Actor Rajkummar Rao has finished shooting for filmmaker Ramesh Sippy's upcoming film “Shimla Mirchi".

The 30-year-old actor took to micro-blogging website Twitter on Tuesday to share the news.

“And it's a wrap for #ShimlaMirchi. What an amazing experience it was with the genius #RameshSippy sir & @dreamgirlhema & @Rakulpreet ,” the “CityLights” actor tweeted.

“Shimla Mirchi” is a romantic comedy film, and if reports are to be believed, it is a story about how a single mother and her daughter fall in love with the same man.

"Shimla Mirchi" also stars veteran actress Hema Malini and Rakul Preet Singh in lead roles.

Meanwhile, Rajkummar will next be seen in Mohit Suri's forthcoming film “Hamari Adhuri Kahani”, which also features actor Emraan Hashmi and actress Vidya Balan in key roles.

Produced by Vishesh Films and presented by Fox Star Studios, “Hamari Adhuri Kahani” releases on June 12.

On Tuesday, when strong tremors jolted the nation, tinsel town stars like Parineeti Chopra and Sonakshi Sinha took to social media to share their panic moment, while Taapsee Pannu was sad to hear that the earthquake shook the Himalayan nation once again.

An earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale jolted Nepal on Tuesday. The epicentre was 68 km from Namche Bazar, northeast of Kathmandu.

The celebrities took to their micro-blogging website Twitter to share the news with their fans and followers.

Actress Tapsee Pannu wrote: “Noooo! Not Nepal again! It's so so saddening! Why this fury against that 1 country!!?”.

Parineeti posted: “Ok what the F just felt another earthquake in Mumbai again!”

Actor Shahid Kapoor, who is currently shooting for his film "Udta Punjab”, shared: “Strong tremor here in Amritsar.”

Hoping every one was fine, actress Sonakshi Sinha, who felt the quake too, wrote: Omg, i just felt myself swaying a bit and got a msg that there's been an earthquake in Delhi!! Hoping all fine.”

Composer Ehsaan Noorani tweeted: "God not another #earthquake this is really sad and scary."

Imran Abbas Naqvi is quiet excited as his upcoming Pakistan film ‘Abdullah: The Final Witness’ will be premiering at Cannes Film festival. The talented actor will be travelling with the team to attend the premiere and this would be his first visit to the prestigious film festival.

The Pakistani drama written, produced and directed by Hashim Nadeem focuses on the Kharotabad incident in which five innocent Russian citizens were killed, allegedly by a suicide bombers of Frontier Constabulary (FC), at the Kharotabad check post. The incident was filmed by a journalist and some of the videos were aired. Commenting on the same Imran who plays Abdullah’s son says, "The script moved me and the shoot strengthened my belief that terrorism is an evil that needs to be exterminated."

The actor is also planning to catch many films there and meet some Bollywood friends: "This is my first visit to Cannes and going with a film I'm a part of is a dream come true." He added. Imran would next be seen Muzaffar Ali’s next ‘Jaanisaar’.

Himachal Pradesh is trying to rope in Bollywood actress Kangna Ranaut, who hails from the hill state, as a brand ambassador for promoting tourism, an official said on Wednesday.

"We are planning to hire Kangna Ranaut as a brand ambassador as it's going to help us practically like Gujarat benefitted from its brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan," Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board vice chairman Vijai Singh Mankotia told reporters.

Kangna's family home is in Bhambla village near Hamirpur, some 200 km from Shimla.

He said the government was preparing a master plan to cash in on the tourism potential of water reservoirs in the state.

"The private sector has shown interest and we may engage private players in translating the idea into action," he said.

The former tourism minister admitted that bad roads and poor air connectivity to the hill state were stumbling blocks to promote tourism.

"The Shimla airport is not functioning for over two years now. The Airport Authority of India has not taken any measures. As a result, tourism to Himachal is suffering."

On hosting apple festivals in Shimla and Manali, he said: "It's an apple state and we need to sell that name for tourism. With the apple festival this time, we are planning to club the home stays in apple orchards during that period."

Mankotia said the tourism department for the first time would host the Himalayan Mega Mart (of the Himalayan states) to showcase their tourism potential, a Himalayan car rally and Asian river rafting this year to promote tourism.

