Hailing from Port Klang, our Malaysian Star of the Month is none other than Jhangri fame, Vicran Elanggoven. Born on the 7th of August, Vicran underwent his primary education at Watson Tamil School in Klang.
Vicran’s journey in the arts began in 2011 when he first realized his talent for spitting words.
He got involved in the underground rap scene and was serving as Chakrasonic’s crew boy in 2010, setting in motion the course of his growth into the industry. Admitting that at that point in time he couldn’t visualize that his life would turn out the way it did, Vicran’s success certainly wasn’t handed to him on a silver platter.
Vicran was fortunate enough to collaborate with Chakrasonic’s Vivekji and Bullet Benjamin of Boomerangz for his first single, Naga Jothi. Although releasing a song that is getting radio airtime is no easy feat, Vicran was still a relatively unknown name in the scene. With the encouragement from his friends, he decided to step out from the shadow of the giants he learned from to form his own underground rap quintet with GCrack, dubbed OUTLAWS MALAYSIA.
For Vicran, his benchmark of success is to have his work recognized by other stellar talents in the industry. Opting to hone his skills through live performance, Vicran told us that he found the reach he got from making covers and videos for his music was never as fulfilling as the claps and standing ovation his performances begot.
With the dawn of the coming year marking his 10th anniversary in the industry, it is Vicran’s believe that patience is the key ingredient to creating a legacy that is fruitful and worthwhile. Having struggled for the first 6 years on his way to the top doing shows for free, his only tip for newcomers who are struggling to make money in this industry was “Don’t give up easily. Hone your skills if you want to see some serious money “
Although he had made a few onscreen and stage appearances -once even playing lead in an international drama series, Annamalai- the August born, multitalented Vicran only got his big break in 2016 through Shalini Balasundram’s Geethaiyin Radhai.
Having a grounded belief in God and energy, Vicran believes that as long as one’s heart is in the right place, the right opportunity will find you at the right time.
A DARK PAST
With a heart to change the fate of local Indian youngsters through his story, Vicran shared some tales of his younger days in the hopes of rerouting some of our readers and putting them back on track.
Vicran’s high school days were not that different in comparison to a majority of local Indian boys. Having gallivanted away most of his time with his friends and getting involved in social issues such as fighting and motorcycle atrocities, Vicran believes change is an inside job.
“ If you try to change for others, the change you make isn’t going to be permanent. It is only when you have a personal reason for wanting to change something in your life will you truly change,” he said.
For Vicran, his personal moment of truth was when he lost a close friend who was involved in gangsterism. Having sustained injuries from just being present at a fight scene, Vicran thought he could conquer the world. But the death of his friend made him realize that gravity cannot be defied. Following that incident, he noticed the fate of his friend’s parents and decided he wanted better for himself and his family’s future.
“High school will teach you many things. Learn your lessons and change what you need to change. Don’t bring the unsavory attitude you develop in high school to the later parts of your life. It wont serve you well and will only get in the way of your success,” he said.
THE BIRDS AND THE BEES
When asked about the birds and the bees, Vicran said marriage is not in the cards for him at the moment, as he believes marriage to be a luxury instead of a solution to problems.
Having gone through a devastating break-up, Vicran attributes his growth to heartache as it made him face the truth about himself as a person.
“The problem with romance is, people get into a relationship with too much expectation of it working out in the end. We need to learn to treat dating as a period of getting to know the other person with no other expectations to avoid disappointments in the future.
“Never sacrifice something for a relationship when you know it is not going to workout from the get-go. It will only result in unnecessary pain and turmoil.
“It is also important to take responsibility and practice accountability in our relationship with others. It is better to wait long than marry wrong.
“I do want a family, however. So, I am looking to adopt next year, hopefully. That is a relationship I can manage while chasing my dreams,” he said.
When asked about his future plans, Vicran said he is excited about an upcoming collaboration with K.K Khanna’s brother, Nagen, in an untitled film that is expected to begin shooting soon. His upcoming movies that will be releasing this year are Irava Khadal, Irul and Bishman besides some upcoming tracks that his quintet has been working on.
For more exciting stories and updates, stay tuned with Raaga!