Remo Fernandes

Some Lesser Known Facts About Remo Fernandes

• Remo Fernandes is a well-known Indian musician and playback singer who was honoured with Padma Shri in 2007. He is known for singing various genres including pop, rock, and Indian fusion.

• At the age of five, he performed on the stage for the first time. By the time Remo was 4 years old, he played the harmonica, ukelele, banjo, and guitar. When Remo was 14 years old, he composed his first love song.

  

• When Remo was studying in high school in Goa, he formed a band called The Beat 4. He was the guitar lead and also sang. The band composed their first song when Remo was 14 years old. Later, they won first prize for best group, best lead guitarist, and best drummer at many competitions held in Goa. The band was shortlived as it broke up after Remo left for Mumbai to study architecture.

  

• After graduating from college, Remo went on a long backpack trip to Europe. When he returned to his home in Goa, he adapted to hippie culture. He began playing at concerts of Amsterdam Balloon Company, a European band, in Goa.

• His first album with the band The Savages was titled Ode To The Messiah, which was released in 1975. Later, Remo was a part of many several albums including Rock Synergy (1980), Goan Crazy (1980), Pack That Smack (1986), Bombay City (1987), and many more.

• In 1981, he performed with Lucas Amor, violinist of Amsterdam Balloon Company, in Amsterdam. Later, Remo and Lucas released a record called Venus and the Moon.

• Later, he formed another band called Indiana. The other band members were Abel (bass guitarist), Lala (table player), and Bondo (percussionist).

  

• Remo was also in another band called The Microwave Papadums. On 19 September 2000, three band members Dharamedra Hirve, Selwyn Pereira, and Victor Alvares were killed in a road accident in Kanpur after a concert. In the accident, Remo’s personal assistant, Sunil Redkar, was also killed.

• Remo was greatly influenced by the psychedelic music of the 70s.

• Remo has been a part of many bands including ‘The Microwave Papadums.’ On 19 September 2000, three of The Microwave Papadums band members, Dharamedra Hirve, Selwyn Pereira, and Victor Alvares, along with Remo’s personal assistant Sunil Redkar, were killed in a road accident in Kanpur after a concert.

• He lent his voice in the Old Lehar Pepsi advertisement ‘Yehi Hai Right Choice Baby’ ft. Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Mahima Chaudhury.

• When Remo turned 50, he held a reunion concert in Goa with his former bands, The Beat 4, Indiana, and The Savages. The concert saw 25,000 crazy fans as it went on for four hours straight.

• In 2007, when Remo went on the stage to be felicitated Padma Shri by Dr A. P. J. Kalam, he appreciated Remo and said,
  

  Remo I am your fan.’

• In 2007, Remo refused to accept the Goa Government Award under the scheme State Reward to the recipient of the National and International Award as a sign of protest against the Government of Goa as well as the Opposition, which according to Remo were both full of ministers and politicians who were involved in the large-scale attempted rape and sale of Goa through the infamous Regional Plan 2011. Along with the award, he refused the memento, shawl, citation, and cash reward of Rs. 50,000/-.

• Remo Fernandes voiced several songs in Bollywood including ‘Dekho Dekho Yeh Hai Jalwa’ in the film Jalwa (1986), ‘Ek Ho Gaye Hum Aur Tum’ in Bombay (1994), and ‘Aflatoon – Aflatoon’ in Aflatoon (1997).

• Remo performed at an event where Rajiv Gandhi was present, and after his performance, he was highly appreciated. He sang a song titled Hello Rajiv Gandhi, which he also composed himself.

• After the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, Remo performed at the fundraiser event for the victims, which was telecasted on Doordarshan.

• Remo has travelled and performed in many places including New York, Brazil, Nairobi, Bahrain, Seychelles, Santa Cruz, Margao, and Mauritius.

• In an interview, while talking about his less involvement in Bollywood’s music industry, Remo said,
  

  I don’t maintain a distance from Bollywood, I just don’t embrace it too tight, I guess. I refuse to see it as the be-all and end-all of culture and showbiz, the way most of this country sees it. I see myself primarily as a composer and creator of my own albums, and I keep the occasional song I do for Bollywood just that: occasional. There’s a slogan which I’d love to engrave on the foreheads of the corporates, advertisers and media of this country: :”HELLO, THERE IS SOMETHING BEYOND BOLLYWOOD. AND IT IS CALLED LIFE.”

• In 2021, he wrote his autobiography titled Remo: The Autobiography of Remo Fernandes.

• Remo Fernandes consumes alcohol and also likes to smoke.