Tourist arrivals in Himachal Pradesh every year surpass the state's population of about 6.8 million.

Indian designer Nikhil Thampi is set to dress the EDM (electronic dance music) legend Armin van Buuren during his third visit to the country for "A State Of Trance Festival" on June 6 at the NSCI (National Sports Club of India) here.

“My exhilaration just hit the roof as we will be dressing the dance music maestro himself - Armin van Buuren. It’s a big opportunity given the fact that the superstar DJ prefers simplicity to over the top. I am elated with the fact that his team considers me to be the perfect match for this interesting association.

“I envisage a picture of him playing the dashing edgy Indian prince and hence, I intend to give him a homegrown vibe which has a vintage meets modern royalty touch.” Thampi said in a statement.

The designer had earlier designed for Bollywood celebrities like Sridevi, Sonakshi Sinha, Kajol, Kalki Koechlin, Anushka Sharma and Deepika Padukone.

After gunmen opened fire inside a bus carrying Ismaili Shia Muslims in the Pakistani port city of Karachi killing 45 people on Wednesday, celebrities like Pakistani actor-singer Ali Zafar and Bollywood star Arjun Rampal were left in shock.

The incident took place near the city's Safoora Chowk area in the provincial capital of Sindh. At least 45 people were killed and 24 injured when the gunmen opened fire.

Ali, who ventured into tinsel town with the Bollywood satire film "Tere Bin Laden" in 2010, took to micro-blogging website Twitter on Wednesday to express his grief.

"Sad day. Very sad day. #killings," the "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan" actor, who had earlier brought together celebrities for the video of his single "Urein ge" to pay tribute to the victims of last year's Peshawar massacre.

Actress Taapsee Pannu, who co-starred with Ali in the movie "Chashme Baddoor" in 2013, wrote: "Karachi...let's thank god every morning that we wake up breathing. Future has never been more unpredictable".

Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan was "angered" by the incident.

"Shocked & disgusted at the killings of innocents in #Karachi #BusAttack. No religion supports murder of humanity. Unbelievably sad & angered!!," tweeted the "Mitwa" hitmaker.

Arjun also took to Twitter to write about the incident.

The 42-year-old actor tweeted: "A religious group bus is attacked in Pakistan. Prayers for the families of lost ones & all those injured. Don't know which God approves this".

South Indian actress Lakshmi Manchu wrote: "I will never understand how one can kill another for the sake of religion and caste. Breaks my heart beyond words. #Karachi rip".

The overseas small screen is calling for Bollywood talent. From Priyanka Chopra, Nimrat Kaur and Tina Desai to veterans like Anupam Kher and Shabana Azmi - Indian actors are landing plum roles in international TV shows. And they're truly loving it.

After creating waves globally with her singing talent, former Miss World and B-Town's 'desi girl' Priyanka has crossed borders for American TV drama "Quantico" and plays the lead role; Shabana has come on board for British TV drama "Capital"; and Tina will be working in American drama series "Sense8".

Actress Lillete Dubey, who has even worked in foreign films like "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and its sequel, has also jumped on the bandwagon by joining British drama series "Indian Summers". This, after Nimrat Kaur found prominence as a Pakistan ISI Agent in "Homeland".

"The scope for Indian actors is widening everywhere in the world. The world is becoming a smaller place. Actors are nowadays preferring to work in different places," Nimrat, who first found global acclaim with the "The Lunchbox", told IANS.

Talking of Bollywood's male gang, there's the evergreen Anil Kapoor, who has dubbed for a guest appearance for adult animation show "Family Guy"; while his close friend Anupam will feature in Netflix's series "Sense8". Even "Life Of Pi" star Suraj Sharma was part of "Homeland"; and Rahul Khanna essayed a Russian spy in US TV show "The Americans".

Lillete says "actors look for work outside as they get to work with different people and grow as actors".

"Actors want to see how they will work with people outside their country. With globalisation, I think people are more aware of actors' body of work," she said, adding that changing demographics are leading to a surge in the number of Indian actors in foreign shows.

"There are stories set in Britain and the US or any other country and Indians are a major part of demographics of many countries. So people feel that they should represent them as well. They can't take non-Indian actors for such roles.

