we all feel the same things and whatever makes us different
can be celebrated while realizing that almost everything else
about us is the same. I don't wave any national flag of any
kind and I don't feel I represent any form of music per se.
I just feel that if I can help someone feel a bit more connected
to a larger world, I have perhaps done the job I was meant to. I used to make lots of music every day and just sit on most
of it but nowadays I tend to just spend time on a piano
composing and keeping my ideas in my head till I can hear
where its going, then I’ll go to the studio. I don't feel the
need to keep churning out music; I’d rather wait till the
inspiration is strong to take it to completion.
Have you experienced any miracles in your musical life? What do you expect out of your listeners?
Miracles happen all the time. I wake up often in awe of the
things I have been privileged to experience throughout my
life. When I look back at all the amazing artists I have had
the honor to work with and learn from, I can only see that
as a miracle of sorts. I have always been a freelance artist
which means much like actors, sometimes you don't have
work. I still find it amazing that I have spent the past 20
years exclusively as a professional musician without
having to do anything else. This is a very challenging and
stressful life to choose, as many musicians will tell you, so
for me the miracle is the fact that I’m still doing this after all
these years. I think I am more concerned with what they expect out of
me. I want to give them an experience and an opportunity to
feel something profound when they listen. Im less inclined to
make something because it appeals to the latest trend, I think
my fans expect me to deliver something that transcends the
last thing that I did.
Tell us about some of the most significant choices you have made.
I have made many choices that when I look back upon,
I realize how significant they have been in mapping the
trajectory of my career. The decision to study music at NYU
and more so, to start my career in New York City was quite
key in helping me see a musical landscape that didn't quite
exist. Though I am a huge fan of artists like Zakir Hussain,
Peter Gabriel, Sting, LTJ Bukem etc.....I didn't want to
continue to do what they were doing. I decided to try and
carve my own path and go deeper into unexplored spaces
in music rather than follow any prescribed method. I have
always been willing to morph into what I need to be for a
particular project. Sometimes, I need to be more of a piano
player and composer and sometimes a drummer or tabla
player, sometimes a DJ etc.... I decided in my 20s that I was
going to do all of these things simultaneously. I was not sure
what the result would be, but as I look back I know that my
instinct was correct to remain open and continuously learn
new skills as I grow as an artist.
Did you have an "a-ha" moment when you knew you would be making
music for the rest of your life? In face, do you think you will be making
music for the rest of your life?
I knew since I was a child that music was my calling. I didn't
exactly know what that meant and have taken many decades
to figure that out but I always knew that music would be a
big part of my life, if not my profession. I do get bored doing
the same thing for too long so it’s nice to keep changing
it up. Sometimes I am playing tabla with my fusion trio,
sometimes singing and playing keys with the Collective
or spending months in a studio composing a film score or
sometimes doing a DJ tour. When I feel exhausted from too
much of one thing, it is nice to be able to quickly switch
gears. This, I hope gives me the ability to continue making
music for the rest of my life in some capacity or another.
What keeps you coming back to the studio?
I don't really enter the studio unless I feel inspired to tell
a story.
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Objectively, how do you think music adds value to the world?
Music defines the times we live in and plays so many
important roles in allowing us to go through different phases
of our lives. Music, for many is their identity or a mirror for
their own souls to be realized. From birth till death , music is
as essential as food and air for us to survive .
How do you know that you want to collaborate with a certain artist? Do
you look for musical similarity, corresponding thematic ideas...?
I hear the way other artists tell their stories through their
instrument. If that works as a character in my story, I’ll
ask an artist to collaborate. For me , making music is like
making a film, different artists play different roles within the
larger story.
What has been occupying your time lately?
As of late I’ve been scoring a few projects. I recently finished
an eleven episode series called Smoke for EROS which is a
drama series about the underground drug cartels of Goa.
I also just recently completed the score for Zoya Akhtar's
latest film Gullyboy. I will be starting the score a new TV
show for Z as my first project of the year. I also recently
worked on some Beatles covers with some great artists for an
upcoming film project. Apart from scoring work I’ll also be
recording a new album in the coming months to be released
later in 2019.
How would you like your music to affect your listeners?
My music tends to have varying effects. Some people
prefer the harder beat driven stuff where some like the
more introspective cinematic stuff. As I said before, I want
listeners to have the opportunity to see things differently, in
a new light or from a different perspective.
Why do you think you have remained invested in creating music? What
does it do for you?
Music is in my veins. I can't go through a day without
listening to music and playing something even if its just to
sing. Whether it remains my career path is left to chance but
I know for sure I will require music to be a part of my life till
the end. Music lifts my spirit and allows me to fly out of those
dark spaces that our minds can sometimes bring us to. Music
is medicine and essential for us as a species to have access too.