Profile of an Entertainer: Ebi Shankara

Let me Ebi-tain you

With Ebi Shankara you get a triple threat.  The twenty-three year old winner of Vasantham Star can belt out tunes as well as the best of them, take the acting stage and give you a performance leaving you in awe and finally be an engaging host for any function, be it the most elegant formal event or the most outrageous, funky party.

He hadn’t always wanted to be an entertainer. It was only at the age of fifteen after being in a production of Cinderella by Wild Rices did he make the choice. “I felt I was good at this,” he said. “It was at that moment that I decided to become an entertainer.”

So how did he train to become an entertainer? To hone his acting skills, he enrolled in the School of Performing Arts in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). “On top of that I practised constantly with Theatre Buds Youth Theatre every Sunday,” he added.  For his vocal lessons attended Indian Classical vocal classes on top of the training he was already receiving from NAFA. 

He believes that anyone who really wants to do what he does , can. “To each his own,” he says. Still, he goes on to say that they have to bring something of their own to the table. “They cannot give what I give.”

The future looks bright for Ebi, who is constantly looking for opportunities to improve himself. He intends to get a degree in Drama with the University of Essex in London, before heading to a conservatory in the United States. “I want to hone my craft in the US, and see how far I can go in the entertainment industry there. But not forsaking Singapore of course, because I definitely want to return and give back.”

What were the biggest challenges you had to face when you decided to become an entertainer?

My family was sceptical about this being a viable source for income. 

Are there any downsides to the job?

Sometimes when there’s no work you start to question whether you’ve made the right choice but then you realise that this is what I do best so what else am I going to do?

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to be an entertainer?

Rethink about what you niche is. You need to have an extra something that someone else doesn’t have. If you want to be an entertainer, work on what u think differentiates people. Bring your own original style to your work. 

What is the entertainment industry like?

It’s a massive stronghold. There’s a circle of well-known people which is hard to penetrate, and to get inside you must be accepted and appreciated for your talent. The people must see something different in you that they want to explore. Hard work and luck will be the only way you can make it in the Singapore entertainment industry.

 You can have a look at the rest of our Career Stories at http://careerminded.com/career_tip_s.php?id=0