Showing posts with label Clinton Cerejo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clinton Cerejo. Show all posts
You wouldn’t get 12 cinematographers to shoot your film. So, why do you get 12 composers?-Shor Police
9:55 AM
Clinton Cerejo and Bianca Gomes
Having composed for ‘Baramulla’, music band Shor Police questions Bollywood’s norm of roping in many musicians for a project and overlooking the background score
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; November 24, 2025)
What started with a song turned into a full-fledged score for the movie. While Clinton Cerejo and Bianca Gomes, who form the band Shor Police, weren’t sure they had the time to go beyond composing the songs for Baramulla, the outpouring of love over the last 15 days has validated their decision. In a chat with mid-day, the duo talks about creating the soundscape of the Netflix horror film. Excerpts from the interview.
Take me back to when Baramulla came your way.
Gomes: Initially, we were called on board to only compose one song. After we saw the film, we were asked to do the score. Since it was a tight timeline, we were apprehensive. But the film was so beautifully shot that we were happy to adjust our schedules and meet the deadline.
What was director Aditya Suhas Jambhale’s brief?
Cerejo: Aditya was one of the most open directors we came across. He had a temp [temporary] score, but he was eager to hear what we have. That’s rare because often directors get so used to the temp score that they find it difficult to disconnect from it. [For them] nothing you do will match up to that score, because they’ve lived with it for so long.
Gomes: He wanted the music to sound new. In horror films, you have the same kind of music and the audience is led in a certain way. So, it’s easy to go down that same path. But Aditya wanted the music to be a reflection of the landscape. We’ve used instruments like the rabab.
Background score has been overlooked so much that if a musician’s name is attached to a project, it’s believed they only composed the songs. What’s your take?
Cerejo: When you think of movies, you think of the songs associated with them. Nobody used to talk about a film’s background score. As a result, even if composers got to do the background score, they’d feel it’s not worth spending their time. Composers like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and A R [Rahman] do both. In Bollywood, when you say that someone is a film composer, you’re most likely referring to the one who has composed the songs. In Hollywood, film composers are those who do the background score. Here, the score has been largely ignored not just by the public, but also by the industry. [People] don’t want to be score composers because they don’t get the respect they deserve.
The issue is also the [concept] of multiple composers in a film. You wouldn’t get 12 cinematographers to shoot your film. So, why do you get 12 composers?
Whenever I see two musicians together, I think, ‘How do they manage to be in tune with each other?’ Do you two fight?
Gomes: Oh, a lot!
Cerejo: One of us will walk out of the studio, mostly me (laughs).
Gomes: Musicians in a band are always having creative differences. So you can imagine how many differences there will be when two people are in charge of writing a song. But when you team up with someone, you have to make room for their opinions. I give Clinton credit for that because it takes a lot of openness from someone, who is more experienced, to say, ‘We are a team.’ If you can’t leave your ego at the door, you’ll have a problem.
Give background score its due credit, say music composers
7:52 AM
After music composer Clinton Cerejo’s recent outburst over not being credited for his work in a film’s review, other composers join in and explain how background score truly makes or breaks a film and the people behind it must be credited and recognized
Debarati S Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; December 8, 2022)
Clinton Cerejo, who has composed the music for Kartik Aaryan’s latest OTT release, Freddy, recently shared on social media that his work was wrongly credited to someone else in the film’s reviews. Calling it out, the music composer said that it was not okay to attribute the background score to someone else and negate months of hard work done by the entire music department.
Speaking to Bombay Times, Clinton said, “My post was not intended to target any one individual. The point of the post was to highlight the larger problem where critics sometimes credit the person who has done one or two songs as the film’s scorer.”
Clinton said, “This doesn’t happen abroad. Billie Eilish composed the opening credits song in the Bond film No Time To Die, but was the music credit of the film given to her because of that? Of course not! The credit goes to Hans Zimmer, who has done the background score. He is the film’s composer. You cannot attribute the entire music credit of the whole film to someone who has just composed for a few minutes over someone who has done it for over 100 minutes.”
