In 2011, Eminem’s ‘I’m not Afraid’ bagged the Grammy for the Best Rap Solo Performance.
About five years later, Sparsh Shah’s cover of ‘I’m not Afraid’ blew our minds away. Sparsh is a 12-year-old kid from America who sings and raps. If you’re wondering, Sparsh is not just some kid who sings well and accidentally got famous. His vocal throw and tonal command could put pros to shame.
In his cover of ‘I’m not Afraid’, Sparsh opens with an aalap, (Yes, he sings Hindustani Classical too!) backed by his iPad keyboard. This then continues to the song, backed by a track. Not only is he creative with his voice, but also his lyrics. He has replaced Eminem’s curse words in the songs with tidier ones to produce a ‘clean’ cover. What also catches attention is the brilliantly right amount of stress and modulation put on the rap throughout. Sparsh executes this number like a boss.
A visit to his YouTube channel is a surprise box. It has videos of him singing his favourite pop songs and Hindustani Classical ragas, and a special video of him winning the ‘Young Voice of NYC 2015’ award.
Here’s the link to his cover of ‘I’m not Afraid’:
