Quirks & Queries
NUSH
LEWIS
Tell us about your song writing process.
I am a very moody writer. That's actually something I'm
trying to break. I now force myself to sit with something even
though I may not necessarily feel it. My process is pretty
simple and straightforward. I write down a progression and
loop it. I then sing various melody lines over it till I get one
that fits better. Lyrics come in as and when it pleases.
Tell us about your initial years when you
first started out as a musician.
I decided to get into music professionally in 2009 when I
graduated from college. It was one of those "if I don't do this
now, I'm never going to do it" and that's a regret I wasn't ready
to live with. I did my one year of performance program at the
KM Music Conservatory majoring in the harp in Chennai
and then moved to Mumbai. Mumbai is an absolute crazy
city to live in but the beauty of it is that no one feels out of
place. What I loved was the fact that like me there were many
other young singer songwriters who had the same drive
and thirst to write and produce music. I, of course, walked
into this scene knowing absolutely no one. So while I wrote
my music I attended a bunch of gigs and creepily stood in
the corner and watched. This is where I made contacts and
slowly people got to know who I am. Twitter was how I booked
my first ever collaboration and my first ever gig. That was
our only social media back then so I made the most of it.
You are also a harpist. How did you decide
to pick that up? What inspired you?
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would end up
playing the harp. When I joined the KM Conservatory in 2009 as
a vocal major was where I actually saw the harp being played.
16
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
Picture Credit- Prashin Jagger
Our music theory teacher Alison Maggart was a harpist and
she had performed the harp for a school function. That was
the first time I ever saw the harp being played. As much as it
was the music and the magnificence of the instrument that
is overwhelming, what actually drew me to the instrument
was curiosity. It has so many strings and on top of that it
has pedals that move in three layers. That's what got me to
go and ask for classes. With no intention of taking it further
than two classes. But that's when I found myself going back
for more. I ended up practicing the harp more than my vocals
and the rest is history. I changed majors with the help of
my teacher and things have been different ever since.
For a person who has never listened to the EP
‘Bridges’, how would you describe it?
"Bridges" is a body work that represents an artist's personal
growth moving against all odds and self discovery. It has
been about two years in the making in terms of writing and
rewriting. Sonically, it was driven by the piano as opposed to
the last EP. The storytelling in the songs opened up a more
harmonic spectrum because of it. The usage of live drums
and bass has also played a big role in the making of the EP.
'Travel' tells a story of unachievable love, 'Lament' is a
grandmother's journey through life, 'Untuned' leaping
into freedom and embracing it, 'Threads' is about the lies
we surround ourselves with and 'Distance' is about an
alternate universe we would like to escape to. Of the five
songs, two are collaborations with producers. 'Threads' is
a collaboration with Italian producer, Luca Petracca. And
'Distance' is a collaboration with ambient artist, Riatsu.