In turbulent times or not, challenging conventional cultural and business wisdom is a tough undertaking, regardless of who you are. But if you’re a polymath and a woman of colour, you better have nerves of steel and an unbreakable belief in you/your purpose.

Kavita Singh moved to London at the start the millennium from her native Vancouver with £1300 in her pocket and a friend’s couch to call a bed. In the process of trying to make her dreams come true in the big smoke, she learned that she could many things well. These skills and insights helped her to become one of the few female pioneers of Asian fusion music, an accomplished singer-songwriter in the deep house genre and a successful City professional.

Despite these successes and achieving peer/music industry acclaim, Kavita came up against an invisible wall, when it came to getting paid her dues. Faced with the choice of going to battle with label gatekeepers as a full-time job, she chose to keep making music in her niche core market. By sticking to her roots and branching out to the City, she created a symbiotic relationship in where both professions positively fuelled each other.  

As she continues to find meaning and fulfil her multiple passions, she wants to share key hacks, she has learned over the past two decades to progress in the music business and corporate world.

Specifically, if things aren’t budging, move sideways. Learn and add more skills. Play the long game.

Kavita is currently a markets/business development leader for a Big 4 consultancy. She focusses on driving growth for some of the firm’s biggest clients and geographies.