Talk to us about your new collaboration with Manav Chhabra on your single ‘ Manzil ’.
Manav and I have been talking about collaborating on a track for a long time . He had told me that he would love to rap on a song of mine and that ’ s something we have been talking about over three years , even before my very first single ‘ Dilli ki ladki ’!
You ’ ve said that this was a long time in the making . What took so long ?
Yeah , it ’ s crazy that it took us so long to work on a song together but ‘ Manzil ’ is just the beginning of a musical partnership . We have a lot more ideas and dreams , and you will see a lot more of Manzeel , our duo act , in the future . I think the biggest reason it has taken us three years to release this is because we have grown and evolved , and developed our music sensibilities . We would scour YouTube for hip-hop beats and rap over them , and it ’ s embarrassing to hear those recordings today ! But now that we have started , we don ’ t intend slowing down .
What inspires you to make music ?
Everyone around me inspires me . I don ’ t think there is any song that I have written and released , that hasn ’ t impacted people or people haven ’ t been able to relate to . I don ’ t look at numbers to gauge how my music is being received , it ’ s how my songs make people feel . My fans ’ reaction , genuine reaction inspires me to make more music . My motive is always to make sure that my music reflects me , my words are a reflection of me .
Could you break down one of your most favourite and recent singles and tell us how the production process happened ?
Choosing my most favourite single from Dastaan is like asking a mother who is her favourite child ! It ’ s very difficult for me to answer that . I have worked equally hard on all songs . But I think what I have gleaned from people and responses , ‘ Falsafa ’ is a song that people have really enjoyed and it ’ s a song that has a strong theme and story . Lyrically it asked more of me . ‘ Falsafa ’ is about a heartbroken man trying to move on but in happy surroundings . That journey of that transition of a person who learns to smile again is what ‘ Falsafa ’ is about . It also challenged me a little bit more as a singer .
Take us through your tech set up . How do you record your songs ? What would your live performance entail ?
I haven ’ t been focusing on performing live at all but hopefully I will build myself to do that as well . Maybe in 2022 , we will see .
How important is the digital space to you – considering that you have made your mark as a social media creator ? How do you engage and interact with your fans and followers ?
It ’ s an extremely important space for me because I feel that if you ’ re making any kind of art , you need to connect with your audience and the digital , online space affords you that . I consider myself very lucky that I don ’ t need to depend on a big label to reach ears . I have fans across different platforms and while they may not be the largest numbers , I am able to engage with my listeners , my fans ., my supporters , and most importantly , get feedback from
The Score Magazine highonscore . com
19