What Gagan Singh Made This Year

We asked Canadian Customers “What did you make this year?”

This year, composer and entrepreneur, Gagan Singh made music that brought worlds together.

Born in Scarborough and raised in Pickering, Gagan faced challenges growing up including racism and bullying. His brother took notice of his talent at music and told him to focus on something that he is good at and passionate about.

These days, Gagan turned his passion for music into a full time career; helping compose for films, television, visual media, and video games.

How do you define success? 

“I would define success as two things, two words, for me. It would be joy, and it would be legacy. 

To Gagan, joy means to follow your bliss and to enjoy every day because as you get older and older, the years start to feel shorter and shorter. A lot can happen in a single year and it can fly by as well. Gagan wants every individual to realize they need to enjoy each day and to not take anything for granted. 

“And the aspect of legacy comes in, for me, I’m very connected to my roots in my identity and my family. And I think it’s about leaving something here now that could be leaving art that could be in some way improving the world around you.” 

To Gagan, a legacy is leaving something that will improve the world when your done. It doesn’t have to be extravagant and life changing, it can be simple such as community service or appreciating your loved ones.

For Gagan, he lives and defines his success by the joy he feels on a day to day basis and the legacy he seeks to leave behind. 

What were the biggest challenges you faced in getting to where you are now? 

“One of the primary challenges I’ve faced, which I’ve seen many of my peers face as well, is there’s been a lot of sacrifice in personal life. I’ve sacrificed a lot of what some would call fun in their teens and 20s.” 

When pursuing his passion for music, Gagan has put thousands of hours of work into his craft. He recalls his friends would tell him he was missing out on fun parties and that was a sacrifice he had to make to be where he is today. 

“There’s an opportunity cost to everything. This is a very competitive, saturated industry that we’re in where everyone thinks they’re great. And to actually be great, requires a lot of sacrifice.” 

Gagan’s upbringing taught him a lot about staying disciplined and the effort he needs to put in to be really good at something. Effort requires a lot of time, and that’s one of the major things he had to give up. 

How has the community around you fostered your own career? 

“The community around me has been very helpful in order for me to grow. I truly believe that you give what you get back.”