"Either the story and subject is set in India or they are based abroad but represent Indian population of that country," Lillete, whose "Indian Summers" is a drama on British colonial era, told IANS.

But what's interesting is that the story lines of these shows are not restricted to those about India, and instead, range from terrorism to suspense.

Priyanka, who plays the role of a FBI trainee in ABC's TV series "Quantico", mentioned that international projects help an artist grow creatively.

"As an entertainer and actor, I'm constantly looking for new challenges that push the boundaries of my creativity and talent. This is a whole new experience for me and something that I am looking forward to diving into," said Priyanka.

Anil, who has done a voiceover in the show that revolves around the Griffin family, has also been excited about his foreign TV stint, which comes after he featured in the international show "24".

"Stepping into the world of Family Guy #SuperExcited to be a part of the lovably crazy Griffin family @FamilyGuyonFOX. Honoured to be a guest on #FamilyGuy Thank you Linda and Steve. @FOXTV @FamilyGuyonFOX," Anil had tweeted.

Likewise, Anupam has expressed how "terrific" is "Sense8", a 12-episode suspense thriller series, around the connection between eight people from eight different parts of the world.

Tina, who has also worked in Hollywood film "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", is thrilled to be part of "Sense8" too.

"I'm just thrilled to be a part of such a fantastic show and look forward to audience reactions," Tina told IANS.

Other than these, a string of Indian origin actors like Kunal Nayyar, Dev Patel, Parminder Kaur Nagra and Kal Penn have carved a niche for themselves on international TV shows.

Actor Varun Dhawan, who has performed a 'Tandav' sequence in "ABCD 2", says it was very emotional for him to shoot the song.

Varun told IANS: "There's a very special song in 'ABCD2' where my character is dancing in pain for his mother... you could call it a modern-day Tandav. Remo sir (director Remo D'Souza) wanted me to be very lean for the song. It's a very emotional song for me and I had even made my mother hear it before performing to it."

The actor has even performed aerial silk for the number.

"ABCD 2" is a sequel to Remo's "ABCD - AnyBody Can Dance", which is releasing on June 19.

The film follows the story of a Mumbai-based dance troupe, which travels to Los Angeles to participate in a dance competition.

Singer Steven Tyler has released his first country single "Love is your name" across multiple media properties with a live televised performance.

"Love is your name" is the first single off Tyler's highly anticipated debut solo album. The song was produced by Dann Huff and recorded in Nashville at Blackbird studios.

Tyler has been residing in Nashville since January. He has been collaborating there with some of Music Row's finest singers and songwriters.

"I picked up and headed for Tennessee, and the first day in the studio, I recorded a song that became my first single. And if 'Love is your name', then Nashville's my new girlfriend. I guess you could call that beginner's luck," Tyler said in a statement.

Tyler also performed "Love is your name" live on the "American Idol" season finale.

Actors Gulshan Devaiah and Kalki Koechlin have started preparing for Pooja Bhatt's upcoming production "Love Affair".

The film, which will be directed by Soni Razdan, is based on the infamous Kawas Manekshaw Nanavati case of 1959. The story is about a naval commander who was tried for murdering his British wife's lover.

Since the movie revolves around the elite society of Mumbai in the 1950s, both the actors are doing a lot of research to prepare for their roles.

"Kalki and I are watching a lot of old American and European films from the 1940s and the 1950s. We are trying to understand the culture and fashion of that time. We have read our scenes together, and have discussed how we can incorporate some of those elements in our film. We share a good working relationship, which helps us enjoy the rehearsals," Gulshan said.

The good rapport between the actors is helping them prepare for the film.

A source close to Gulshan said: "They have been watching a lot of movies from that era. They have also been reading books to understand the kind of language people used... They are also visiting different designers to learn about the style that was followed back in the day."

Apart from "Love Affair", Gulshan would also be seen in Pooja Bhatt's "Cabaret" and Vivek Agnihotri's "Junooniyat".

He's a dentist by profession -- and a singer, actor and anchor by choice. "Indian Idol" fame Meiyang Chang, who belongs to the Chinese community in India, says donning multiple hats is a "wonderful trend" in Bollywood as it enhances one's onscreen personality and keeps boredom at bay.

