As a child, Selwyn loved doing mimicry. He was naturally gifted in this and could imitate most people around him or on TV. He wanted to learn a lot of different things, but his parents didn’t support his wishes. Selwyn has an elder brother and as kids, they used to love watching WWE. This was when Selwyn’s obsession with tattoos began. He started listening to rock music because his brother was into it.
Selwyn has always been competitive and wanted to come first in whatever he did. He loved participating in events and representing his school. In college, Selwyn was into sports and gaming. He also tried to sing, but he worked hard on it to improve. He picked up learning guitar after college because he wanted to learn more.
Finding his passion
He had pressure on him to join the family business, but he was not enjoying being a part of it. In 2011, he participated in the National Youth Festival. He was confident his talent of mimicry would earn him praise. He was one of the finalists representing Mumbai in the competition.
From working in BPOs to get money for tattoos to getting 2 National Records for tattoos, the journey has been pretty interesting. Selwyn was part of a youth choir where he got to improve his singing. During this time, he would often take his guitar to work. He would play the guitar for the housekeeping staff and security guards when his shift ended at night. This was great practice, and he improved a lot.
Career beginnings
A friend of Selwyn’s offered him a gig after hearing him play at his office. This was the first time he played properly on stage. Selwyn had always been confident on stage because he was used to mimicry. The crowd loved his performance, and he considered doing more shows. Once a friend of his was unwell and gave her spot to Selwyn, and he performed and did street magic too.
The crowd and venue-owner loved his stage presence and signed him on to come on stage every Friday. Then he got more gigs and learned more about the craft and the market. Selwyn takes care of his voice and barely has ice cream or cold drinks. He also suffered from a vocal cord swelling that limited his range. “The band came into existence because of the vocal cord swelling,” according to Selwyn.
Success and the future
In 2017 August, Selwyn did a gig with one of his friends. It was a combination of singing, beatboxing, street magic, and mimicry. By the end of 2017, he had made a name for himself and his band. He added memes to the mix and eventually reached a height. What Selwyn does to entertain people, very few people do in Mumbai. In 2018, he started learning to beatbox, and he has leveled up. He started putting up videos and has developed many ideas that are unique to only him, such as combining Rubik’s cube and beatboxing.
One challenge Selwyn faced while performing live was pleasing older people. “They expect the original sound, and live in the artist’s own version,” he said. Selwyn’s advice is that there is always something positive in every situation. During the lockdown, Selwyn learned a lot and leveled up his skills. His content during the lockdown earned him one of the top 3 prizes at the MTV Lockdown Stars. He is in a great place in his career and enjoys doing what he does.
