ERIC ROLSTON
Here is the story of Eric Rolston, a budding singer from Kanpur. He started his journey towards Bollywood with an undying passion for music and an identical twin brother who shared with Eric, not only his looks but also a similar voice and interest. Having begun singing at the tender age of five, there was no looking back for the Rolston brothers. Of course, their stint in Mumbai to get noticed was enough for Eric’s twin to lose hope and head back to his family. Nevertheless, Eric stood by his conviction and was determined to prove his talent in tinsel town. This is what Eric has to say about his days of struggle and how Idea Bollywood Club made a difference to his life:
“My brother and I learnt music from Ustad Afzal Hussain Khan Nizami of Rampur, Sahaswan Gharana, and Premjeet Kaur, our music teacher from school. We were a confident duo as we were always selected in most of the reality shows for which auditioned. However, in Mumbai, without knowing anyone from the industry, the struggle to become a star became a far off thing and just surviving became the real test. Though my brother gave up, I decided to stand by what I believed in. At times I even wondered if it would have been better for me follow my brother back home. But then, on second thoughts I felt I belonged to Bollywood. The want for survival makes you do a lot of things. Despite being a Bollywood aspirant, I ended up teaching music in school during the day and sang in bars, clubs and hotels in the evening. Though it was difficult to sustain on the little I earned, I kept my search for opportunities alive by appearing for various talent search programs and networking.
And then Idea Bollywood Club happened. I met truly encouraging people here like Sheeba Madam, Raja Sir and Amit Sir. This show has not only helped me showcase my talent but also gave my talent an exposure to well-known Bollywood personalities. Siddharth Raj Anand, Anees Bazmee and Raghav Sachar have shown interest in my talent. I genuinely believe that Idea Bollywood Club promotes new talent and is different from all other talent hunts and reality shows. They seem to be focused on TRPs, while Idea Bollywood Club is into providing real opportunities.”