"Multifaceted artists have always been around in Bollywood. Kishore Kumar is a prime example. Of late, a lot more people have come to the forefront, which is a wonderful trend, as long as they have a natural flair and knowledge of what they are getting into," Chang told IANS.

He says "there's no magic formula to it".

"I just love what I do. Sometimes I do feel the stress, but now I've learned to handle it. As with life, there are no set rules for success. Being multifaceted enhances your repertoire and personality, and you're never ever bored.

"I don't know how much we (multifaceted artists) are in demand in Bollywood, but it's always good to be a multitasker," added the 32-year-old, who performed in Gurgaon on Sunday at 100 Pipers Play for a Cause, a fund-raiser musical extravaganza for the Nepal earthquake victims.

Chang, who started performing in late 2007, was joined by Farhan Akhtar, Vishal Dadlani, Ehsaan Noorani (from composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) and Shilpa Rao for the event.

What comes easier -- acting, hosting or singing?

"Acting and singing really excite and inspire me. The rest come as a bonus that I'm glad to add to my repertoire. I'm waiting for the right roles, plus I also dabble in other things," said Chang, last seen on the small screen in "Khatron Ke Khiladi Darr Ka Blockbuster Returns".

Having started his acting career with 2010 film "Badmaash Company", Chang has only done two films since then even though he bagged a supporting actor award for his debut role.

He is now eyeing roles that are "challenging and central to the plot" of a project even though "the length of character does not necessarily matter to me".

The "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!" actor is currently hosting a Skype digital activity for TV show "India's Got Talent".

Actor Mahaakshay Chakraborty and Evelyn Sharma's romantic drama "Ishqedarriyaan", which was to release on May 15, will now hit the screens on May 29, producer Rajesh Banga has announced.

"We have pushed the release date of the film. While the team travelled for promotions, they received tremendous response and love from all the fans. The response at the focus screenings was overwhelming too. Hence, we wanted to make sure we could reach out to maximum audiences so that they could watch the film and are working on getting additional prints ready," Banga said in a statement.

It has been reported that the makers of the film had organised various focus screenings for different set of fans across various locations in India as a part of promotions. Following the response, the makers wanted to get more prints for wider distribution of the movie.

"Ishqedarriyaan", directed by V. K. Prakash, is presented by Chariot Films and Metro Studios LLC (Georgia).

Dancing diva Madhuri Dixit is happy that dance-based movies and musicals are finding space in Bollywood. She is excited about Remo D'Souza's forthcoming dance-based 3D film "ABCD 2", and is looking forward to it.

"It is good that such dance-based and musical films are being made. Remo is doing good work. Congratulations to him. He is coming up with 'ABCD 2', which is fantastic," Madhuri, who judged dance based reality show "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa" with Remo, said here on Wednesday.

"The film's prequel ('ABCD - AnyBody Can Dance') did fantastic business. It's ("ABCD 2") in 3D, so I am looking forward to it," she added.

"ABCD 2" features Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and choreographer-director Prabhudheva. It will release on June 5.

Madhuri was all praise for her co-star Jackie Shroff's son Tiger Shroff's dancing skills.

"He (Tiger Shroff) is sweet and wonderful. He is Jackie's son, so he has to be wonderful. He dances very well and displayed his skills in his debut film 'Heropanti' as well," Madhuri said here at the launch of mobile app for her online dance academy.

"He is a superb fighter, dancer and everything. He is an all-rounder," she added.

It seems actress Parineeti Chopra has an obsession for footwear.

The 26-year-old took to photo-sharing website Instagram on Thursday to share an image of her pink and black floral print running shoes.

"Shoe game today. Shoe obsession everyday," she captioned the photograph, in which she is seen sitting on a wooden floor.

On the big screen, the actress was last seen in "Kill Dil".

Veteran actor Anupam Kher visited the barber's shop, and was happy to spot items that he avoids from being used on his head because he's bald!

The 60-year-old took to photo-sharing website Instagram on Thursday to share an image with his fans and followers. The photograph the actor shared features a tray containing a brush, comb, a sharp tail comb, a scissor and other grooming products.

