One time CEO of Radio One for over a decade, a veteran of assorted popular rock acts in his home India, and a philanthropist with his Greatsongs Foundation, Vineet Singh Hukmani returned to the role of active performer only a few years ago following his sale of Radio One. He’s accomplished a tremendous amount in a short amount of time. The pinnacle, however, has to be the recent announcement that the European Indie Music Commission and Mei Indipendenti awarded him a coveted Gold Disc plaque in recognition of charting nine number one singles on the European Indie Top 100 in 2021 alone.
No one else has ever done this in the chart’s long history. It isn’t a mirage. The chart reaches its conclusion based on fan voting and global airplay statistics and enjoys a long history further burnishing its credibility. Securing such an accolade further solidifies Vineet’s growing standing as one of popular music’s most talented and hardest working performers today. He’s bursting out of the indie scene in great leaps and a moment such as this further facilitates his inevitable transition into the mainstream,
Songs such as “Hurry”, “Jab the World”, “Turning Back Time”, “i Pray”, and “So New”, among others, sound inspired at every turn. You score nine number ones in a year by feeling a rare connection with the audience and, specifically, the world that he likely won’t be able to indefinitely sustain, but the momentum he gains from this achievement is the sort of fuel capable of propelling careers years down the line.
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His fully realized presentation includes a slew of music videos for each song. These clips further underline the charisma, even when he’s not featured in them, that’s helped garner him such acclaim. They are extensions of his personality and I expect he will continue producing them with future singles. There’s no question that they’ve assisted with Vineet’s singles achieving such chart success.
He should feel gratified. His instinct that he needed to return to his first love, performing and writing his own material, has paid off with an exploding career. Rarely has a musical artist attempted to be all things to all possible listeners and pull it off even halfway, but he’s clearing that particular hurdle with room to spare. Nine number one singles in a year on a major chart is a generational accomplishment. You won’t see it happen again.
He’ll soak up the moment for a few days. He should. However, I’m sure that it will be back to the recording studio soon for this performer, his nose to the proverbial grindstone, and we’ll soon be hearing another single. He’s rode with music listeners through these difficult times and there’s no sign he’ll abandon us anytime soon. The darkness isn’t quite as deep as it was a year ago, but it hasn’t quite lifted yet. Imminent calamity looms around every corner. If we have music like Vineet’s nine number one singles, however, I think we may fare alright. It certainly won’t hurt.
Timothy Ball