something will come up in a song which I ’ ve used in one of my songs much later . I watch a lot of films and series . I also like being in nature . It helps me to streamline my thoughts . I live near a forest , so I keep going for walks over there and that helps me a lot .
Q : What do you do to get into a ‘ flow ’ state while writing songs ?
Having discipline in my day in the form of a morning practice schedule because then , from 10am to sleeping time is open for me to create and that strict structure along with openness is a balance that helps me get into my flow state .
Q : What excites you the most about songwriting ?
What ’ s the most exciting is watching an initial idea finally shape up into something which is very different from it .
Q : What is your favourite original song which you ’ ve written and why ?
All my songs are so different from each other that it ’ s hard to say . I keep changing and growing with time , both as a person and an artist . When I look back at my older stuff , it feels like a different person made it . Right now , my latest release , Filter Coffee is my favourite but my first song , Efflux of Time is also my favourite because I had no idea about anything when I made it , about the industry or the recording process but it holds a special place in my heart .
Q : How do you select which songs are going to be recorded and released ?
Earlier , in 2017 - 2019 I used to play a lot of gigs . A lot of songs would be performed live and then recorded . Now , I produce , and release songs first and then adapt them to live gigs . Mostly , all my songs get produced and recorded . I ’ m trying to get better at marketing and strategizing . Right now , whichever song gets finished first gets released . Post the Filter Coffee release will be the first time I will be planning out my releases .
Q : What is your recording process like ?
I have the good fortune of having a studio space at home in Bangalore . In Bombay , I didn ’ t have anything and had to go to friends ’ houses or studios etc . Everything is done at home right now , unless I must record live drums . All the production , samples , acoustic guitars , most of it is done at MIDI , with the vocals being recorded at night post 9pm . For the bunch of songs , I ’ ve been working on right now the beats have been programmed but may need live drums which will be done in a studio . I haven ’ t tried that yet .
Q : How do you raise funds for recording projects ?
I don ’ t have a budget at all . I try to do everything in the least possible money . Whatever I earned during the pandemic was put into creating the studio and buying gear . Sometimes , I pick up projects like ad films , short films , etc . To fund my releases . I cook my own food , have a strict budget for the week , because I have costs like mixing mastering and artwork - for which you need photographer , location , clothes , makeup artist etc . I have only done one music video till date , post which I decided not to do music videos unless it ’ s funded or is a branded partnership which is why Filter Coffee doesn ’ t have a video . I do like my songs to have visuals , but I must manage with as low costs as possible .
Q : Do you have a specific promotional plan that you follow or does your promotional strategy differ with every release ?
I ’ m not good at it . Things were very different when I first started releasing music , there was no Spotify etc . I do a bit of social media and share it with people from the industry but I ’ m trying to learn and get better at this . Q : What would you like to share ( as a piece of advice ) with readers who are new to the songwriting and recording journey ? I would say that you should keep listening to a lot of music , but when you sit down to write - forget all of that . Be your own person .
Writer bio : Pranita Nair Pandurangi is a singer-songwriter , composer , and music educator . She teaches Contemporary Indian Vocals at The True School of Music , Vijaybhoomi University where she is also the HoD of the General Music department . Her voice has been featured on the track ‘ Chaap Tilak ’ in Netflix series Masaba Masaba Season 2 ( July 2022 ). She has independently released one folk fusion album - Rang , one original Urdu single and - Namee and one electronic ghazal - Beiraada Nazar , since 2019 .
The Score Magazine
42 highonscore . com