Bollywood Composer and Indian Pop Music Idol to Hold Residency, Perform on Campus

Clinton Cerejo, a versatile multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, arranger, composer, and producer of more than 2,000 commercial jingles, who has been rocketing to stardom in India will bring his talents to Berklee as an artist-in-residence. His latest work is featured in Google India’s viral Google Search: Reunion advertisement, trending virally with its story of a reunion between Pakistani and Indian long-lost friends. Highly sought in the booming Indian advertising and film industry for his signature Western-meets-Indian sound, Cerejo’s residency will culminate in Shuruaat – Clinton Cerejo Meets Berklee, a collaborative performance with the college’s Indian Ensemble on November 26, at 8:15 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center.

Shuruaat – Clinton Cerejo Meets Berklee will feature Quwali and Indian classical, rock, and jazz music from Cerejo’s expansive catalogue as well as original compositions by Berklee students. Performing together and separately, Cerejo and the Berklee Indian Ensemble—with musicians from 34-plus countries directed by Indian Berklee alumnus and faculty member Annette Philip '09—will present Shuruaat (meaning "beginning") in entirely Hindi, Urdu, Sindhi, and Tamil. Though the program serves as the culmination of Cerejo’s four-day residency, he and the Indian Ensemble rehearsed via Skype before his arrival in Boston.

As an artist-in-resident, Cerejo will conduct workshops, master classes, and clinics with Berklee students as well as students from Berklee City Music, the college’s after-school music and college prep program for underserved 4th through 12th graders. During the clinics and master classes, Cerejo will focus specifically on the role that composers, singer-songwriters, and arrangers play in the music industry. He will also mentor student composers whose music will debut during the November 26 concert.

Read a blog post about Cerejo's visit written by student Anahita Bahri.

Cerejo is a multitalented singer, composer, and producer in Bollywood who has carved a niche for himself assuming different roles in the music industry with his talent and style of music. His musical style draws from rich Indian classical and folk traditions fusing it with Western pop, rock, and jazz to create a sound that is uniquely his own.

Cerejo is the voice behind several hit songs such as “Yaraam,” “Hey Ya!,” and “Kya Karoon,” as well as the composer for blockbuster films like Kahaani, Ek main aur Ek Tu, and Ek thi Dayaan. His hugely popular track “Madari,” composed for the MTV India series Coke Studio@MTV, soared in popularity reaching more than 1 million views on YouTube.

Having worked closely with maverick filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj, Cerejo is the music producer for the films Omkara, No Smoking, Kaminey, Ishqiya, Saat Khoon Maaf, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, and the not-yet-released Dedh Ishqiya. Beyond Bollywood, Cerejo is the first Indian to arrange the vocals for Michael Bolton on an album featuring such artists as Seal, Rascal Flatts, and Chris Botti, as well as vocal arrangements for the Oscar-nominated song “If I Rise’ from the film 127 Hours directed by Danny Boyle.