Clinton feels that most of the time, background scores are treated like the second cousin of songs in the Hindi film music industry. “Today everything is content-driven, and the musical element of a film is an essential part. The background score really pushes a film. People are realizing that when a film works, it works because of the sound. Of course, songs too are important when it comes to a film, but 50% of the film experience is the background score and the sound design. These are the elements that are there throughout the film,” he added.
Clinton is not the only one who feels strongly about the issue. A number of composers agree with him. We spoke to a few of them and here’s what they had to say:
IF YOU PULL OUT THE BACKGROUND SCORE, A FILM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STAND AT ALL: AMAAL MALLIK
Composer-singer Amaal Mallik said, “If you pull out the songs, maybe the film can still survive, but if you pull out the background score, the film will not be able to stand at all! In Christopher Nolan’s Batman (The Dark Knight), if you remove the score (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Hans Zimmer, certain serious scenes may look comical. Everyone has both worked in synergy to create that intense soundscape and that’s what makes it great. You cannot disregard the musicians, the music team, the music supervisors, the sound engineers, the background score composers — all of us together make the sound of a film.”
BACKGROUND SCORE COMPOSERS SHOULD BE GIVEN MAIN CREDITS AND BE ON POSTERS TOO: SALIM MERCHANT
Salim Merchant, of the Salim-Sulaiman composer duo, who have been creating BG music since 1997and have worked in around 100 films, strongly feels that the BG scorers should be given due credit. “The background score of a film is actually the unseen character in the film. It plays quite an important role and it truly makes or breaks the film. So many times a film has succeeded because of the BGM, which helps build the story and take it ahead. It also helps in making the audience ‘feel the film’ in its true sense. It is important to give the BG score the main credit in the film. I also feel that it should be on the posters. In the West, the person who does the background score is credited first as music by so-and-so and after that credits for the songs are given. Background score is the heart of any film,” said Salim.
REVIEWERS DID NOT CREDIT ME FOR MY WORK IN BRAHMASTRA’S BG SCORE: PRITAM
Pritam, who worked on Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra Part One: Shiva for two years, is miffed at the way some film critics have wrongly credited Simon Franglen instead of him for the score. “Simon was
initially supposed to be a part of this, but that never happened eventually. We began working on the background music of the film in early 2019. I did the score, and he was in no way even remotely a part of the background score of Brahmastra. Yet, my name was not mentioned in many reviews, only his was. In fact, it was a long battle to get even Wikipedia to correct this mistake. They only corrected it recently,” he said.
COMPOSING SONGS AND COMPOSING BG SCORE ARE TWO DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES OF MUSIC: EHSAAN NOORANI
Songs and background score are very different from each other, say composers. There are technicalities involved while giving background music, which is not always the case in composing songs. Ehsaan Noorani explained, “I wouldn’t say that one is easier and the other isn’t because they both are completely different disciplines of music. For a background score, you need to be mature and very objective. You can’t use a piece just because you like it. The main thing about the background score is to see how it works with the scene. And at the same time, silences are important too. Also, one must make sure that the music in the film is changing. However, you must do it with such subtlety that it doesn’t overpower the film. The background score is incidental and yes, the film cannot do without it, but at the same time, it cannot be showcased so strongly that it will overtake it.”
The fact is that background scores get marginalized in our country, and people don’t realize their value-Clinton Cerejo
8:23 AM
Freddy score composer Clinton Cerejo discusses employing repetitive notes in psychological thriller to play with a viewer’s psyche
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; December 5, 2022)
“Different composers can create very distinct musical palettes for a film of this nature,” Clinton Cerejo says while responding to our question on the changing trends in score- composition for psychological thrillers. He discusses how Thomas Newman’s play with “organic elements to create moods” in American Beauty, differs from the use of synths in The Social Network, when making his case.
“Sonically, they are significantly different, even though they try to achieve the same objective.” It is eventually the discussion with the film’s director that, he believes, sets the scene for a composer.
“You can capture emotions if you decipher the crux of what [the film should highlight],” says Cerejo, who created the score of Kartik Aaryan’s Freddy, a psychological thriller that follows a dentist who becomes unhinged after being short-changed in love.
