Social Nation is back with its video podcast series – The Social Nation Show. Streaming on Spotify, the podcast is produced by the best in the business: Pod.One. On The Social Nation Show, we aim to bring you the stories behind India’s most popular content creators. Get to know all about their personal and professional lives as we present the most authentic version of the Indian creator economy to you. For our twentieth episode, we have the poet, the storyteller, and the master of words: Amandeep Singh!
Also Read: From The Creator-Verse: Festive Season Brings New Beginnings
Episode 20
We’ve had a vast range of creators appear on The Social Nation Show. From the chulbuli Sakshi Keswani a.k.a. Being Suku to the relatable Dhiraj Sanap to the Internet sensation Shehzaan Khan, we bring the creator industry to you. 20 episodes in, our next guest is the renowned storyteller and wordsmith Amandeep Singh a.k.a Amandeep Khayal! While we love listening to his ‘khayal‘ and poems, how interesting would it be to know more about his world? We’ve got you covered!
In this episode, Amandeep reflects on his journey from his first-ever stage performance to his dream of sold-out shows. He shares how his personal experiences (and even tragedies!) have shaped his art. We also dive into how he views Mumbai through his poetic lens, narrates stories from his International tours, talks about the role of social media in modern storytelling, and the power of collaboration within the poetry community. Whether you’re an aspiring artist or just love a good story, this conversation is packed with inspiration, emotion, and beautiful poetry.
How Do You Approach Storytelling Or Reciting Poetry?
Amandeep shared a small anecdote. He said, “Main open mic mein jaane wala tha and mujhe pata nahi tha open mic kya hota hai. And I have a college senior, unka naam Riya hai. She does open mics toh maine unhe call kiya aur kaha ki yaar aisa hai, kya karun? Unhone kaha ki just go there, you have a five-minute slot. In those five minutes, try to live each and everything that you are reciting. Not everyone gets the chance to relive what they’ve written or lived.”
“So ever since then till now, every time I’m on stage, all I try to do is jo main keh raha hoon ya jo main suna raha hoon ya jo main share kar raha hoon, usse main utni hi imaandari se jeeun jitna maine pehli dafa jeeya that,” he added.
Dreaming Of Sold-Out Shows
Amandeep had recently posted a story of being shook at Vir Das’ show tickets being sold out within minutes and wishing that for himself one day. “Recently for a few months, I’ll be very honest, I have been feeling lost. Matlab kar rahe hain, maza aa raha hai, but it’s being a loop. Like, you write something, you go perform, and you enjoy. And that’s it. You’re doing it, but it may not give you the happiness that you are looking for. I just sat and thought back ki ‘kyun shuru kiya tha?'” said Amandeep Singh.
“Toh I remember for the very long years of my college life, jab bhi koi mujhe puchta tha ki kya kar rahe ho ya kyun karna hai ya kaise karna hai, I used to host a lot of college events. Toh main aksar unse yahi kehta tha ki mujhe ek din aisa show karna hai jahan kam se kam 10,000 log mujhe dekhne aayein,” he shared.
Pain Makes An Artist?
You know that moment from Rockstar when Khatana Bhai told Ranbir Kapoor’s character Jordan that it takes “pain, dukh, dard and aansu” to be an artist? He said “Jab tak taqleef na ho na, tab tak koi bada nahi banta hai.“ We asked Amandeep Singh if he agreed with that thought. He said he agrees 80%.
“You need to go through certain not-so-good things in life that others have not seen, taaki aap apne andar ki un cheezon ko dekh pao jo aap nahi dekhte ho. A tragedy can give you the most amazing story. The happy moment in your life might not. There’s a study in psychology. Creativity comes from a void. Agar aapke andar ya aapke aaspaas kisi cheez ki kami nahi hai, toh aap kuch create karna nahi chahoge. Kyunki agar sab kuch hai, toh aap kyon create karoge?“
Has Social Media Given New Life To Poetry & Shayari?
“Every art form has a certain timeline that it needs. Aap yeh nahi keh sakte ki main pehli baar baitha aur jo dhun banayi woh final hai. In writing, you need to sit with it, re-read it, and read new things to make it newer. Toh us tareeke se, jo frequency of creating hai, woh mujhe lagta hai kahiin humein over kar jaate hai, ki bhai banana hai, karna hai. Hum sab drift ho jaate hain usmein, because you have to be visible to be sellable. Aaj ka wahi hai. Toh woh ek drawback lagta hai,” shared Amandeep Singh.
On the other hand, he said that the best part is that you can put your work out. “You can put out a piece of art jahan you are independent, unlike earlier times, ki bhai koi magazine chhapu, ya kabhi TV par aaye, ya koi film star le le toh us par film banegi. Abhi agar aapke paas achha kaam hai, you can put it out and it will take you places, based on the content going viral because content consumption ka jo pace hai woh badh gaya hai. So, those first 3 seconds mein you have to grab attention jahan 5 second ka hota hai attention span,” said the poet.
Balancing Content That Audience Wants Vs. What You Want To Put Out
“I will be very bold and honest, mujhe nahi aata hai kaise content aisa daalna jo audience ko pasand ho. So, woh struggle rehta hai. Kabhi-kabhi main ek aisi cheez likh deta hoon jo mujhe lagta hai bahut vague hai, but logon se connect ho jaati hai, aur kabhi kabhi main kuch aisa likhta hoon jo mujhe lagta hai ‘yaar yeh toh kya hi likh diya, bahut khoobsurat hai’ aur kisi se connect nahi hoti. So, I’m still trying to figure out. And I guess art is pretty subjective, so that is something that will come with time, at least in storytelling, writing and all,” revealed Amandeep Singh.
Where Can You Watch The Social Nation Show?
The Social Nation Show will be available on all leading audio and video platforms on Social Nation’s official channels. The video podcasts will be distributed on Social Nation’s Spotify and YouTube handles, whereas the audio podcasts will also be available on Apple Podcast, JioSaavn, Amazon Music, and Gaana platforms. Catch the best moments of each episode on our Instagram and YouTube Shorts too!
Who would you like to see on the show next? Let us know in the comments below. Until then follow us on @socialnationnow for more such exciting content!
