A doctor from Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) finds music a comforting distraction from all the hard work he does.
Amar Chotai, 32, is an accomplished singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, and performer. By day, he is a Interventional Neuroradiologist.
Although both professions appear very different on the surface, Amar says there are in fact multiple similarities, such as working under high pressure, expression through art, and most notably healing.
He said: “I want my music to be listened to and enjoyed by millions across the world. In the process, I want to touch them at a deep emotional level. I hope that my music will help people to heal in whatever difficult situation they find themselves in."
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During Amar’s teenage years, he tragically lost his mother, who was also his first musical teacher. Before her passing, he made a solemn promise to her that he would leave no stone unturned in attempting to achieve excellence in the fields of music and medicine, which encompassed her dreams for him. The track is therefore dedicated to his mother.
Accompanying Amar’s new musical work is the forthcoming single ‘Bisrat Naahi Maa’, (Mother, you cannot be forgotten). He hopes the song will touch and aid the healing process of people who have suffered a loss in their lives, especially during the COVID pandemic.
With regards to the latter, he feels blessed and extremely fortunate to be able to perform two professions, with such profound healing capacities. Amar has proven to excel within his musicianship throughout his career and has tapped into a range of musical genres and sounds.
Having experimented and performed with various types of music, Amar’s most recent endeavour is finding musical solidarity within Bollywood music. It's an area that reflects his roots, and one that Amar feels most at home with.
His mission is to heal his listeners through his lyrics, as well as the message he creates. He said: “Balancing between the two really keeps me on my toes and the key I have found is to work hard, be disciplined and be as organised as possible.
“I get up at 4:30 am and aim to do my vocal practice for 1.5 hours in the morning before work starts. I then practice most evenings for 1hour and also have band practice 2-3 times per week. Weekends are usually when my performances take place all over the country.
“It is a fine balance but I really enjoy both immensely and neither of them feels like ‘work’ to me. I just try to immerse myself in the journey, which in itself is very exciting!
“My music can be streamed on Spotify and all digital streaming platforms. My music videos can be seen on YouTube and people can follow me on Instagram , Facebook , and Twitter .”