Singer-lyricist Priya Saraiya, who has lent her voice to Gulabi and Sun Saathiya, is creating awareness about the rights to royalty of composers and lyricists as a committee member of the Indian Performing Rights Society Ltd (IPRS). In a conversation with us, Priya talks about balancing Bollywood and Gujarati music and more. Excerpts:

Priya strongly believes that music creators deserve due recognition for their work. On why bodies like IPRS are the need of the hour, she says, “The amount of music created and consumed now has increased many manifolds over the last few years. Now is the time when music creators across industries realize that they can claim the rights for their music, and earn royalty by reaching out to bodies like IPRS.”

An artiste sitting in the remotest part of the country can become an overnight sensation by simply uploading their music or a video on social media. On being asked how this has helped youngsters, Priya says, “There are so many talented musicians who did not get a platform earlier. Social media has bridged the gap now, especially for small town musicians. Earlier, doing playback in Bollywood was a dream for youngsters – now they can live it.”

Indie music’s comeback has changed the way we consume music. Priya says, “I grew up listening to songs from the ’80s and ’90s. Whenever Bollywood has failed to offer good music, indie music has come to the rescue. The ’90s was not an era of Bollywood music, that’s when Lucky Ali, Palash Sen, Shaan and Kailash Kher released singles and audiences loved the music.”

While her Bollywood songs may have more recall value, Priya is no stranger to the Gujarati music industry. Ask her about how Gujarati music has evolved over the years, and Priya tells us, “There was a time when nothing was working for the Gujarati industry, neither the films, nor the music. I remember when the music of Bey Yaar, and the single Laadki, had released together; that was the moment when the audience knew they wanted good movies and good songs. The best thing is that, language is not a barrier for this generation, which naturally amplifies the reach of any song.”

We ask Priya about her equation with her musician-husband Jigar Saraiya and his partner Sachin Sanghvi, as a fellow artiste. She says, “Jigar and I often discuss music at home. Sometimes when he is confused, I help him. And he chips in when I have a musician’s block. As for sharing constructive and honest feedback with them, yes, I am very frank with them. Why won’t I be? Ultimately, we share that kind of rapport and I can comment on their music. I only want the best for the two of them. Sachin and I share a devar-bhabhi relationship, we are family, so being honest with him isn’t too difficult.”

In a day and age where the success of a song is based on the number of views or hits it garners online, Priya feels that a good song will always find its audience. “Audiences are not fools. If a song is genuinely good, if people really like and enjoy it, it will get real views. If not, the song might have several million views, but they won’t matter after a point of time. The shelf life of a song depends on how long it stays on your playlist.”

“As the entertainment world went through a very difficult time due to the Coronavirus pandemic last year, the music industry was the only place where work continued to happen despite the lockdown. So, while live musicians lost out on a lot of gigs etc., they also got a chance to get in touch with their inner creative self,” says singer Priya Saraiya.

But the pandemic also meant that Bollywood music was non-existent as only independent music was being made. While she does not want to compare the two, Saraiya, who has sung songs such as Jaise Mera Tu (Happy Ending; 2014) and Sun Saathiya (ABCD 2; 2015), says that Bollywood music is more difficult as it has to be written according to a certain set up and hence, there are limitations.

Saraiya has also written the lyrics to Bollywood songs such as Mileya Mileya (Happy Ending) and Pyaar Toh Tha (Bala; 2019), among others. And she says that Bollywood gives opportunities to everybody but it is what you make of those opportunities that matters.

“Everybody has their own struggles. Getting a break in Bollywood is easier than sustaining in Bollywood. It is easy to get your first song, second song or even third song but what after that? Then it becomes only about your talent and about how good you are with your craft,” she says.

She adds, “Opportunities are there for everyone. I see all these reality show singers who are so talented and are all getting chances. Now, it has become easier due to the digital platforms. So, things have definitely become easier than they were 10 years back.”

Sachin-Jigar catapulted into limelight with the freshness of Saibo (Shor In The City). And though they have a signature style that spells folk fusion, the young musical duo has gone on to do unpredictable things with their music. After reinventing the idea of trippy in Goa Goa Gone and bringing the raw rage of rock in Badlapur to the forefront, they are back with A Flying Jatt - fifty shades of Punjabi. And, the Gujju boys have their listeners on the edge, once again. In an interview with Bombay Times, they tell us what keeps their bond thriving even after 12 years, why singers in India are not as big as their Western counterparts and why they are both constantly competing with each other.

Since you are not related by blood, how did you come to work together?
Sachin: Amit (Trivedi) introduced me to Jigar after I told him that I was looking for someone who I could not only share the workload with, but also trustworthy, who I could bring home, as my home was my studio then. We became inseparable after a couple of projects. Our graduation from arrangers to composers strengthened the bond further. It was a huge leap of faith. Little did we know that the real battle starts when the world notices your work.
Jigar: Before we realised we are a team, we were on the same page.

Was it risky to refuse offers right in the beginning of your career?
Sachin: Fortunately, we didn't know how risky it was at that point. After seeing some renowned artistes getting typecast, we didn't want to go through the same. Sometimes, it's totally my call to reject an offer and he doesn't understand it. Jigar is a rebel and I am rational. We stop talking to each other for weeks. But whoever realises his mistake, gracefully accepts it.
Jigar: We want to outdo and reinvent ourselves with every project. If we can't make a trend, we won't follow one either. We aspire to make a song, which may not generate many hits, but enable us to move a step ahead from where we were. We make songs that people like without following a formula or repeating your last success. We didn't get any reaction for almost 15 days when Party Abhi Baaki Hai released. People bashed it further when the video over a guy lip-syncing to a girl's voice. There was so much negativity around it that we thought we could never make songs. Nacho was rejected thrice even though we believed that it would be a hit. Finally, we got a taker and it made its destiny.

