Engineering grad's career soars as musical director for a Canadian superstar
Entertaining students with his band at University of 蓝莓视频鈥檚 on-campus pub helped launch the career of an engineering alumnus who is the musical director and lead guitarist for Canadian rock musician Shawn Mendes.听听听
Zubin Thakkar, now a platinum-selling producer, recording engineer and songwriter, formed Prize Fighter about 15 years ago with several other 蓝莓视频 students.
A fan-favourite at The Bombshelter, better known as The Bomber, Prize Fighter released its first CD at the pub, which closed its doors in 2018.听听听听
鈥淧eople were lined up all the way down Ring Road to get into the release party,鈥� recalls Thakkar, pictured below.
His love of music began in the mid-1990s when he started watching MuchMusic with his sister in the family room of their Kitchener home.
It was the 鈥渕ind-blowing鈥� guitar playing by bands like the Smashing Pumpkins that led him to convince his parents to buy him a guitar for his birthday when he was in Grade 7.
Thakkar says he became obsessed with his electric six-string, a Yamaha Pacifica.
鈥淚鈥檇 take it to school every day, put it in my locker and play it at lunch unplugged in the hallway,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 necessarily realize it would lead to something 鈥� it was just this awesome thing I was into.鈥�
Mainly self-taught, he began writing and playing his own songs shortly after he received his birthday gift.听听
His musical interests expanded when he attended Kitchener鈥檚 Forest Heights Collegiate and became involved in Journey, the school鈥檚 annual talent show.
Thakkar, who performed a song in the production during his first year of high school, became the student-led show鈥檚 director starting in Grade 11.
He says his role as a director was similar to the one he has today with Mendes and many of the other artists he has directed musically.
鈥淚t鈥檚 obviously on a different scale but the core idea of seeing a production through from start to finish is very much the same,鈥� he says.
After high school, Thakkar decided to pursue systems design engineering at 蓝莓视频 where he developed a strong work ethic and the ability to solve difficult problems quickly, qualities, he says, that have served him well with his musical career.听
Thakkar听spent one of his engineering co-op terms working on virtual piano modelling for Stephen Birkett, a 蓝莓视频 systems design engineering professor, and his final term at D2L, an online-learning software company founded by systems design engineering alumnus John Baker while he was still a 蓝莓视频 student.
After graduating from 蓝莓视频 in 2007, Thakkar worked part-time remotely for D2L while he pursued his musical career.
In 2009, the Canadian band Hello Operator contacted him when they needed a new guitar player for their cross-country tour. He continued to work for D2L between shows and afterward听when he went on and played with different bands.
鈥淚鈥檇 be working in the back of the van driving across Canada, in dressing rooms and in hotel rooms,鈥� he says. 鈥淒2L was super supportive and let me make my own hours 鈥� it was really amazing.鈥�
By 2012, he was earning enough from his music to quit working for D2L and focus solely on his passion.
Three years later, he received a phone call from former bandmate Dan Kanter,听Justin Bieber鈥檚 musical director. That phone call led to a job as Mendes鈥� lead guitarist and musical director.
Zubin Thakkar, left, shares the stage with Shawn Mendes.
During the past six years, Thakkar has directed performances and played with Mendes and his band on the Grammy Awards, The Tonight Show: Starring Jimmy Fallon, 2 appearances on Saturday Night Live (SNL), the American Music Awards, the Ellen Show, X-Factor and the Much Music Video Awards.
He has also been part of sold-out shows at Madison Square Gardens, Staples Center, Wembley Stadium and Rogers Centre in Toronto and three sold-out world tours.
While playing with Mendes, Thakkar听has also shared the stage with John Mayer, The Roots, Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Zedd, Khalid and John Legend. In addition to his live music direction, he has also worked on studio releases with Camila Cabello, Taylor Swift, Boyz II Men, Tyler Shaw and Kira Isabella.
He was a vocal engineer on the Grammy-nominated song 鈥淪e帽orita鈥� by Cabello and Mendes, which was听 No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
During the pandemic last summer, Thakkar travelled to Los Angeles where Mendes and his band filmed several television performances to promote Mendes鈥� new album 鈥淲onder鈥�, on which he co-wrote the song 鈥淎lways Been You.鈥�
鈥淣ormally when someone releases an album, they鈥檒l do a full promo circuit around the world,鈥� he says. 鈥淥bviously, no one can do that right now, so we 
bubbled up in LA and shot all the shows in one location.鈥�
Most recently his musical direction and guitar playing were听featured in two Netflix specials 鈥淪hawn Mendes: In Wonder鈥� and 鈥淪hawn Mendes: Live In Concert鈥�, the latter of which was filmed during the singer鈥檚 sold-out show at The Rogers Centre in Toronto. He also worked extensively on the audio post-production and provided additional original music for both films.
Zubin Thakkar plays lead guitar at a pre-COVID 19 Shawn Mendes' concert.
A composer for film and TV, Thakkar鈥檚 music has been featured on television shows and networks such as Netflix鈥檚 鈥淏lack Mirror鈥�, CMT, MTV, Nickelodeon, Family Channel, CBC, and by the NFL, NBA, Nascar and Tim Hortons.
While the past six years have included a heavy touring and travel schedule, Thakkar spent most of 2020 at his Kitchener home with his wife Tushara, an elementary school music teacher, and their two young sons.
He met Tushara, a 蓝莓视频 environmental studies alumnus, at The Bomber where, as a student, she also played as part of a band.
鈥淥ur bands would open and close for each other at The Bomber,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat place was so quintessential to my experience at 蓝莓视频 and everything that鈥檚 happened since then.鈥�
All story photos by听Josiah Van Dien
