Dubai: This aspiring singer works at a fuel station to support his family, fund his dream

“Without music, I don’t feel alive. To do anything else other than music will not give me peace.” This is how Devadath Manohar, who works at a convenience store inside a fuel station in Hatta, speaks about his love for music.

Devadath doesn’t shy away from sharing his talent with customers at the station and sings to entertain them. He once sang for a customer and her family who were waiting in the car. The 26-year-old often practises in the storeroom during break time and even inside the store when he manages it alone at night.

“I like the night shift. When the entrance door closes, it’s only me. I can sing and practice,” he said, adding that colleagues who have heard him sing have always encouraged him to pursue his dreams.

Devadath, who has a Bachelor of Commerce degree, came to UAE from Kochi, India, only five months ago. He said that when he was in eighth grade, the death of the legendary music icon Michael Jackson put him on the path to becoming a musician himself. “A group of friends and I created a tribute group for him.” Today, his friends have taken different paths, but he kept true to his dream.

Music has helped him during difficult times in his life. “In all of life’s troubles, I find solace in music,” he said. He sees his difficult life as a blessing. “Problems are the fuel to me; without them, I would just be a normal guy,” he said.

He has a video of himself strumming a guitar on his YouTube channel. “I don’t actually play the guitar, though I would love to someday. This video has a story behind it,” he said. In 2018 a trailer crashed into Devadath, which left him unconscious for two days. After the accident, a friend lent him his guitar, and he started strumming a few notes that he picked up.

In the beginning, his family didn’t support his dream. “They told me that I wasn’t talented. ‘Why do something you’re not good at?’ they would tell me.” After he released his music video ‘I am Dying’ on his YouTube channel, they recognised his talent. “I wish they supported me from the beginning, but it’s better late than never,” he said.

Speaking about these powerful lyrics from his song, Devadath said they are not about lost romantic love as people think but about loneliness.

His decision to come to the UAE was to offer financial support for his family in India but also to save money to return to India and consult with professional artists and sound engineers to produce more professional videos for his unreleased songs.