There may have been umpteen occasions on which this reporter has interacted with Hariharan and Leslee Lewis in the last few years, none of which, however, brought them together to discuss their work as the Colonial Cousins. “We do a lot of our own stuff,” says Lewis, who has spent a fair share of time reinventing his style of music, of late. Hariharan too, has been investing time in the studio, working on different sounds. The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival festival, however, brought them together yesterday. Days ahead of their performance, they turned up at the mid-day office to walk down memory lane.

Edited excerpts from the interview. 

Leslee: Well, the Colonial Cousins are colonial, and so is the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival festival, which is all about art and music. Also, we’ve not played in Mumbai.

Hariharan: Mumbai’s crowd is different. At a festival like KG, there are no tickets [for our show], so people will walk in, and will stay to watch us, if they are interested. We’ll relive the time capsule of the ’90s.

Hariharan: We did perform abroad, and did online shows during [the lockdown], but we were not together. You were busy with your album, The White Album, which is a great one. During COVID, I also recorded three albums, two of which centred around ghazals. In the last two years, things have been [good], in the studio. 

Leslee: I think that people think we have split. They believe Colonial Cousins is no longer active. That’s a perception people have. 

Hariharan: Colonial Cousins is popular, but we have a particular set of listeners [who like our music]. People who like classical music appreciate our sounds. The Indian elements of our music are traditional. But [our] songs are a bit more funky. So, this is a niche. 

Leslee: I remember, I was in Manhattan, New York, and walked into a record store to see if our albums were available. The person at the counter came up to me and asked me if I was Leslee Lewis. When I asked him how he identified me, he said ours was the most sold album in the world music space, and hence, my face was familiar. 

Hariharan: We also have good sales in Germany. 

Leslee: Yes, we do. A lot of them were pirated too. But you need certain sponsors or brands willing to promote this music. 

Leslee: You were working on a jingle. I was composing it, and you were singing it. I recall, I started jamming, and you joined in. Most classical singers sing in one scale. So I stuck to one scale and kept hearing you sing. But then, I decided to change it and use jazz. And instead of stopping, you continued to sing along to the music. Then, I used country and western music, and you kept going with the flow. If you remember, each person in the studio dropped what they were doing and sat on the floor to listen to us. In a way, that was our first performance. Eventually we resumed working on the jingle, but you told me that we should do something about our [collaboration]. 

Hariharan: We had been considering a lot of Sanskrit names, and also [those from the] Ramayan. We even thought of Gayatri. But, none of them fit the bill, because we also had fun songs that we were working on. I was in London meeting someone who told me that his British friends called each other colonial cousins. And the first thing I thought was how well this fit. 

Leslee: I remember, when you told me the name, I was so upset that you got it, and I didn’t. 

Leslee: There are commercial moments, like being on MTV Unplugged in London, and singing Krishna at the Billboard [Awards] and watching the reactions to it. Getting the MTV Viewers’ Choice Award at Radio City in New York was also special. But, artistically too, we have had great moments. I remember, we were performing Indian rain, and you wanted to sing the entire song, and, I thought I should sing the English portions. But you [were adamant], so, I agreed. When you sang it, that was an amazing moment for me, because I realized that [we should] always favour the music. 

Hariharan: In my case, I think it is the wonderful people we met during our time in London. We were connected with Adrian, who is a [prominent] producer, and he had great musicians and recordists [working at his studio], which he made available to us. That’s why we call [the song] Adrian’s Angel. Some of the biggest musicians and backing [vocalists], who were singing for the top UK acts, [were accessible to us]. To get that sound for our first album was great. It was a blessing. 

Leslee: I also remember being in the first-class lounge in London, and being approached by an elderly man who recognized us. And when we asked him if he consumed our work, he said, ‘Yea, Elton and I love your music.’ When we asked him who he was referring to, he said, ‘Yea, I am Elton John’s manager.’ 

Hariharan: My philosophy about creating music is that the artiste should create what [he] wants to. You are the giver, and you need to have the conviction. You don’t need to become the receiver. Be popular, sure, but you need to become an artiste, in the true sense. A lot of people concentrate on [creating] versions [of songs], but you have to create your own sounds, and your own song. While creating music, whether involving vocals or instruments, your soul is trying to say something, and you are transmitting energy. If you don’t do this, where’s your soul? I know views are important, but if you create good music, you’ll get all of that anyway. 

Hariharan: It’s easier to be alone. It’s tricky to be together. You have to be in sync with the other person, both, in the way you think, and also from your heart and soul. Your likings, musicality, temperaments, they all need to match. You can have dissimilarities, but they should be to a lesser extent. I’d say, hang out with each other for a few months, write things together, and do a project. Then, if you feel good, consider collaborating. You need to be compatible. 

Leslee: If you don’t have a liking for each other, then there will be trouble. When we began, we were already [established] names. When we came together, we did it for fun. Sometimes, we do our own thing. You have to be together, because it is like a marriage. Today Hariharan is my brother. We are not at each other’s homes all the time, but we are together. In him, I found someone who became my guide and friend. We teach each other different things.

(L-R) Siddharth Haldipur, Sherrin Varghese, Chin2 Bhosle, Karan B Oberoi and Danny Fernandes

The last day of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) will see A Band Of Boys comprising Karan B Oberoi, Chin2 Bhosle, Sherrin Varghese, Siddharth Haldipur and Danny Fernandes regale fans with their songs and dance. This group had started off over two decades ago, and while many believed that they had parted ways, the boys tell us that as a band they never really broke up.

