Today we’d like to introduce you to Amrit Kohli.
Hi Amrit, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story is complex. I began my journey as a musician in 1997 when I founded my record label, Queer Folk®, Inc. That was also the time that I began playing guitar for the first time. Three months after I started playing the guitar, I went to my first open mic in San Francisco, where I was living at the time. I was called up to stage, and I began my set. In less than 10 minutes, I broke two strings, sounded terrible, and it couldn’t have gone worse. I was mortified. But I told myself then what has turned out to be very true, that it would never be this hard or this bad ever again. And it never was.
Over the next 30 years, I would produce and release four full-length albums and a single. I regularly do concert events now, and they tend to be well-attended. I focus a lot of my efforts on fundraising for Palestine and other causes. I’ve raised over $4,000 for Palestine since October 9, 2023 using my music.
I have always challenged the status quo. I have always been an outspoken community member. I’m not a successful artist because I make a lot of money. I am successful because my music is being heard, I perform it publicly all the time, I’ve never tried to make money on my own music and art. I fuel my passions with a full-time day-job. I have maintained a full-time, 40-hour/week job throughout my career as a musician.
I am also a software engineer by trade. I went to school for Computer Science and Cybersecurity, as well as English. I have a Master’s level comprehension of English, and I have a Master’s in Cybersecurity. Schooling of this caliber has only helped me better position myself for success.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, not exactly. It’s been expensive. I owe myself hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue because I have invested so much in my business. Since I don’t use a profit-model to measure success, my litmus test for success is based on how much time I spend working on the music business is basically this: did someone other than me hear my music today? That’s something I want to always be true.
Getting gigs has been difficult because the content of my music is often deemed controversial, especially my position on Palestine. So, in an effort to consolidate my power, I have formed a new organization called Musicians Against Genocide to try to have some separation between my music business and my activism.
My biggest struggle is to be heard. I am constantly being silenced for who I am.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a self-taught musician and a software engineer. I am known for making controversial statements in support of marginalized communities against the status quo. I have produced all my own music, recorded it myself, engineered it with the help of talented sound engineers, and distributed it myself on my own record label, Queer Folk®, Inc. I am most proud of my effort to give visibility to causes like George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, Jewish Voice for Peace, MECA, and Michigan Coalition Against Genocide, to name a few. My politics and my belief that peace is possible sets me apart from others. I am an advocate for those that cannot advocate for themselves. I’m trying to usher in the positive changes that are coming to our community.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Dream big and don’t discount any ideas before you’ve given them due attention and thought.
Take every success and make it a story.
Don’t worry if you’re not making money. Just don’t lose your primary source of income at the same time as you are trying to start a business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://queerfolk.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/amrit.kohli
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/jesusmothermaryofchrist
- Twitter: https://x.com/musicthatworks
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@amritisqueer
