walk the path with you and sharpen your skills at business and branding. I can go on about this forever.
What excites you most about weddings? Is there a funny incident you would like to share with us?
What excites me most about weddings is that I’m being invited to entertain at the most important night of many people’s lives. A night where all the loved ones of a bride and groom are together to celebrate, and they chose ME to be the one to get the party going and set the mood. Along with that excitement comes A LOT of pressure. If you ask any of my team members, they will tell you that “Jeffrey is never satisfied with his show.” This is because I take weddings and all my performances very very seriously. I always want to improve and I want to make sure I have created much more value than expected.
Are you in a relationship? Or dating?
You know this is a very interesting question … We are raised and surrounded by relationships and love, but we often neglect our self-worth, and personal growth, in search for that perfect Bollywood love story. We often think we need to be in a relationship with someone to feel love and happiness. That we need someone else to be our “Better half” or to make us “complete,” but, I have a totally different view of this. YES, being with someone who is aligned with us and empowers and encourages us is amazing, and goes a long way in life, but to truly be in that kind of relationship, we need to work on OURSELVES firstly, be comfortable with ourselves, be independent, and care less about other peoples judgements about us. Sadly that can be difficult when many parents and friends put pressure on us to get married, but we must take a stand.
I’m open to love and relationships, but I’m not in control of that. That will happen on its own, as long as I’m open to it and willing. What I am in control of is the impact I have on the people and the world around me. I’m in control of my emotions and the actions I take. I’m in control of how I choose to look at setbacks and take lessons from them. So I choose to remain open. And when love comes my way, I will be the best version of myself to date and will make the other person so happy, because we will both be aligned, and see the world from the same point of view. Empathy, love, and compassion.
How much do you travel as a performer? Tell us something strange you experienced during your travel?
I have been lucky enough to travel to over 35 countries around the world because of my music. My favorite part about being able to travel is the people. I have met some really amazing people in every corner of the world, that when I land anywhere and have a friend to call and visit. So grateful for that! Only sad thing is that if I have a BBQ at my house, I can’t get my buddies from 10,000 miles away to come join me…
To shed some truth about all the travel though; it’s exhausting! And many times I don’t want to get on another plane. I would rather be in one place grinding, then jumping on a 30-hour flight to perform. There was a point when I was so jet-lagged from jumping time zones that it confused my body and I couldn’t sleep for more than 2 hours at a stretch. I realized that was a problem, and I reduced the number of shows I would do, and would pick and choose what projects were for me.
What do you do when life gives you lemons?
Learn from the lemons. Each time you extract that lesson, it gives you an extra little superpower. Collect superpowers and make an epic life.
Is there someone specific you would want to sing as a dual? Like a duet or a face-off???
I’m open to duets or collaborations with anyone… And as a dual or face-off, I challenge myself!
Where do you see yourself in the next few years?
I see myself doing exactly what I’m doing today, but just on a bigger scale.
Some words for the new singers and fans…..
New fans, welcome! I look forward to sharing more music with you and spreading ‘Unity Thru Music’…. I would love to hear from you, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube under ‘Jeffreyiqbal’.
Singers, keep working hard. Keep making music. Keep improving yourself on a daily basis if you want to rise above the rest and make an impact.