Anupam captioned the image as: "Things that avoid my head!!!:)".

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is looking forward to intense workout sessions to keep in shape.

The 72-year-old took to micro-blogging website on Thursday to share: "What to look forward to? The intense training for the body at gym! Fresh inputs, trainers, specialists! Must be in better shape."

The "Coolie" actor believes that his dedication towards the intense gym session will "show some results quite soon".

"The sessions at the gym are getting quite involved and different. The trainers have been updated, the specialists have been inculcated and the general conditioning is meant to show some results quite soon," Big B wrote on his blog.

He has been lauded for his latest film "Piku".

Bollywood film personality Deepti Naval said on Thursday she intends to write a book of short stories on Kashmir, reflecting the life and times of the people here.

Deepti spoke to IANS in the summer capital Srinagar about her writing interests and also about the inspiration she gets each time she visits the Valley.

"I intend to write a book of short stories about Kashmir. There would be about ten short stories and those would speak of the people and the times here. I have nothing to do with politics since I am an artist who is fascinated by beauty wherever and whenever I see it.

"I have earlier written short stories about New York, Himachal Pradesh and Mumbai and those also concerned absolutely with the people and their lives there," she said.

She said it was okay to have actors like Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh do romantic films in Kashmir in the past, but time has now come when local writers should be encouraged to write scripts for Bollywood movies, depicting Kashmir.

"I intend to come back here next month to have a brainstorming session with the students in Kashmir University to hone their writing skills with regard to film scriptwriting. Let us see how much success we get", she said.

Deepti has a family connection with Jammu and Kashmir.

"My father was from Punjab, but my mother had a Dogra origin. Her family belonged to Jammu. That lineage always kept attracting me to Kashmir.

"I love mountains, streams, meadows and simple people like those living here. I have found that this place and its people have more time and leisure to address aesthetics and pursue artistic careers.

"Art and aesthetics should come naturally to a people born in this wonderful land. One main reason for my film acting was because movies were shot here, and I thought joining films would give me an opportunity to see Kashmir.

"I have acted in the movie 'January 19' which was about the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley," she said.

About India-Pakistan film and art relationship, she said: "Pakistani artists and actors are welcomed in India with open arms. But, if I wanted to act in their television serial, I would find it very difficult because of the restrictions imposed on Indian artists by the government there.

"The two countries have a common culture and past, there should be no restrictions from either side on artistic pursuits. The barriers between the two countries will have to melt at the artistic exchange level and the rest would follow automatically".

Deepti has known to have acted in almost 100 Bollywood movies and also in some television serials. She made her Bollywood debut with 1980 movie "Ek Baar Phir", for which she won the Best Actress award for the movie.

She has acted in nine movies co-starring the late Farooque Sheikh.

"He was a great actor. His flawless Urdu is something that would inspire any scholar of the language. He was wonderful in every aspect of acting, but his untimely death has cut short a great life and career," she said.

Deepti is also on the advisory panel of Kashmir crafts and tourism conclave which was initiated by the prominent local businessman Sheikh Feroze.

Talking about the local cuisine, the actress said she loves the local vegetable called 'Haak' (Kale).

"I prefer to eat Haak whenever I get it, It is a great vegetable although your non-vegetarian cuisine is also famous the world over", she said.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Thursday inaugurated the India Pavilion at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival here. He stressed the importance of movies in government campaigns like 'Make In India' and 'Skill India'.

"The new government at the Centre is certainly more decisive and focused and is constantly working towards taking India to higher levels of growth, which is inclusive.

The government is channelising that objective through campaigns like 'Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’, and realises that the film industry is an important part of these campaigns given its tremendous potential towards job creation," Rathore said, according to a statement issued by Ficci.

“India has already signed co-production agreements with a slew of countries, and in the last one year five co-productions have been undertaken with France alone. We need to take these partnerships to the next level now," Rathore added.

Pointing to the Indian government's rigorous work towards providing a seamless work environment for the film industry by establishing a single-window clearance mechanism, he also announced plans of a center of excellence for gaming and visual effects.

The session also saw unveiling of the 46th IFFI, 2015 regulations and ‘India Film Guide’ by Rathore. The India Film Guide is a comprehensive booklet with information on policy initiatives by the government pertaining to film sector, the listing of Indian companies at Cannes Film Market, Indian films at Cannes and contacts of important people in the business of filmmaking.

