Guyanese born Anthony Persaud popularly known as “Mr Bollywood” dreams of one day putting on one of the biggest shows his homeland has ever witnessed. Anthony told this publication, “I am planning to do an amazing show in my homeland of Guyana. It will be one of my biggest accomplishments and I have already started planning.”
Now 40 years old, Anthony was born on the East Coast Demerara to Bibi Shamin Persaud and Kenneth Persaud. While he had lived in Industry for some time, he moved to Ogle, where he spent most of his “Guyana life”. He attended the Cummings Lodge Secondary School and graduated in 1996, after which, he taught design and technology at the school for about one year.
He moved to New York, where he currently resides, in 1998.
According to Anthony, he has always had a love for singing. “My first time I sang publicly was while attending mandir as a kid about 10 years old, but I had been singing since about 7 years old,” he said.
In 2001, he had the opportunity to perform at the annual Indian Immigration Day celebration, where a male and female singing competition was the main attraction.
He said he secured second spot that year but returned to take first place for the next three years.
That was his big break in the singing arena. “… After that I was being asked by various promoters and event holders to be on shows, competitions and even private occasions…,” he said.
So far in his career, he said, he has taken part in an average of 25 Bollywood singing competitions over the last 15 years. “All from Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi or just open competitions,” he added.
He boasted that he has reigned as New York City’s, “Mohammed Rafi champ for 4 years and twice for Kishore Kumar. I have won the majority of all the competitions I have entered”.
He said he has secured 19 first places, eight second places and two third places.
Anthony was also awarded the 2017 West Indian Music Award for Best Male Bollywood Singer, which earned him his nickname “Mr Bollywood”.
Meanwhile, he said, over the past few years he has taken a backseat to singing competitions as he feels it is right to allow others the opportunity to shine and showcase their talents as well. Nevertheless, he remains involved in other aspects, such as judging and promotion. “Music and the culture will always be my passion,” he stressed.
Furthermore, he said, he was very happy and satisfied with his music journey so far. “I cannot be more grateful for the gift I have been blessed with. I never had any professional training and although I got some coaching from my dad when I was a kid, most of what I execute now is all self-trained,” he noted.
According to him, he comes from a family that has a lot of individuals who are musically inclined. “In some ways I guess it’s in the blood,” he added.
He explained that his passion for Bollywood music came through his upbringing in Guyana, “and listening to my dad sing and just having this gift. I plan to use it, to bring happiness into the lives of people that share the love of this kind of music”.
Anthony said that so far he has had the opportunity to sing amongst several amazing artistes who he has admired and has also shared studio space with some wonderful collaborators as well. However, the most memorable moment in his journey so far was meeting the legendary melody king of Bollywood playback, Kumar Sanu.
“I grew up loving the classics of Kishore da, Rafi Saab, Mukesh Ji, Amit Kumar, Pankaj Udhas, Jajgit Singh, Yesudass etc, but came to enjoy the evolution of voices and style through Sonu Nigam, Abhijeet, Udit Narayan, Atif Aslam and Arjit Singh just to name a few,” he explained.
He then pointed out that while Bollywood music has changed considerably over the years, “the foundation of where it was once, the great calibre of Indian music still and forever will be my favourite. Old is gold”. He added that he made a CD in 2009 titled ‘Love – Unforgettable Hits’.
He said, “My aspirations and outcome of my blessing is to share it as long as I can with as many people as I can. Never felt the need for popularity, I just want to sing my heart out and feel that sense of contentment when I see the look on the audience’s faces.” Hence his desire to put on a grand show in Guyana.
His advice to young and upcoming singers is to never underestimate themselves and remain humble. “I say to you never underestimate your potential, always try your very best, keep being positive, always be around people that support you and be humble and supportive to others,” he stressed.
A present, Anthony travels between New York, Boston, Florida and other places in the USA spreading his talent, which is a dream come true.
He also spoke of how grateful he is for his wife Pinkie Bharrat-Persaud, his mother and his brother, who, he said, are his “diehard fans and supporters. I have met and gathered some amazing folks over the years, my loving and ever so supportive fans, I love them all”.