Is there anything that bothers you
about the burgeoning indie scene in
India? In fact, is it still burgeoning or
do you think it has reached maturity?
I think it is still burgeoning and
there are many amazing musicians
in India that I've met over the course
of my life. I think it’s exciting times
and with the power of the internet,
I am hopeful artists will be able to
break new ground at faster paces.
Have you ever released a song and
then wished you could change it?
Yes, it happens with literally every
song I have ever released. There is
always something you can change
and make better in a song. However,
once it's out in the universe, you have
to trust your gut and move on :)
Have you ever curated a
playlist of your own songs for
someone? If you had to, which
track would you put on it?
No, I’ve never done that. If I had
to do it, I would definitely put the
entire cold/mess album on it.
Outside of music, is there
another form of art that you
enjoy? If not now, have you
imagined yourself picking up
something else later in life?
I like dabbling in photography even
though I’m quite mediocre at it.
Your music is largely centered
around romantic love (or so
most listeners would assume).
Why is this so? Or, is this some
kind of misconception?
I think that perception is out there
because of cold/mess being my most
successful record till date. It is indeed
a quintessential heartbreak album.
That being said, I have many songs
that are not centered around romantic
love like ‘Artist’, ‘Kadam’, ‘Saansein’,
‘Dil Beparwah’ among others.
Does that NYU degree in
economics come in handy at all?
Not really. The degree doesn’t come
in handy but my experiences of living
in that city for 5 years is definitely
a big part of my identity today.
You’ve mentioned that your ideal
scenario would be to do one long
tour and then disappear into writing
for a while. Do you see this as
possible at all, given that live shows
are where you can both make money
and connect with your fans? Do you
think doing it would be a risk?
Not at all. Everything has a risk
associated with it but you have to
look at the pros and cons and make an
educated decision. That’s what you
can do and then hope for the best.
That being said, I think this scenario
is very possible and has been done
by several musicians around the
world. The ideal case would be to do
a concentrated amount of touring
in a given time period and then take
time off - which is much needed to
be at peak creativity when making a
record. I’m still working towards it
but I think I have already progressed
to this scenario to quite a degree.
Compared to say 3 years ago when I
was playing shows throughout the
year, at this point, I end up taking
around 4-6 months in the middle of the
year almost completely off touring.
Can you write in any state of mind -
happy, sad, frustrated, bewildered,
etc.? Or do you need to be in a
certain place to be able to compose?
It’s hard to write if I’m too exhausted
or annoyed/frustrated by something.
It’s ideal to be relaxed. Being too happy
or too sad is not ideal either. There’s a
more evened out, stable emotional state
which is ideal when writing songs.
What, in your opinion, should
be a musician’s main concern
in both life and music?
I’m still trying to figure that
out, so I don’t know.
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
13