Veerendra: Music is my life

In his elegant attire he mounted the stage of Central Bank Auditorium when his name was called as the winner of the ‘Best Musical Arranger prize.’ The strikingly handsome Vareendra Persad looked sexy in his black suit when he collected his award at the 103 Hall of Fame ceremony held recently.  There is no doubt that he is one of the most talented musicians in the country. His skilful fingers have been working magic on the synthesizer to ring out the oriental sounds for the many songs coming from the East and those created in the  Caribbean. His unique hairstyle and charming smile give him the starry look that has women screaming whenever he’s on stage. Although he seldom smiles, he is a pleasant and humble person. His music has been reaching millions of people worldwide.

As head of the award winning band, JMC Trevini, Veerendra remains one of TT’s most sought after musicians in many foreign countries. He is the man behind the music for many of the top compositions rendered by the local stars in TT. At an early morning interview with People, he was composed and peaceful as he sipped his coffee. He spoke about his hectic life as a musician and musical arranger. “There are times that I do not know what day it is. The day runs into the night and I am behind the synthesizer looking for the right chord for the many songs produced in this country. There are more than 50 artistes who have done scores of musical arrangements with JMC Trevini and this is a lot for a small country like Trinidad and Tobago,” he said. In the world of music time goes by quickly. “Many times I would enter the studio at 5 am and at 8 pm I come to see that the entire day has gone by and the musical interlude for a song has not yet been completed. The rough ends have been sharpened but the real rehearsal must now be done to complete the song,”

This may be a long and tedious job, but for Veerendra it is his life. It brings fulfillment. Veerendra composes music for the songs and he is the one behind the synthesizer on the stage through live performances. He has an opportunity to see the crowd’s response to his creative works in music. This experience really gives him the hype he needs to endure the long hours through performances and through rehearsals. Back in 1985, Veerendra was only 17 years old when he won the coveted prize on TTT’s Mastana Bahar. “It was a whirlwind of activities after that stint on Mastana. Every producer in TT and in many of the foreign countries were on my trail. I could not believe what was happening to me back then.” He was born in Tunapuna, attended the Tunapuna Hindu School before being transferred to Don Miguel Hindu School. He was exposed to the harmonium as a primary school student. He had gifted fingers and without any formal training he was able to play the right notes for many of the simple bhajan (religious songs) sang in school. Ten years after winning on Mastana, Veerendra went on to capture the New York’s Sunshine Award for Best Crossover Band in the Caribbean for three consecutive years — ‘96, ‘97 and ‘98. Veerendra then again went on to win the Indo-Caribbean TnT Best Music Awarded in ‘97,’ 98 and ‘99. Still high on the ladder of success he went on to take the award for the “Best Sounding Band” in downtown Carnival in 2002 and again in 2003 when he provided music for the band “Trini Revellers.” 

He has been doing back-up music for India’s top playback singer, Kumar Sanu as well as the celebrated Indian couple, Kanchan and Babla. Although there is more demand for his music in many of the North American countries, Veerendra still finds the time to perform for the local fans on a regular basis. His only regret in life is the fact that the music has him on the road and he does not have enough time to spend with his family. His sons Veeshal, 17, and Veeshan, 9, are also into music. Young Veeshal who is following in his father’s footsteps is finding the notes of the keyboard and the synthesizer in quick time, just like his father did so many years before. Veerendra will be in the country next month, after which he will be heading for the studios in Canada for the recording of his new CD. Apart from everything that is happening, Veerendra maintains a cool head. Out of the many years of experience the music comes to him naturally. “I believe life is a pleasant journey. One must find their rhythm and move accordingly,” he said.