“Shashanka Ghosh wanted to outline this character of a doctor. I wanted to use the ukulele to create a simple melody to serve as the thematic idea. We wanted to keep repeating it because [we wanted him to come across as] someone who is not multi-layered. In a psychological thriller, the music sets the listener up for something that is intriguing — the listener should feel that there is something going on in the horizon,” says Cerejo, highlighting that Newman’s film, and Eyes Wide Shut were two projects whose scores have stayed with him.
“[In Eyes Wide Shut], there are two base notes that are repeated over and over again in the whole film, and it has a great effect. The hammering of that piano theme is what stays with the audience. In this film, the theme had a sense of sweetness. And as the film progresses, a watcher is compelled to believe something [untoward] is about to happen.”
Trends in score composition for psychological thrillers have seen a departure from the past when “big drums” were employed for the making of music in Bond films, says Cerejo. “Nowadays, textural writing is seen in films and in TV shows as well. For Freddy, we kept things organic to depict this simple guy in an urban world. I used elements like orchestral elements and guitars. Then, for sections, we switched to other textures to make it sound modern.”
He compliments Aaryan for switching gears from comic and romantic roles to pulling off the part of the mentally affected Freddy. “You see him as the introverted guy with [signs of] dyslexia. It was challenging for me because I wanted the music to enhance that aspect of his personality.”
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Ashish Kumar Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 5, 2022)
Clinton Cerejo, who composed the background score for Kartik Aaryan’s latest OTT release, Freddy, is furious over the lack of recognition for those who composed the original score for the film. He took to Instagram to point out how people are not aware of the difference between the music director and the one who composes the background score.
The musician tells us, “My whole point of lashing out was that it happens in every film. This isn’t the first time it’s happened, and it won’t be the last. The fact is that background scores get marginalized in our country, and people don’t realize their value. It’s high time people stop treating songs and background music as one entity.”
The artiste, who composes music as well as original scores, called out a section of film critics for “not taking an effort while reviewing a film as to who composed the original score” and wrongly mentioning music composer Pritam’s name for giving the background music.
He asserts, “Background scoring as an art form is completely different from songs. The commoners might not understand the terminologies, but a film critic should know the technicalities of filmmaking. All I’m saying is every person needs to get their due. This is the time to raise our voices. We can’t spend our life thinking all this is fine.”
‘Music mafia’ or ‘no bias’? The truth lies somewhere in between
8:39 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (June 25, 2020)
Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely death by suicide has shaken up Bollywood and resulted in a lot of issues and grudges – that were simmering for a while – surfacing in the public domain. Over the last week, the biggest topic of debate in the entertainment industry has been the alleged powerplay in the Bollywood music space and how it is supposedly controlled by a few music labels. It all started when Sonu Nigam, in a vlog, said, “I want to request everyone and especially our music companies to be kind because today an actor – Sushant Sigh Rajput – has passed away, tomorrow you can hear the same about a singer or a composer or a lyrics writer because unfortunately there is an even bigger mafia in the music industry than in the film industry.”
He further added that young and struggling musicians are distressed because “the composer would want to work with them, the producer and director would want to work with them but the music company would say ‘no, this is not our artist’. This is not right that the power is in the hands of two music companies only.” He also made the charge that “Even directors and producers are not happy because they are not being allowed to make the music that they wish to.”
The video sparked a debate with charges and counter-charges flying. Later, in a second video, after a few names from the industry spoke to the media and contradicted these charges, Sonu named T-Series’ Bhushan Kumar and alleged that Bhushan was trying to forcefully counter his views by getting other singers to speak against him. Soon after, Bhushan’s director-actor wife Divya Khosla Kumar called Sonu “thankless” in a post and accused him of selling “lies and deceits.” T-Series is by far the biggest player in the Hindi film music industry, with an estimated 50% market share. —TNN
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‘THIS INJUSTICE HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A WHILE. MUSICIANS GET DUMPED FROM FILMS IF THEY ARE NOT PART OF A LABEL’S ROSTER’
Several veterans of the music industry came out in Sonu’s support after he posted the videos. While Alka Yagnik just said “Yes, it’s true I am with Sonu on this... and most of us senior singers are too,” and chose not to elaborate further on this, others shared their experience of having dealt with this “injustice.”
