MBA Student Combines Passions for Business and Rap

Yadwinder Singh ’20 MBA is comfortable pitching an idea to a panel of investors. He can also rap in six different languages.

As a student, he found ways to combine business and beats, blending his love of music with his studies, including collaborating with classmates on rap songs, filming music videos on campus, and proposing a new music production method that joins eastern strings and western bass.

“The time I spent at the University made me a stronger,” he said. “It gave me practical learning experiences, enabling me to gain task management skills and to combine work and fun.”

"The real meaning of success is what I have learned, the friends I made, the relationships I’ve built with my professors, and the lifelong connection with the University that I will have forever." Yadwinder Singh '20 MBA

A native of New Delhi, India, Singh began writing poetry when he was 13 years old, and he then started writing music. He has performed at more than 300 live shows in more than two dozen cities, has won several rap competitions. Crowned the “King of Indian rap music,” he has hundreds of music videos on YouTube.

Whether at Indian Student Council events or at the University’s annual International Festival, Singh regularly found himself in front of an audience during his time at the University. He also delivered performances, of sorts, at pitch competitions hosted by the University’s College of Business, including the Alvine New Venture Pitch Competition, at which he presented a solar powered smartphone.

“The University helped me to challenge myself,” he said. “It also enabled me to build real-world business, finance, networking, and communication skills.”

Singh, who will be among the more than 700 undergraduate and graduate students who will be awarded their degrees during the University’s Winter Commencement on December 15, says one of his most valuable experiences was completing an internship with Northwestern Mutual, a leading financial services company. He especially enjoyed building relationships with his colleagues and clients.

“I gained important people skills, since I was working as a financial adviser and meeting high-net-worth individuals and turning them into company clients,” he said. “It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

Singh, who has a music studio in West Haven, Conn., is now producing his new album, “Global Unity,” which will include songs in English, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Sanskrit, and Spanish. He plans to continue to combine his passions for music and business, and he hopes to eventually establish a music corporation.

He plans to work as a financial analyst in New York, which, he hopes, will enable him to gain the experience and knowledge he’ll need to establish his company.

“The real meaning of success is what I have learned, the friends I made, the relationships I’ve built with my professors, and the lifelong connection with the University that I will have forever,” he said. “This gives me a feeling of pride and happiness.”

Yadwinder Singh on SoundCloud

Yadwinder Singh on Facebook