Jigar, did you ever mind Sachin's name preceding yours?
Jigar: People started calling us that. It's more out of respect that Sachin's name comes first as he is the elder one. It has a certain rhyme to it. Jigar-Sachin sounds odd. We could have called ourselves crazy carters or dafliwallas.
Sachin: We are honest people and don't believe in showing off. In fact, many think that we are one person, so we use social media to break the notion.
Jigar: We want to clarify that we are two people and Jigar is not his surname

What about composing for double meaning lyrics?
Sachin: We don't endorse double meaning songs. We can be naughty, even though we are simple. We believe that music should not just be deep or serious, but it definitely should not be sleazy. There is a variety of listeners to cater to.
Jigar: We are director's boys and have to deliver as per his requirement. We can't be expected to compose a bhajan for Go Goa Gone. I am not ashamed of crooning G Phaad Ke in my concerts. If people find certain songs objectifying women, then there are women dancing to it. We are young and like to make what youngsters want to hear without degrading anyone.

People often debate that today's music lacks melody.
Sachin: I agree. But films represent the times we are in and today's generation wants to dance. Music is not only for those who seek soulful melodies as they are just one segment of the listeners. We are trying to write melodies that will outlive the films.

Why are singers in India not as big as their western counterparts?
Sachin: We are not listening to music seriously and hence, not taking it seriously. We don't have enough dedicated takers, which has led to producers not taking music seriously. There is no money attached to music. The producer doesn't want to bid time to wait for the right mix of songs for his film.
Jigar: Half of the films have run-of-the-mill songs, which will probably work for 15 days and play at shaadis. We call it popcorn music. I am not against it, but I am saying that we are undergoing a transition phase. This will probably last another two years until the album culture returns. An album is rare and I want it to become even more rare, because you start taking things for granted when it's in excess. I want it to become extinct so that people start value it. Also, Bollywood has absorbed every vertical and hence, all other industries have lost their individual identities, including independent singers.

Do you feel singers are at the mercy of superstars?
Jigar: A superstar has worked his way up and we need to respect that. Having said that, our hits have been with no superstars. And unlike music with superstars that becomes a hit overnight, the response to our music even though delayed, is multifold. The song works on its own. Because we work with all honesty and dedication, we don't think we won't be able to deliver quality music. And if we continue to deliver good work, there will be a day when a superstar will ask us to compose for them.

Jigar, you sing as well. Is there an urge to sing all your compositions?
Jigar: A composer need not sing his own song, just like a singer need not be the face of his own. Instead we try out 10 different voices for the same song. If I had learnt singing diligently, I would have sung all the songs. There is too much talent outside that cannot be ignored just because I am obsessed with my voice. My wife Priya sings beautifully, but she hasn't sung in A Flying Jatt. In fact, we replaced her in one song as we wanted a new voice. We don't want to succumb to the temptation of becoming superstars.

Around two months ago, Sriram Raghavan's dark thriller, Badlapur, was screened for Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya, followed by a team meeting during which the music score was discussed. The composer duo, who had been involved with the film from the scripting stage, agreed that they needed a gritty theme song expressing the urge to die in love which could be picturised on the aashiq hero,Varun Dhawan. This song playing in the background in the film's trailer, immediately caught the attention, and on Tuesday, Jee Karda was released online without a video which is yet to be shot.

Talking about it, Sachin says that the aim was to make the “best suicide song“, adding, “Sometimes love can turn fatal too“.

Jigar points out that while most songs about heartbreak and judaai talk about the pain of love, this one is different because of the aggressive undertone which takes Varun's character to the edge of madness where he's ready to do anything to get his love back, even kill himself.

“Hanste hanste mit jaaneya ni mera jee karda marjaneya ni aaj mera jee karda,“ he croons. “It's melody with a tinge of melancholy. There's pain but it is not mixed with tears of weakness but a burning aggression.“

As the emotions flowed, Jigar's wife Priya Saraiya gave words to their music which is a mix of sufi, rock and pure melody. The words were in a college boy's lingo. They sent a scratch to the film's producer, Dinesh Vijan, who assured them that they were on the right track. Two weeks ago, Dinesh gave them a line that helped them crack the song. “He came up with Marjaneya ni aaj mera jee karda and and we wrapped up the song in four hours flat,“ reminisces Jigar.

After that Divya Kumar came on board. The singer has hit all the right notes lately with the remixed version of Happy Endings' G phaad ke and Finding Fanny's Shake Your Bootiya. The music directors were convinced that his was the kind of raw, unique voice required for Jee karda. “During jam sessions he wowed us with his renditions of Ghulam Ali's ghazals and Sufi songs,“ says Sachin.

Badlapur is reportedly inspired by a real story but Sachin-Jigar hasn't met Sriram's muse yet. “What we saw on screen was painful enough for us to pray that this never happens to anyone else,“ Jigar says emotionally. Even though the visuals are yet to be filmed, the composers are confident that Sriram will do full justice to their instant hit. “He's amazing and so is Ahmed Khan who will be choreographing the song,“ asserts Sachin. “All of us are on the same page on this one.“

And did they concur with the producer's decision to release the audio almost a month before the video? Sachin insists they were in complete agreement: “Of late, so many people have been telling us that yesteryear songs have a longer shelf life. That's because as compared to 20 films a year, today we are producing up to 600 and at four songs per film, that's 2400 songs annually. There's always the danger of your song getting lost in the crowd, so giving it time to grow on the listeners is a good idea,“ he reasons.