BHUSHAN KUMAR COMPLETELY SCRAPPED THE MUSIC WE HAD COMPOSED FOR A FILM: SALIM MERCHANT
Salim Merchant, one half of the composer duo Salim-Sulaiman, says, “Usually, big labels do not interfere with the music or the composers; once in a while, they may tell us to include a song from their bank in a film. But T-Series says, ‘Salim-Sulaiman ko hi nikal do. We will get our own composers and singers’. Unless the film’s producer is an A-lister or somebody in the same league, Bhushan Kumar makes all the decisions. There are many who have gone through this. Sonu Nigam is absolutely right, this has been going on for a while now – this injustice against creative people, including singers, who get dumped because they are not part of the roster of his label.”
CREATIVITY CONTROLLED BY THOSE WHO HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT CREATIVITY: ADNAN SAMI
Sharing his thoughts online, Adnan Sami wrote, “The Indian film and music industry needs a shake up. Especially in the context of music, new singers, veteran singers, music composers and music producers – who are being exploited to the hilt. Why is creativity being controlled by those who have no clue about creativity and are trying to play God? Is all that we have to offer is remakes and remixes? Stop this and allow the truly talented new and veteran artistes to breathe.”
TODAY, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO CAN’T SING AT ALL, BUT THEY ARE THE ONES IN THE LIMELIGHT: MADHUSHREE
Madhushree, who has often given her voice to A R Rahman’s projects and songs like Kabhi Neem Neem, Tu Bin Bataaye and In Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein,says, “Nepotism and music mafia have always been there. But earlier, there were really good singers, too. Today, there are people who can’t sing at all, but they are the ones in the limelight.” The singer says that she has had to face a lot of discrimination in the Bollywood music industry throughout her career and “all kind of tricks were used to ensure that my voice does not reach the public.” “But I am very grateful to A R Rahman ji who gave me so many superhit songs,” she shares.
A FIRST-TIME DIRECTOR IS ARM-TWISTED WHEN IT COMES TO CREATIVE DECISIONS ABOUT THE MUSIC OF HIS FILM: CLINTON CEREJO
Clinton Cerejo, who has composed for films like Kahaani and Badla, apart from other non-film work, says, “If I’ve spent two years working with the director and creating songs and a score that are cohesive, and two weeks before the release the label suddenly decides that they are going to use one of their own artiste’s songs as a ‘promotional song’ and that artist becomes the face of the film in the eyes of the public, it’s not fair to me. This happened to me on multiple occasions and it used to bother me. I decided to just move on and focus on my own journey as an artiste.”
Cerejo adds, “If a director is senior, he cannot be arm-twisted beyond a point, but a first-time director will often be completely disregarded when it comes to making creative decisions about the music of his own film. That’s one of the reasons why there’s very few current songs in Bollywood that will stand the test of time.”
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Some, like singers Shilpa Rao, Jubin Nautiyal, Amaal Mallik, composer Rochak Kohli, lyricist Manoj Muntashir and singer-composer Sachet Tandon didn’t agree with Sonu’s claims of the music industry being biased and favouring insiders.
THERE IS NO OUTSIDER BIAS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. WHAT YOU GET IS TOTALLY BECAUSE OF YOUR WORK: SHILPA RAO
Shilpa Rao, the voice behind Bulleya and Ghungroo, among others, says, “The music industry does not function the way Bollywood functions. It is a different animal. I feel there is no outsider bias in the music industry. What you get is totally because of your work. I have been here since 2007 and in this industry, it is about how you sound and what you bring to a song. There are people giving songs to absolute newcomers too. Experimenting with newer voices is not a problem here.”
TODAY, ONLY GOOD CONTENT MATTERS: JUBIN NAUTIYAL
Singer Jubin Nautiyal said to a channel, “Today, it’s more content-driven. Even a small song from anywhere can turn out to be a huge hit. Nepotism can be one of the factors that affected the industry in the past, but today, what matters is good content, talented artists and good sound. That’s what every music label or producer is looking for.”