Together, they have given us songs like Meri Neend, Gori, Kaisa Hai Ye Jaadu, Nain Kataari, Choori and the newer Yaari, Dil Sarphira, Nain Ladalein among others. The band took time out to do a special shoot and interview with BT, and the bond and energy they share, is for all to see. Read on...

What has made A Band Of Boys stand apart from the other musicians and bands is that they are

among the only bands who also dance on stage. “A lot of people used to ask us how we do this and that dancing on stage is clearly a plus. We are the only act in the country right now that sings and dances together. There are choreographed movements and dancing along with live singing. This is something that the younger generation hasn’t experienced — we are a full audio-visual package that people should look forward to seeing at the KGAF,” says Karan.

Siddharth adds, “We are coming up with our own original act, we have all our original songs and after a long time we are performing live at such a prestigious festival. To have such beautiful songs to our name and the fact that people know our songs means a lot. Over the years, life has changed, and we have many other responsibilities, but we always find time for the band, and we come together and put our heart and music out there!”

The band is excited about the upcoming show and there are many reasons for that. Chin2Bhosle says, “For us, KGAF is one of those first festivals that made a huge impact in the city and it perhaps, started off a lot of other festivals. It has a nostalgic value and crowds come from all over Mumbai no matter where they live. We are an indie pop, independent band, and while we do dabble in other stuff like film music, at heart, we write our own music, our own expression and put it out there. While a few of us have performed here, for us to be on this platform is like coming home. This is where we are meant to be — a festival that has kickstarted art and culture.”

There are a plethora of bands and singers today, but A Band Of Boys feel that their songs have found a place in people’s hearts over the years. “We have lasted for two decades because the memory of our songs stuck on and have lived through. The younger generation may not remember our band name or know who we are, but they know our songs,” says Karan.

Sherrin adds, “The reason our songs stuck around was that they were soulful songs that stayed in people’s memories. And we are a band that believes our melodies are always going to stay, they will always outlast us. Hum rahein na rahein humare gaane rahenge.”

When asked where they had been for so long and whether they had parted ways, Karan says, “That is a bit of a misnomer and inaccurate because we have always been alive on stage. What you have missed out on is possibly the volumes of albums and the album getting promoted. In the last few years, we have been doing singles but as a band we never really broke up. Our act is a stage act.”

Initially, Danny began as the choreographer for the band. He says, “Twenty one years is a long journey. I started off as the choreographer and trained them over the years since Meri Neend Ud Gayi Hai and I am still the choreographer. The journey has been a lot of fun, we’ve travelled a lot and have had many crazy, fun memories. I gave my full sweat and blood to make them dancers and now I am really proud of the band.”

Five album releases in the last 27 years, and yet, this stylish musician duo continue to have a strong fan following and the ’90s music-loving kids fondly remember listening to their songs on cassettes. Singer Hariharan and singer-composer Leslee Lewis of the Colonial Cousins, who are all set to perform live this Sunday at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) 2023 after almost a decade, talk to Bombay Times about their soulful bond, the magic their music creates and recall some of their special performances together. Excerpts:

“This is a great festival for music lovers and people are here just for the love of good music. We are excited and happy to be performing at the KGAF this year. I had a concert at many Kala Ghoda years ago and I really enjoyed the crowd. Actually, performing in Mumbai is always exciting,” says Hariharan. Leslee adds, “Performing at Kala Ghoda is like performing in our colonial space. It is a zone that looks and sounds like colonial cousins, so what better than to perform there!”

While the duo performed a lot during the pandemic, it was all completely online, and only later that they did some private gigs in some cities in South India and Dubai, among other places. “The KGAF show will be our first public concert together in Mumbai after almost 10 years,” says Hariharan. Leslee chips in, “It is crazy that we are doing a public concert in Mumbai after so many years because we are both Mumbai boys. We were born and brought up here and the city has given us the musical background that we have today and the best spot to give it back is this artistic space called the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival.”

In 1994 they recorded their first album, which was released in 1996 and lauded by music lovers. They got so much adulation and love that they didn’t know what had hit them. It has been “magical” says the duo when they talk about their almost three-decade-long journey. “All I can say is that we are very blessed, and we were destined to do this. Even today, we both coincidentally wore the same colour jackets for this shoot! We still have that connection and when we get together and perform, that magic always pops up for both of us and then people get to experience that,” shares Leslee.

So many bands have emerged in our country over the years, but not all of them have such a strong bond and deep connect as Colonial Cousins. And this, despite the band members pursuing their individual musical careers. Leslee feels that the fact that people love them is because of something more than just music. “There is a soulful connect between us that people like.”

The singer-composer duo has many fond memories of working and performing together. Talking about their concerts Leslee recalls, “In 1996, around 15000-20,000 people attended our concert at St Xavier’s College, Kolkata, and we literally got our clothes torn off.”

Recalling one of their most memorable concerts in Mumbai, Hariharan shares, “It was at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. Suddenly, it started raining heavily. It was an open-air concert so we thought we would have to cancel the show. But the crowd just stood on the ground, nobody left! They were drenched, but wanted to continue listening to us perform. But eventually, we had to stop, else we would have been electrocuted!”