The Man Behind The Music…Presenting Carlton Braganza

His online show, Jukebox Jammies, has been the ray of hope to many during the lockdown. With a successful run of over five months now, it has people glued to Facebook (his Opus page) and YouTube, night after night.

But all of this information is readily available… We decided to get to the heart of the man to know what he is all about!

You’ve been settled in Bangalore for the longest time but how much of Bandra is still in you?
I don’t think you can take Bandra out of anybody! I left home when I was about 18. But I always came back to Bandra, where my family is. I sailed for about seven years and then I got married and we moved to Bangalore, which became home. So yes in terms of not physically being there it’s been many years but my heart and soul is still there. It’s a big part of who and what I am and what has influenced me. You can take the boy out of Bandra but you can’t take Bandra out of the boy.

Everybody writes about your achievements but we want to know about the guy from Bandra!
Yes, I understand… I started this show and it evolved as things that influenced me, meant something to me, things that I grew up with – the church, the zonals, school and friends. It has now become a production and has evolved into a show and probably there’s not too much focus on those elements. But very clearly, in those first 50-odd episodes, I did one on the choir, one on Little Flower, one on the Zonals… So those are things that are still very connected to me and what has influenced me, my music…

Did you train formally in music?
I never went for an outside class other than school and the zonals…

Was Heather D’Souza a big influence on you and did you train with her?
Trained in the sense to do with the children’s choir, school and the zonals – not classes in particular; but yes, Heather was the only influence on me at that time. It was pretty much Heather everywhere.

What are some of your best memories of your school, St. Theresa’s?
I was always running to school since I had to be there at 7.00 am! (Laughs) Two bells were rung and I always heard the first one on the way so I’d run to make it in time for the second! I remember most of my teachers and I have now also reconnected with a lot of the old boys. I still have some friends who have remained a constant in my life so yes, good memories all round.

What about college?
I did Junior College at National College for two years, where I studied electronics and got into engineering. At the same time I got into St. Xavier’s where I did a year of maths, stats and eco. And then into the Merchant Navy – all simultaneously! I left on that first ship when I was 18, but I knew when I got there that it wasn’t my kind of thing… I did it because it was a good career, good money… It kind of set the path for me to get away and do what I wanted to do later.

All this was so far removed from your actual passion – music!
Yes, it really was far removed even from the kind of people I sailed with. I did have a couple of Philipino dudes who were musically inclined and they thought I was very cool… (Laughs) But when I was on leave I would come home and do a concert or two with the Stopgaps or Heather.

Does it make you feel good that you could give so many music artistes a platform at Opus later?
Actually, that is my thing. I love to do that and am doing that even now. A lot of people who’ve come on the show have blossomed into shows of their own; similar to what was done at Opus.

You were a trailblazer with Opus and now with Jukebox Jammies. The lockdown show seems so different to your live shows…
You’re right in a sense. But in another sense, it is very similar to what we did back there. It’s just taking an on-ground property and propping it online – it’s the same platform, the same kind of people, the same kind of shows. It’s just that the mindset has changed to being an online platform. Yes, we don’t have the interaction of a live audience but we do have a very buzzing chat section.

You’re normally very reticent to speak about yourself as a person…
Yes, I am… I believe that what you do should speak for who you are. And if you’re good at what you do you will anyway cut through the clutter.

What keeps you grounded – from fame going to your head?
I think I’ve seen a lot and it’s being true to yourself at the end of the day and not propping it too much. I’m a very different kind of guy. There’s a Jannis Joplin line that resonates a lot with me: ‘every night I make love to 25000 people and then I go home alone…’ – I find my hiding place. The world thinks I’m that kind of person which I’m really not. I love the interaction of a live audience or an online gig, the adulation but at the end of the day, I’m more of a recluse! People don’t see that side; I don’t let them see it but it’s there. I’m quite a multiple personality. (Laughs)

Do you make a conscious difference when you do a show for Canada, Australia or any other country?
In terms of the people I know there I will definitely give them a shout out but in terms of curating a show for a particular region, no – I don’t do that. But when curating a show (even on ground) for a particular genre or occasion or brand, we’ve got Fireball which is different from Nirvana which is different from a charity gig or a St. Xavier’s alumni…Every event takes a different mind-set, programming or approach. A wedding sangeet will have Bollywood and you should be able to deliver on that front. Or you can have a cigar and malt evening or a jazz evening… What I like about what I do is that I’m not restricted to a genre. I’d like to think I can swing from swing to country to even new age music. That is something that excites me. It’s a double-edged sword actually – people don’t take you seriously in a particular genre. They would look at me and say ‘okay he sings classical music but I won’t get him because he also does party stuff’’. But it works for me because I wouldn’t want to be labelled as a one-trick homie.

Your zonal show got to everyone in Bandra since it reconnected people. How did you feel while doing that show?
Oh, I loved doing it. In fact, there’s talk of me doing some zonal showcasing online. I have been talking with the St. Andrews people (who as you know have zonals which include all Bandra parishes) and suggested that since zonals are not happening on ground this year, let’s try and do something online. It doesn’t necessarily have to be restricted to Bandra but those who have been associated with Bandra for years. It could go national or even global… Let’s see what happens.

What are your feelings when you come to the city and Bandra?
To me Bandra is still Bandra…I still like to walk down Perry Road and look at some of the old houses. I know it’s jammed with traffic and people say you can’t live here anymore but for me, it’s still Bandra. When I am there it’s a great feeling – of family, food, friends, going to one’s gym for tongue roast or Janta for a beer. There are things which you just cannot get out of your system.

Your brother Royston and you are so diverse in terms of the fields you are in. What is your strongest connect/bonding point with him?
I think we both understand where we are coming from. He doesn’t shove his thoughts and principles down my throat and nor do I. We may not necessarily approve of each other all the time but the motto is: if it works for you, it should be good. That’s the way I approach it and he does too. It’s more a question of it’s your life and you know what you need to do and if you need me I am there – and vice versa – he will be there for me.

What would you say is the strongest value your mum, Jane Braganza, has imbibed in you?
It’s loyalty for sure and selflessness for family.