IT WASN’T EASY FOR ME OR MY BROTHER ARMAAN BECAUSE OF OUR SURNAME: AMAAL MALLIK
Talking about nepotism, Amaal Mallik, who comes from a family of musicians, had said, “A lot of people have the notion that it must have been easier for me because I had the Mallik tag. But I don’t feel it’s right. I agree I have an advantage. I know how things work. I have seen the failures of my family members so I know and that’s the only difference. I have been doing this since the age of 19 but I got my first film at 24.” Speaking about his first film, he added, “I miserably failed in that film and that song didn’t work despite being on such a huge scale. For one year, I had no work. I don’t think anyone repeated me, just like it’s with other newcomers. It’s not happened overnight for me and my brother. Maybe, it’s even a bit tougher for people who have a name.”
THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAS A VERY PROGRESSIVE PROCESS: ROCHAK KOHLI
Music director Rochak Kohli added, “When I approach a singer for a song, I always tell them that I want to try you for this song. And we will try our best to keep your voice in the song because things change. It's not just for new singers. I also tell the same to people like Arijit (Singh), or Jubin (Nautiyal) and Sachet (Tandon). Everyone understands. Singers come up to me and tell me they want to sing maximum scratches. The singer also gets his taiyaari and his voice also reaches out to a lot of people. It’s indeed a very progressive process.”
Anu Malik was insistent that I came home-Caralisa Monteiro
8:25 AM
In an exclusive chat with BT, singer Caralisa Monteiro talks about the composer’s alleged attempt to invite her home 15 years ago
Soumya Vajpayee (BOMBAY TIMES; October 22, 2018)
After singers Sona Mohapatra and Shweta Pandit, the latest female singer to join the bandwagon of those speaking up against composer Anu Malik, who has been accused of sexual harassment as part of the #MeToo campaign, is Bollywood playback singer Caralisa Monteiro.
Talking to BT, she said, “There were always people (like him). I just didn’t play into their ways and always believed that my voice is why they will always want me back. So, while I have never been abused or violated, I’ve had a specific incident with Anu Malik. I had to tell him that I only work in a studio. This happened almost 15 years ago, when I was starting out. I have never worked with him since.”
Explaining the incident, the singer, known for hits like Nashe Si Chadh Gayi (Befikre, 2016), Ranga Re (Fitoor, 2016), among others, said, “Anu Malik wanted me to come over to his place to jam with him. He was insistent that I came home, as that’s how it was done. And I told him, ‘If you need me to sing a song since I’m a professional recording artiste, I will meet you at the studio, take the brief and then track’. So, when I met him later, I went with my dear friend Clinton (Cerejo, singer), because I was uncomfortable going alone. Everyone knew the kind of individual Anu Malik was/is.”
Farhan Akhtar, Vishal Dadlani raise an army to serve meals to the underpriviliged
7:44 AM
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 11, 2016)
As Farhan Akhtar, Uday
Benegal, Vishal Dadlani, Vasudha Sharma, Clinton Cerejo and several
other artists get ready to
serve meals to half a million underprivileged Indians and Pakistanis,
teams of volunteers in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Mumbai, Delhi and
Chennai will croon the Mission 500k anthem, titled “Realign“, composed
and sung by the celebrity bunch.
The singing volunteers, brought together by Vh1, form the Robin Hood
Army an organisation that works to channelise surplus food from
restaurants towards feeding
the lesser fortunate sections in cities of both the countries. Spread
across 30 cities now, the army consists of 5215 volunteers who have
served over six lakh people so far. The volunteers are largely young
working professionals from varied fields. In a first of its kind
initiative, the army will use social media to spread the word and
inspire millions to volunteer.“The Robin Hood Army's desire to feed half a million people across India and Pakistan this year on their respective Independence Days is an effort I wholeheartedly support. I appeal to people everywhere to participate in this incredible initiative to help eradicate hunger and malnutrition. It's our world. We have to make it better,“ Farhan Akhtar asserted.
