“Being a Stand-up comedian is the best thing in the whole world,” says Kenny Sebastian, who will be performing LIVE in Australia this November

With comedy sketches, parodies and stand-up comedians mushrooming in every nook and corner of YouTube and social media platforms, Kenny Sebastian holds a different place in this crazy comedy world with his tongue-in-cheek humour created out of ordinary, mundane and banal day to day activities. As Kenny Sebastian sets to perform in Australia this November 2018, Nidhi Kumari from Indus Age talks to the talented comedian who gets candid about the million of viewership he enjoys, how he creates laughter from dull and boring chores and more. Excerpts:

You’ve gained huge popularity and acceptance today, did you expect it, when you started?

To be honest it has been a very gradual growth. I have been performing since the age of 17, and my audience has grown from 15 to 100. It has been a very gradual process when I reached the auditorium and then started doing shows in festivals and then it became bigger. The biggest example would be when YouTube became viral which was around 2-3 years ago. All this was not an overnight thing.

I didn’t have the chance to feel like wow… After YouTube exploded it was crazy; people recognising me on the streets. I think that’s quite amazing and I never thought that would happen. My purpose and goal has always been that people come, see and enjoy my show.

What drove you to this field of stand up comedy? When was the time you decided that you wanted to do this?

Like I said, it has been very gradual. I was doing theatre when I was 16 or 17, I used to talk a lot and make people laugh during breaks. By the time I was 19 I took part in a stand-up competition and I won it and that’s when I truly got into comedy and I really enjoyed it and found it fulfilling.

Kenny, you create humour out of ordinary day to day mundane things which we all observe but ignore. How did you get the idea to create humour out of banal activities?

That’s a great question. I have two very distinct goals with stand-up. One is that if I am doing a show, I don’t want my audience to be lost during that moment. I would not do a joke on Game of thrones as I cannot assume everyone has seen Game of thrones. My goal is that everyone in the room should know this topic.

The second one is that- by the time I was 25, I had done about 5 years of stand-up. I was like what is the challenge I can put for myself, because touchwood tickets were going up and I was getting my audience but then I was like creatively now what?  Then I did Chai Time.

Chai Time was like an exercise for myself. I am allowed to do a joke that I see everyday and then ignore, something that everyone sees and ignore and something which is not inherently funny.  It’s very easy to do jokes about politics; it is easy to make jokes on some bizarre event because it’s funny but making jokes about a spoon, a glass or biscuits is hard because it is not inherently funny. So , that was the self challenge to improve my skill.

This is your maiden visit to Australia, is there any special preparation that you’ve done for the show? What’s instore for the audience?

I have started preparing for it three months ago. Mostly whenever I do a show it is a collection of jokes but this time I am trying really hard to make it a dramatic show. The show is called ‘The most interesting man in the room’ and I am trying to run the narrative throughout the show.

The show is going to properly happen in Australia. It has to make sense globally as well, so that if there is any Australian in the audience, they should be able to connect as well. That is the show has to be relevant globally.

To make someone smile and laugh is a very serious business and is extremely difficult, as there are chances of offending someone . What do you have to keep in mind as a comedian?

To keep a lot in mind. My main goal of stand-up comedy is entertainment. I don’t do political, satire or opinion pieces. It is mostly just entertainment so my goal is extra focus on not offending or crossing a line. It is a lot of trial and error.  Every room is different; a college show is different from an auditorium show (which has a mixed audience), while the former likes sex jokes, the latter likes nuanced jokes.  Basically, you have to be very good at reading people…You have to read a room, that is the term a comedian has to understand. Reading a room means reading the audience: ‘Do they like a joke?’  ‘What do they like?’ ‘Do they like everyday stuff’ or ‘Do they like high energy stuff?’ You have to figure out in first 10 minutes how I can get what they need. It is a lot of trial and error of past experiences and shows.

There might be times when you aren’t in a good mood, still you have to do the show, how do you motivate yourself?

It’s a very good question. It happens all the time. Every time we are sleep deprived or we had a long day or a fight with your friend you still have to do the show. I don’t know, touchwood, luckily, when I am on stage , the energy of the audience has been very sweet, warm and welcoming . That immediately lifts you the moment you step on the stage. The energy comes to you and I feel that energy. But if the audience is in a bad mood and you are also in a bad mood, then its’s tough (smiles)…  As a comedian the onus is on you. The reason why I like this question is that there’s a difference between a stand-up comedian and a funny person. A funny person is funny with his group of friends, they are not funny by command, but a stand-up comedian might be in the worst of mood, could be travelling, hasn’t slept for days, even then he has to switch on the funny mode while performing. It is very technical to understand why people are laughing, it is independent of their mood. A lot of stand up comedians are not funny in person.

The best part of your work is that we see your positive side on stage giving an impression that you are always positive and having fun.

That’s because I am mostly happy. But I too have my bad days. I post positive photos on Instagram, however, I have started showing the other side too. I am trying to create awareness on mental health as well. I know that the perception of mine is happy which is great but I also have my bad day (smiles). I do YouTube videos only when I am in a good mood.

What would your advice to aspiring stand-up comedians be?

That you should really, really, really and really love stand-up for the right reason. It is a very unforgiving profession and there’s no logical reason that you’re doing it …it might take a toll on your mental and physical health …Success might never come. Choose another profession if you are much nicer and be very patient with it. Also, you have to be a multi-tasker.  All successful comedian did multiple things, they can act, write and also direct . There is no successful comedian in the world who only does stand-up comedy . You need to have great creative content and you need to do a bunch of things to pull it off.

Your message for the people eagerly waiting for the show in Australia:

It is totally going to be worth it. We are coming all the way and it is going to be super worth it. Please do come and I hope you like the show.

Rapid fire:

• Who is the last person you think of before going off to sleep at night?: My Gym trainer
• What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?: I love talking to my cook, she makes me laugh every morning, it’ s funny because she reminds me how to be a better person .
• A piece of advice someone gave you: Find your funny side.
• What’s the best thing of being a popular face?: Random people calling out my name and recognising me, “Hey Kennnnnyyyy”. I think it is cool.
• What is it like to be on the stage as a stand-up comedian?: It is the best thing in the whole world.

Kenny comes to Australia for the first time with shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and AAMI Just For Laughs Sydney in November.

Details:

SYDNEY   : FACTORY THEATRE – JUST FOR LAUGHS: MONDAY:  19 NOVEMBER

BRISBANE : THE TIVOLI  :  TUESDAY: 20 NOVEMBER

MELBOURNE     : THE FORUM: WEDNESDAY: 21 NOVEMBER

Book tickets at: www.ticketmaster.com.au