Filmmaker Bobby Bedi, who delivered the welcome address, said: “India’s presence at Cannes has increased tremendously over the past decade and we have seen an increase in representation in terms of quantity and an improvement in the quality of content as well”.

Mohan Kumar, ambassador of India to France, said the ambition should be to get Indian films in the most important category of films at Cannes. He added over the next two to three years, he will strive to work on that.

The Cannes film gala began on May 13 and it will conclude on May 24.

Gurvinder Singh's Punjabi film “Chauthi Koot” and Neeraj Ghaywan's debut feature "Masaan" are among the Indian films that have been chosen to be screened in the official UnCertain Regard section of the jamboree, the red carpet of which is being graced by Indian ambassadors of L'Oreal Paris -- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor and Katrina Kaif.

Playback singer Suresh Wadkar has announced the online launch of Ajivasan Music Academy to reach out to music aficionados globally.

Ajivasan Music Academy was started in 1932 in Srinagar by Guruji Acharya Jialal Vasant from whom Wadkar learnt classical music. In 1986, a few years after the Academy moved to Mumbai, Wadkar took charge of it.

Now, an online version is being launched on Friday as May 15 marks the birth anniversary of Acharya Jialal.

Wadkar told IANS: "Ajivasan is my Guruji's dream, which we strive constantly to realise. As one of its many ventures, I feel happy to announce the launch of our portal www.ajivasan.com."

"We are also introducing a new technology which will enable us to reach out globally. Interactive teaching with multiple students is one of the exciting tools that this technology should facilitate. Ajivasan looks forward to its legacy of Hindustani Classical Music being accessible globally," he added.

The objective of this new portal is to impart online music education for distance learning, thus making it relevant even for students who cannot be physically present for face-to-face learning in traditional classroom settings.

The Academy provides training in Hindustani Classical Music in vocal, instrumental (tabla, sitar, harmonium, violin), and in Kathak -- its certified courses are in affiliation with the Prayag Sangit Samiti, of Allahabad.

Besides Hindustani classical music, the academy also provides training in Light Music and Western Music courses on keyboard, piano and guitar, among others.

To many, it seems the electronic dance music (EDM) scene in India is emerging only now, but German-American music producer Markus Schulz, who has always found "inspiration" from this part of the world, says the country has not been far behind in the globally-trending musical genre.

Having crafted progressive, trance and house music into his own unique fusion of sound, Schulz has created an identity for himself in the EDM space, and on his visit to the country just weeks ago, he shared with IANS his thoughts on the music scene in India.

"India has always been an inspiration to many people, and I don't think it's been behind (in EDM). I think the big thing in India is that there are not as many clubs as there are in the rest of the world. But as far as I know, people are listening to it on the internet which has always been there for everyone," Schulz said.

The 40-year-old DJ, who performed in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and Delhi for his Vh1 Supersonic Club Nights tour earlier this month, said he likes to step his music up a notch to challenge the Indian audience.

"In India, there are so many people that love this music; so I never look at India as being behind. It's not like I come here and I am going to water down the (music) set, because they might not get it... I feel the opposite.

"It's like when I come here, people have been listening to these sets online, so I have to almost step it up even more to kind of challenge the crowd. As far as it goes musically, people in India are just as knowledgeable if not more knowledgeable than many people around the world because there is so much access to music online," he said.

Miami-based Schulz, who finds India culturally and historically rich, says that the fact that the music scene these days is dominated by youth, produces new talent and fresh music.

"The biggest thing is that there's been youth movement over the last few years. New people are coming into the scene and with that, they also bring new passion and energy. I think especially in the last couple of years, this new generation has turned the whole scene upside down, but it's not a bad thing because it's really exciting time right now," he said.

Talking about the time when he started off his "amazing" journey, the music producer said he was a little "insecure" at first but now thinks he has found his "peace".

"I just feel like I know my path and I am not trying to be anything that I am not... And it's been really amazing, all the great places I have been able to see, all the great people I have met over the years," said Schulz, whose father was also a musician, making music a part of his life since his childhood.