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Left to right: Amit, Rahul, Nikhil, Himanshu and Tuheen

India’s fusion rock band Indian Ocean returned to the scene after 10 years earlier this year; the band is now set to embark on their India tour this year
Fathima Ashraf (BOMBAY TIMES; June 13, 2023)

“We are not in a race,” says guitarist Nikhil Rao of the five-member outfit that has been rocking the music industry for 33 years. However, the 10-year gap after their last album wasn’t intentional, they say, since COVID had come in the way. “Our next, for sure, will not take another 10 years,” he adds.

‘THE THEME EMERGES NATURALLY’
Through Tu Hai, the band takes a spiritual and reflective route as it addresses topics from what’s happening to our environment and its species to talking about celebrating nature, God, renewal and rebirth. “Every song has had its own journey and emerges naturally,” says Nikhil.

‘A LOT HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS’
From an era where people listened to an album in their entirety, till today, a lot has changed in 10 years. “We moved to streaming, people prefer to listen to playlists, artistes prefer to release singles. That’s not the world we grew up in, and so we are not in a rush to catch up with trends,” Nikhil adds.

METAVERSE? WHY NOT!
The band is open to exploring new tech in the field, even the metaverse. “The music industry is changing. Nobody knows what’s next. We are still figuring out how people would want to consume music in the future. If we have something to offer in the metaverse space, we will soon,” says Nikhil.
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"As a band, we keep making songs - ideating, jamming, writing lyrics, making vocal melodies, instrumental sections. That process is constant. When we have a bunch of songs that we are happy with and feel like it sounds like an album, we move to the next step"
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"From cassettes and then the CD era to DVDs and now streaming, Indian Ocean has seen everything. We have done it all, frankly, without much external support"
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"There is no conscious effort from our side to check out the latest trend. For instance, hip-hop is big right now. But seeing everyone else, if Indian Ocean decides to make a hip-hop song, we would really make a bad one. So, why try?"