5 . How did the collaboration with Stewart happen for this album ?
I had been working on a follow-up to my Grammy ® winning album ‘ Winds of Samsara ’ and had catalogued some of my favourite melodies . Recordings were delayed because of my relentless touring schedule and when the pandemic hit , it presented an opportunity for me to spend time in my studio and kick-start this project again . I reached out to Stewart Copeland and was thrilled when he said yes to making this album with me . I have always relied on technology for all of my recordings and therefore , I had plenty of experience to make this experience as seamless as possible . Stewart too is high on technology , and has one of the most amazing home studios . Stewart and I recorded our portions individually and it all came together superbly . We are both positive people and despite the pandemic , we are thrilled to have created an album that celebrates life and will create a wave of much needed positivity in our audiences .
Working with Steward Copeland was like attending the best masterclass imaginable . Stewart is not just the Founder and Drummer of one of the biggest selling bands in history ‘ The Police ’, he also regularly composes for Operas , Orchestras and for over 50 Hollywood movies including the Oscar award winning ‘ Wall Street ’. Despite reaching the pinnacle of success , he is constantly evolving and learning by exploring new sounds , traditional music instruments and rhythms . We constantly threw ideas at each other , adapted sounds and crafted this album together piece by piece .
6 . Talk to us about the artists you have collaborated with and what can one expect
There are several fabulous musicians on this album such as The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra UK ( who we recorded at Abbey Road Studios ), superstar Indian duo Salim-Sulaiman , Vietnamese American Opera Singer Sangeeta Kaur , Indo-American Flautist and singer Rasika Shekar and several frequent collaborators such as Varijashree Venugopal , Manoj George ,
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Siddhartha Belmannu , Charan Raj , etc .
7 . What ’ s your take on the independent scene flourishing in India currently ?
The independent music scene in India is extremely vibrant and promising . Unfortunately , the movie industry still holds a vice-like grip on the entire music industry and a lot of independent artists who are extremely talented seek validation from Bollywood or just give up . Because of the dominance of Bollywood and other film industries in India , composers and singers are very rarely making music from the heart based on their own philosophies and beliefs . Every reality show out there is continuing the same trend and as long as it remains like that , it will be difficult for Indian Musicians to get international recognition across cultural barriers through independent music . Children must be taught to make music from the heart and budding young musicians should be taught the importance and value of our rich musical heritage which is extremely unique and diverse . Only when Indian musicians start gaining recognition , more will follow and the standard of music education will automatically improve . There are several independent artists in India that I am a huge fan of and record labels in India have to step up and actively seek and promote talent . There is so much more to Indian music than film music and independent / folk / classical artists in India deserve the spotlight .
8 . What can we expect from you apart from this album ?
I have some really interesting completed projects lined up . One of them is a documentary feature called ‘ Who is Baul ’ which showcases the mystic lives and music traditions of the Bauls of India . Their philosophies are over a thousand years old and their enlightened lifestyles are threatened by modern demands . We are working on releasing this documentary on film festivals around the world for now and just premiered at the London Film Festival on the 27th of June 2021 .
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1 . Three pieces of gear you cannot live without
My super powerful PC Computer ( built by myself ) Native Instruments Keyboard Controller My collection of Analogue Synths ( really ancient ones !)
2 . Artists you would love to collaborate with in your next project
Stewart Copeland ( Again : - )) AR Rahman Nitin Sawhney
3 . Dream venue to perform at once the pandemic relieves us
I have performed at most of my dream venues already . Would love to perform at Madison Square Garden though !