Everybody who follows Chennai’s music scene knows Christopher Stanley aka Christo. Vocalist of rock band Public Issue and one hell of a riot in person, the musician was last spotted as the comical character Pumbaa - bellowing in song (Hakuna Matata) in the recently-staged Lion King musical. Rock shows, ad jingles, cartoon voice overs and stage musicals aplently now, it’s hard to imagine that this talented musician once struggled with broken English and an accent that was the butt of several jokes in college.
“I was a proper Madras boy,” he laughs. “We only spoke Tamil at home, so there was never a question of getting my English words pronounced right until I wanted to join a band.” Plunged into the world of Madras Christian College, where some of Chennai’s best bands have had their early beginnings, Christo was eager to join in and find his place. “So I started watching YouTube videos and stand up comedians,” he recalls. “I even got a pronunciation app on my phone to help me out.”
Well, the “tripping on”, as he describes it, didn’t stop for a long time. But he did manage to break into a bunch of bands, including a very early line-up of Public Issue – a band that has made their name over close to a decade now. However that early on, Christo rubbed shoulders with as many musicians as he could find from many genres – funk, gospel, rock, you name it. In fact, at one point, the musician was jamming three sessions a day, for three different bands! Of course, as most artistes would remember, before all the fame and recognition comes a whole lot of rejection. And this story is certainly not lacking in that regard. “One of the first bands I auditioned for told me I couldn’t sing. Actually, they said: ‘Don’t sing. Do something else’.” Thankfully, he didn’t listen.
Fast forwarding the years of cultural fests, professional rock gigs and now a dabble in theatre, the 25-year-old has decided to try his hand at a solo career and is in the midst of recording his first single. You wouldn’t expect a love song from a performer known to be a spontaneous rib-tickler on stage, but he says, “I’ve always wanted to do one. I used to think it might be a little cheesy, but hey, the moment I recorded a rough version, I had my girlfriend listen to it and she liked it so much, she didn’t get any sleep that night!” Well, the ladies better watch out for this tune then. “It should be out online by the end of the year,” the musician promises, “Hopefully with me in the video, playing the hero.”