Bonsai Bumblings: Interview with Pioneer Music Gym Founder

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Interview with Pioneer Music Gym Founder - Pioneer Suresh

Pioneer Suresh has conducted 6500 live orchestra shows worldwide and has worked with stalwarts like Shri. Dr. K.J.Yesudas, Ms. K.S.Chithra, and Ms. Vani Jairam. Pioneer Suresh has been in the music industry for more than 30 years. He is a professional drummer and also sings occasionally. Let us hear from him about his Pioneer Music Gym – a gym to sing and exercise your musical vocal cords with like-minded music friends.

Pioneer Music Gym Founder - Pioneer Suresh

How did you get the idea to start the Pioneer Music Gym?

Many times, we have gone abroad for music shows. Usually, after the shows, there is a night party. During these parties, I have seen many doctors, entrepreneurs, and chartered accountants sing very well. Seeing such very good amateur singers, I thought of bringing out such talent to the world. So, I did the research for a few years and later conceived the idea of the Pioneer Music Gym. We started the Pioneer Music Gym (PMG) in 2016 at the Sun Plaza in T. Nagar, Chennai. Singer Vani Jairam inaugurated it.

At PMG, non-professionals who are good singers gather every week. They sing songs with karaoke music. The singing is also recorded and uploaded on YouTube.

A karaoke session in progress at PMG

How do singers become members of your gym and sing?

Singers have to attend an audition. Once they are selected, they have to pay a monthly subscription. They are organized into teams named Harmony, Symphony, Euphony, Rhapsody, and Bollywood. The teams perform for a 3-hour slot each fixed on either Thursdays ( 5-8 pm), Fridays (5-8 pm) , or Sundays (10 am - 1 pm, 2-5 pm, 5-8 pm).

The singers in one team become a part of a Whatsapp group. There they discuss the songs they will sing as solo or duet with others. We have a database of close to 4000 karaoke mp3 songs and their lyrics. Singers can also send karaoke versions of songs that are not in the database. In the karaoke, the BGMs are trimmed without disturbing the singing part. This is to ensure that the fast tempo is maintained and everyone gets a chance to sing all their songs.

A music session at PMG, Sun Plaza.

What are the basic facilities you have at the music gym?

We have a professional audio mixer, a 50 inches TV, 1000 watts speakers, internationally branded microphones, and disco lights. The karaoke lyrics are displayed on the big TV screen and the singers can look at them and sing. We hired a professional sound engineer to do the acoustics of the gym for the best sound effects. The beautiful wallpapers have images of Ilaiyaraaja, MS Viswanathan, and other singers and musical instruments.

Why did you name it a gym?

At the music gym, we do workouts on vocal cords by changing the pitch and tempo of the tracks. Our logo also shows headphones like a gym barbell and has a mouthpiece of a headset microphone.

PMG Logo

What type of members is in the Pioneer Music Gym?

We have all categories of singers. We have Bankers, CEOs, CFOs, entrepreneurs, housewives, and school and college students. We also have husband and wife, mother and daughter, and father and daughter combinations who are members. Mothers sometimes bring along their children when they sing.

Photos of PMG members:

What are the other advantages of being a Pioneer Music Gym member?

With my vast experience in music, I personally coach the singers. I help them improve their rhythm sense, pitch perfection, and sing with expressions and good modulations.

We have holistic fun. We dance. We pull each other’s legs and maintain good camaraderie. Members get a good break from their monotonous stress-filled lives. They become good friends with other members.

We also do a charity show once a year in places like Music Academy and Lady Andal Hall. And perform for underprivileged homes. This gives the members the satisfaction of contributing back to society.

At a charity show Crescendo:

Can you tell us about the Pioneer Music Gym App?

The App enables the members to hear the edited versions of the tracks before they come for the session. The app also has pitch and tempo changing facilities.

How many branches of PMG are in operation now? What are your future plans?

We have branches at Sun Plaza, OMR, and Valasarawakkam in Chennai and one in Mumbai. There are around 70 members now and we plan to take the concept nationwide and globally, if possible, with franchise options.

PMG Members

How did you overcome the corona wave in 2020-2021?

People were hesitant to come and sing during those days. I was blessed as my owner waived off rent for 2 years and waited for better days to come up. We had online singing sessions during Covid times.

Do you have any programs for non-members?

We do have but not in the name of PMG. We call them non-pmgians or private groups. On Saturdays, we conduct events in which non-members can also participate. Recently, we had programs for Shreya Ghosal Birthday, Magalir Mattum for Women’s Day, and TMS 100^th Birthday celebrations.

Tell us about the current PMG admin Durai.

Durai is from Andaman and has done his BBA. He came to Chennai with a vision to participate in the Airtel Super Singer contest. He is dedicated and loyal. We are happy and proud to have him with us. He is a good dancer too.

Tell us about your family.

My wife is a social activist and was a Banyan NGO employee. My daughter has specialized in Speech Therapy and plans to go to Canada for her higher studies.