A R Rahman, Salim-Sulaiman launch new digital channel Jammin'
7:43 AM
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 11, 2016)
Two-time Academy Award
winner A R Rahman, along with Bollywood singer-composer-duo Salim
Sulaiman, singers Clinton Cerejo and Mithoon, has launched Jammin', a
digital channel that will bring top YouTube musical talents - Sanam,
Shraddha Sharma, Siddharth Slathia, Jonita Gandhi, Arjun Kanungo, Maati
Baani, Sanah Moidutty, Raaga Trippin and Mumbai's Finest - together. The
musicians will also compose ten original soundtracks and shoot music
videos with the youngsters.
“We are super stoked!“ exclaimed co-founder Samir Bangara, while Rahman beamed, “Digital platforms are an amazing place for artists to reach their audiences, and independent creators need the backing of a partner to bring discoverability and scale to their talent. I am glad to be a true partner to creators and bring them on a level playing field with mainstream music.“
The first music video releases digitally on Qyuki, a multi-platform network founded by Rahman, Bangara and filmmaker Shekhar Kapur on August 19, followed by a new video releasing every week, culminating into a mega live concert at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai on November 11. All the music videos will be curated on the Jammin' channel.
“We are super stoked!“ exclaimed co-founder Samir Bangara, while Rahman beamed, “Digital platforms are an amazing place for artists to reach their audiences, and independent creators need the backing of a partner to bring discoverability and scale to their talent. I am glad to be a true partner to creators and bring them on a level playing field with mainstream music.“
The first music video releases digitally on Qyuki, a multi-platform network founded by Rahman, Bangara and filmmaker Shekhar Kapur on August 19, followed by a new video releasing every week, culminating into a mega live concert at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai on November 11. All the music videos will be curated on the Jammin' channel.
Amitabh Bachchan to sing a soul-stirring number for TE3N
7:53 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (May 24, 2016)
Amitabh Bachchan, who's
synonymous with his booming baritone, has sung in many of his films over
four decades. Once again, he will lend his voice to a soulful song for
his upcoming psychological thriller, TE3N. The song titled Kyun Re,
which has been penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya and composed by Clinton
Cerejo, is pivotal to the movie. The film directed by Ribhu Dasgupta
also stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vidya Balan (in a guest appearance
crucial to the plot).
I dislike Bollywood's tendency to stick to just one trend-Clinton Cerejo
7:35 AM
Musician Clinton Cerejo talks about his latest album Jugni, the quality of music in Bollywood and his Sufi connect
Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; February 19, 2016)
For Clinton Cerejo, music is
one of the most powerful mediums of communication and influence.
Working closely for years with the likes of A R Rahman and Vishal
Bhardwaj, Clinton admits that it has only strengthened his Sufi connect.
The composer, musician and singer confesses that he is subconsciously
searching for something bigger, amidst the current music scenario where
hit songs mostly speak of meaningless partying and revelry. Excerpts from
the tête-à-tête...
Jugni marks your debut as a Bollywood composer. Tell us about it.
When Shefali Bhushan, the director, first gave me a copy of the script, I realised that, in many ways, Jugni was a story I could relate to. It was a story centred around the lives of musicians and I completely identified with the characters. The fact that the film was based in Morinda, a village in Punjab, meant that the songs had to have Punjabi folk flavour. But since Shefali called me, as opposed to anyone else, it gave me the idea that I should try and approach Punjabi music from a different perspective. It was a personal challenge.
For the first time, Vishal Bhardwaj has sung for another composer (Dugg Duggi Dugg in Jugni). How was it working with a success ful composer like him?
Vishalji is someone I've had the pleasure of working with for many years. I've been a music producer on almost all his projects, right from Omkara and he has always inspired me on a professional and personal level. When I had composed this song, his voice seemed like the most obvious choice to add the lilt it required. And when he agreed, I was really happy. In fact, he heard the scratch in my voice and kept suggesting that I should record it in my own voice. But I insisted that he give it a shot and the result was magical - pure, honest and straight from the heart.
What do you think of the quality of Bollywood music these days?
