Singer Shilpa Rao says that today, the only way forward for the music industry is to ‘come up with new songs’
Nikita Deb (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 9, 2020)

It’s been well over a decade since Shilpa Rao made a name for herself in the music industry with the superhit track, Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno; 2008). And since then, she has surely come a long way. Now, she has shifted her unwavering focus towards independent music. And so, for her latest single, she has teamed up with globally popular musician, Anoushka Shankar, for one of the songs in the latter’s new EP, Love Letters. The song titled Those Words marks Shilpa’s first-time association with Anoushka. In an interview, Shilpa talks about the song, how it came about, the state of music in India today, and more. Excerpts:

How was the experience of collaborating with Anoushka Shankar?
I feel the song is like a person on its own. Anoushka and I had met for lunch last year, and we were just talking about music and what both of us were doing with the art, and somehow, that led to us talking about collaborating and that’s how it happened. I feel, the one common thing between us is that we do not want to work on e-mail, and so we did this in person. I was supposed to go to London, UK, for a concert, and I went a little early and sat down with her. We both worked out the song — word by word — and then we took it to the studio. We wanted to work on it in person rather that me simply recording it here and sending it to her. This way, it was so much more engaging and inspiring because you get to work with everybody in same room. I loved that.

When did you meet Anoushka for the first time?
Anoushka and I met many years back at a music festival where I was performing with Karsh Kale. She was also slated to perform there, and we met because of Karsh. Then we met again, two years back, when I was in London for a break. We just thought of catching up for lunch and there we spoke about various things. Anoushka shared with me a bunch of her tunes and I played some of mine to her. And she said, ‘we should work, we should collaborate’, and last year, she sent me this song. I heard it, and it was beautiful and that’s how we thought of adding vocals to this song. It was very inspiring for me to do this song. More than an external journey, it was an internal one for me. That was the first time I recorded a song in London, and it was at the Guild Hall which is a music school.

Do you think such collaborations help Indian music reach out to a global audience?
I think a lot of collaborations should happen that way because it’s a very healthy way of working. I know we have a lot of technology. And because of that, it is possible for us to not be in the same room to interact. But it’s so much sweeter when you are there, in the same room, while collaborating. These kind of collaborations are very important because the whole point of it is that everyone who is working on that song brings their own personality into it, and when we do that, it just multiples and creates a beautiful concoction. Original music and collaborations like these will improve the current state of music. We need more original composers, writers and singers. I think we need people to come up with new songs and that is the only way forward. 

Co-creators of Gully Boy soundtrack, Salvage Audio Collective, on bringing Ranveer Singh starrer hip-hop film to life
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 27, 2019)

Ranveer Singh's ode to India's desi hip-hop uprising, Gully Boy, banks on more than one factor when counting its success. Apart from an array of stellar performances from the leading actors and supporting cast members alike, the 18-song soundtrack and a commendable background score were inarguably elements that lifted Zoya Akhtar's offering.

Six-member group Salvage Audio Collective, that shares credit for creating the soundtrack with Karsh Kale and Ankur Tiwari, say they have been gratified. "We have been consumers and disciples of hip-hop music for years. Hence, most of our research work for the film had us [retrace] songs and records that have moved us in the past. We are also [admirers] of international icons like Ryuichi Sakamoto and Nino Rota, and home-grown heroes like A R Rahman."

The band - comprising Sohrab Nicholson, Rohan Ramanna, Stuart DaCosta, Viraaj Saxena, Rohan Rajadakshya and Shane Mendonsa - spent the first few weeks working on the project by lending each vital character a musical theme. "We created a pool of motifs that could be used as raw materials. Then, Zoya began coming in regularly, and made the process collaborative. The interesting thing about this process was discovering how much of a team sport filmmaking is," says Nicholson.

While interaction with the film's muses Divine and Naezy wasn't necessary, the group did seek help from Kale to pen and perform a rap section that was used as part of the score. "We also got rapper Rahul Piske, and our in-house multi-instrumental whiz kid Viraaj, to lend some beat-boxing [elements]. The diversity and the number of artistes involved in this project is [abundant]," says Rajadakshya.

While fans have been demanding that the background score be made commercially available, Mendonsa alludes that the chances of it are slim. "[The score was created] with the intention of serving the film. So, releasing it independently is not something we've considered yet. Never say never, though. Hip-hop is still young in India, and is getting attention owing to this film. We hope musicians will explore the space."