Social Media Star of The Week: Anirudh Deshmukh
The HT Brunch cover star wins for becoming an international app icon, and being the first one at that!
Remember the HT Brunch Clubhouse cover? One of our cover stars has now become the face of audio-only app, Clubhouse, on a global level.
“The cover shoot for HT Brunch got the ball rolling,” says musician and host Anirudh who was in Goa this October when Clubhouse emailed to say that they had picked him as the next face of the app because of the community he brought together within six months.
“They told me that they liked the fact that there was a positive vibe, irrespective of numbers,” the 29-year-old says about his room, Late Night Jam.
Cover to cover
When the app updated with his face as the icon, reality hit. “Musicians I look up to, like Raj Shekhar, Kamakshi Khanna and Mohan Kanan, said they were happy with the Indian representation. International communities have invited me to join. But this achievement isn’t just mine. It feels like a collective achievement of the members,” says Anirudh, who switched from working as an architect in 2017 to being a full-time musician.
Pandemic thriving
During the lockdown, Anirudh went live on Instagram and released original songs, debuting with Besabriyaan in December 2020. Though he joined Clubhouse in February 2021, he only started his room on May 22, 2021.
“I had taken the first shot of the Covid vaccine and instead of going to sleep, I went on Clubhouse late at night and started jamming. People asked when I’d host the room again and it organically became a daily affair.”
Today, his dad, who had been apprehensive when Anirudh quit architecture, is also on Clubhouse. “Since I told him about the icon, he’s been telling everyone that that’s his son on the phone! That’s my biggest win,” laughs the Mumbai boy.
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From HT Brunch, November 14, 2021
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