Life meets #Lumia: beatboxer Vineeth Vincent
A world-renowned beatboxer and a self-taught musician from India, Vineeth Vincent likes his beats to do the talking and yearns to #achievemore with his Lumia 640 XL.
The 25-year old beat-boxer has more than 1,000 shows to his credit and is known as “India’s biggest beat-boxer.”
Vineeth also won a Guinness World Record in 2011 for directing 1,246 people as part of the World’s Largest Beatbox Ensemble.
An avid Lumia user, Vineeth is also one of the first users of the Lumia 640 XL* in India and experienced the smartphone before its launch last week. We caught up with the talented performing artist to get his #achievemore story.
Why did you become a beat-boxer?
Vineeth: After a successful career as an emcee and a failed career as a musician, I needed to find a balance between being on stage as a host and using the little bit of musicality that was stuck in my head. It was only towards the end of 2007 that I decided take a year off from my studies and paid more attention to music and beatboxing.
How do you go about creating tunes? Does your Lumia help you?
Vineeth: I have been using Lumias for a couple of years. The OneNote app on my Lumia helps me make audio notes when I come across interesting sounds or ideas.
Apart from that, I ask my friends or manager who accompany me on my gigs to video-record performances on my phone. I really like the camera quality and sometimes it is important to go back and watch your performances to see what works and what does not. To see what the crowd responds to and to what they don’t.
How do you use your Lumia 640 XL day to day?
Vineeth: I use my Lumia for everything, be it calls, texts, WhatsApp, surfing the Internet and watching online videos. I also use Facebook and the Facebook Page Manager app for managing my fan page.
The Lumia 640 XL has a fantastic battery backup and considering the size of the screen and my usage, it currently lasts more than a day and a half. I really like the fact that it is a Dual-SIM phone as there are times I prefer to lie low, switch off my professional number, and take a break.
In what ways has it made you more productive and changed the way you work?
Vineeth: Editing and viewing quotations, proposals, invoices and contracts on Microsoft Office when I am traveling is a lifesaver. I also use the Lumia camera a lot. The built-in Lumia Creative Studio lets me easily edit, as I am bad with technology. It is especially useful when I am required to edit pictures on the go for my Instagram and Facebook feed or to share it with prospective clients.
What are the top five apps that you like on your Lumia 640 XL?
Vineeth: OneNote: I use it for my audio clips and notes. It is also simple to share them if I have to share ideas with other artists.
Cab booking services like TaxiForSure and Ola Cabs are lifesavers; I am recuperating from surgery, so the cab booking service is handy.
Here Drive helps me plan my travel to new performance venues and Here Maps helps get me there.
Mix Radio is my favorite app of all time. Having access to music on-the-go at all times is awesome. And Instagram, Facebook and Twitter apps help me stay active on the online platform.
Describe your Lumia 640 XL as a beat. Record it for us, if you prefer.
Any advice for budding beatboxers?
Vineeth: The only substitute for working hard is working smart. At the end of the day, you need a combination of both.
Don’t work for free and respect yourself enough to demand remuneration in the form of cash or kind. Stop looking to make it big; instead, look at building a successful business model.
Thanks a lot for talking to us, Vineeth.
*The Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL are available in India now, and are continuing their global rollout throughout April.
Image credit: Elienai