You are blessed with a unique tonal quality which can cut through the clutter . Yet with the advancement in vocal-tuning technology , do you think it ’ s become a daily challenge for every other singer to retain his / her individuality in the crowd of too many playback artistes in popular Bollywood music ?
I am truly thankful to be blessed with such a distinctive voice . And that ’ s a piece of advice I always part with my younger singers i . e . to keenly focus on our voice . See your tonal texture is God ’ s gift . So nurture it with much care . Of course , riyaaz ( training ) and practice is necessary but it can ’ t change the internal vocal cords you are born with . You either have a different voice or you don ’ t . How you use your voice depends on your perspective and the backdrop of a given song . One must learn this craft and manner of working out one ’ s voice to his / her advantage .
What prompted you to form a folk-fusion band ?
I have been initially groomed by my father Khagen Mahanta and have imbibed his key influences in me . Hence my association with the traditions of folk music started with watching my father closely from a very tender age . See folk music can really rock a stage and I have always wanted to do something with the folk melodies . As a genre , folk melodies are centuries-old stories and tales which still talk to us with an unfailing appeal . They exude emotions and relationships , relevant to today ’ s times , connecting with the youth . I wanted to see how we could slowly transform it into something which is more current and contemporary . It was a big step when we had actually floated the band Papon and The East India Company ( Guwahati ) a decade ago in 2007 . But touchwood , we have got a tremendous response over the years and I couldn ’ t be happier for sure .
Is it difficult to straddle between a mainstream career and a parallel part-time band-music pursuit ?
I think I have been fortunate enough to grab a string of plum tracks from Bollywood . I live in Mumbai , so whenever I get time to venture out of my own creative comfort zone , Bollywood is right there to shelter me . And that was the sole reason behind my plan to shift base to Mumbai as well — to be able to toil on some interesting film projects . The ‘ city of dreams ’ has so many great musicians . And honestly speaking , Bollywood was a conscious move that has worked for me because now a larger audience knows me .
By virtue of being a native of Guwahati and the son to your reputed folk-musician parents Khagen Mahanta and Archana Mahanta , you have inherited a strong tradition of folk culture and the regional Bihu melody is firmly ingrained in your blood and genes . Tell us something about your training in music ever since you were a child .
My musical journey had begun in my mother ’ s womb , that is , before I was even born . My mother was pregnant while she was teaching and learning Indian classical music . So I started listening to music since then ! My father is a folk legend of Assam . He had been performing folk music and popularizing the regional form for years . He was a very well-respected figure in Assamese folk music .
The fact that I was born into a musical family and was bred in a similar kind of milieu had itself commenced my voyage along the course of sounds-n-beats . But I didn ’ t immediately take a plunge into the musical field as a professional till much later in life , for it took me a while to realize that am pretty good at it myself and not because my parents are musicians . So the progression was naturally gradual .
Hailing from Assam , one can ’ t deny the musical impact of the bard of Brahmaputra Dr . Bhupen Hazarika and his remarkable contribution to the fathomless ocean of music . How has his music inspired you ?
Dr . Hazarika was a luminous personality with a charismatic , unique voice . Like you rightly put in , he has made an immense contribution to India ’ s musical trove .
How was your tryst with the distinguished English film composer Benjamin Wallfisch for the criticallyacclaimed international project , Bhopal : A Prayer for Rain ?
Well , it was a fascinating project to be aboard of . It had other great musicians like Sting on it . As a matter of fact , the cause was extremely important and everyone had laboured for free to do their bit to promote the issue of Bhopal gas tragedy that took thousands of innocent lives thirty-two winters ago in 1984 .
Is music production a heavy-duty job , given the fact that you have been a producer on season four of MTV Unplugged and has even participated as a vocalist in both Coke Studio and the Unpluggedshows ?
Yes , but a lot of it depends upon the person at the helm . I like giving my best shots all the time . I am a perfectionist . Therefore all these projects have had extracted a lot out of me . Imagine , I didn ’ t sleep well for four months ! I would suddenly wake up in the middle of the night and make notes — maybe this track doesn ’ t need a flute , maybe a shehnai would work better here , maybe another voice will sound apt here . So , these kind of ideas and thoughts would non-stop bug me . Point is that producing music is time-consuming and six songs could at times consume a full year , if you really want to produce well .
Are live sounds-n-beats and unmastered recordings the future of Indian music as often film producers and music directors retain the scratch versions of a particular song and unplugged programmes are gaining acceptance in the audience court too ?
I can ’ t predict the future , but one thing is for certain that people are embracing new things and different concepts . And that makes for a holistic experience for music to evolve and for kids to grow up with . Film music isn ’ t also just one type any more . It has different flavours coming together now . At the same time , unplugged , jazz , alternative , pop , folk , fusion should get played across radio stations as much as the monopoly of film music still rules .
You are also widely known for your associated acts with the accomplished front-runners in music . Do these side gigs bring you a different taste to enlightening your knowledge on music ? Explain …
Absolutely ! I get to learn a lot from these side ventures . I absorb a lot from working in different spaces and synergising with different people . That ’ s how collaborations fall in place . You see , it ’ s undoubtedly quite exciting for a singer , composer and musicians to work on various , diverse assignments . Hence I ’ m lucky enough to coordinate with a bulk of talented musicians to spin around new ideas on varied platforms .
The Score Magazine www . thescoremagazine . com
13