I've always disliked the tendency of Bollywood to stick to one trend until it completely loses all novelty. When I had produced Beedi Jalaile in Omkara, for the next two years I used to get calls to produce other songs with the brief, 'We want something like Beedi'. I wish people would realise that once a song is a hit, it's done, it's out there. We should create something that has its own strong character, rather than try and sound like a wannabe version of a hit song. Having said that, I'm grateful for the influx of indie musicians in Bollywood, that is giving it a fresh perspective.
What do you look for in your singer?
I think most of the time, I look for a certain X-factor, which will take the song beyond what I had conceived. When a singer gets behind the mic and starts thinking about how to interpret this melody in a way that makes it their own, that's what really excites me as a composer. That is my number one criteria when choosing a singer. There are a lot of singers who unknowingly fall into the trap of a certain style and lose their individuality. People these days also seem to be doing covers left right and centre. I have nothing against covers but currently, it seems to be the easiest way to get noticed.
You are immensely influenced by Sufi music. How did that happen?
I think what attracts me to Sufi music is the philosophy, as I find many similarities in the ideology to my own personal faith and journey as a Christian. Also, I think that in the current music scenario where we have songs that speak of meaningless partying and revelry, there's always a subconscious search within me, for something bigger. Music is such a powerful medium of communication and influence and Sufism taps into that power. I'm definitely talking of the purer forms of Sufi music here, and not necessarily the cookie-cutter genre that it has evolved into. I also love Urdu and some of the Rajasthani and Persian dialects of Sufiana qalams as a phonetic sound, and expressing that in my music helps me approach Hindi more as a world music sound.
Jugni marks your debut as a Bollywood composer. Tell us about it.
When Shefali Bhushan, the director, first gave me a copy of the script, I realised that, in many ways, Jugni was a story I could relate to. It was a story centred around the lives of musicians and I completely identified with the characters. The fact that the film was based in Morinda, a village in Punjab, meant that the songs had to have Punjabi folk flavour. But since Shefali called me, as opposed to anyone else, it gave me the idea that I should try and approach Punjabi music from a different perspective. It was a personal challenge.
For the first time, Vishal Bhardwaj has sung for another composer (Dugg Duggi Dugg in Jugni). How was it working with a success ful composer like him?
Vishalji is someone I've had the pleasure of working with for many years. I've been a music producer on almost all his projects, right from Omkara and he has always inspired me on a professional and personal level. When I had composed this song, his voice seemed like the most obvious choice to add the lilt it required. And when he agreed, I was really happy. In fact, he heard the scratch in my voice and kept suggesting that I should record it in my own voice. But I insisted that he give it a shot and the result was magical - pure, honest and straight from the heart.
What do you think of the quality of Bollywood music these days?
I've always disliked the tendency of Bollywood to stick to one trend until it completely loses all novelty. When I had produced Beedi Jalaile in Omkara, for the next two years I used to get calls to produce other songs with the brief, 'We want something like Beedi'. I wish people would realise that once a song is a hit, it's done, it's out there. We should create something that has its own strong character, rather than try and sound like a wannabe version of a hit song. Having said that, I'm grateful for the influx of indie musicians in Bollywood, that is giving it a fresh perspective.
What do you look for in your singer?
I think most of the time, I look for a certain X-factor, which will take the song beyond what I had conceived. When a singer gets behind the mic and starts thinking about how to interpret this melody in a way that makes it their own, that's what really excites me as a composer. That is my number one criteria when choosing a singer. There are a lot of singers who unknowingly fall into the trap of a certain style and lose their individuality. People these days also seem to be doing covers left right and centre. I have nothing against covers but currently, it seems to be the easiest way to get noticed.
You are immensely influenced by Sufi music. How did that happen?
I think what attracts me to Sufi music is the philosophy, as I find many similarities in the ideology to my own personal faith and journey as a Christian. Also, I think that in the current music scenario where we have songs that speak of meaningless partying and revelry, there's always a subconscious search within me, for something bigger. Music is such a powerful medium of communication and influence and Sufism taps into that power. I'm definitely talking of the purer forms of Sufi music here, and not necessarily the cookie-cutter genre that it has evolved into. I also love Urdu and some of the Rajasthani and Persian dialects of Sufiana qalams as a phonetic sound, and expressing that in my music helps me approach Hindi more as a world music sound.
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