Palash Sen recently dropped a new single called Kesariya Baalma, and to everyone’s surprise, the singer revealed on Instagram that the track was recorded 17 years ago. Ask what made him release it after all these years, and he shares: “Somehow, all our albums at the time were performing so well, I couldn’t find the right spot for Kesariya... Every song has an appropriate time to be heard.”

But, given how much has changed in music and audience’s tastes over the years, especially with the advent of social media, would he still choose to not associate with a record label? He says, “I feel a musician loses his creative freedom with a record label. We have a set way of doing things. If I go to a label, they’ll of course tell me what kind of music to make as per the latest trends; paisa daal ke views badhate raho [and I don’t agree with that]. I should be an example for all independent musicians.”

As someone who has also refused to compose music for Bollywood films, does Sen have any plans to work in the industry? He says, “I will be very happy to go [to Bollywood], but the conditions must be mine.” He also clarifies that he isn’t opposed to the idea of collaborating with other artistes: “I would love to team up with rappers like Raftaar, King, EPR or Badshah. But, I will do it when both artistes’ genres meet halfway and neither party has to compromise.”