He studied Music & Composition and Performance with the main instrument, the Saxophone and minor instrument being flute, and did his majors in Jazz at Monash. before proceeding to Monash Conservatory of Music, Melbourne in 2000 to study music. He also formed a band, Canzona, with some friends where they toured all over India and played at key places like the IIT institutions, BITS Pilani etc. At the age of 15, he was chosen by the government of India as their representative in Russia for a cultural exchange program. For instance, I used the sound of rubbing the blackboard with a duster and turning pages in one of my songs recently.He won the Best Drummer Award at the Pepsi Cornucopia contest in Delhi in 1994 besides being adjudged the best keyboard player at the BITS Pilani Festival. I like to make music from the sounds we hear everyday. When it comes to music, I like to be involved in every aspect. I could have been just a music director or a singer, but that would have bored me. I can play 34 instruments and sing in both male and female vocals. I like doing things which showcases my talent. I have been busy doing a lot of independent music and touring for concerts. There have been instances where my own voice has been rejected.Īre all these the reason why you have stayed away from Bollywood? It often happens that music labels want to change the singers. Every time I compose, I record with the artiste who I know will make the song better.
In this process, the job of the music director becomes difficult.
Like I said, a lot of people are involved and everyone has their favourites. This is another big issue and I don���t think it will be addressed anytime soon. What���s your take on several singers recording for one track before finally choosing one of them? People need to follow a protocol and I hope it happens soon as in the end, it is the song that is getting destroyed. I feel the decision should only lie with the director of the film. Why do you say that Bollywood lacks discipline?īecause anybody can come and decide to add or scrap a song at any given stage. If there are 10 people directing a music director, what is a music director doing? Do we see 10 directors directing one film? Today, making a song is just 20 per cent of the battle the rest is about impressing everyone. I don���t see any method to this madness and in the end, I feel Bollywood lacks discipline. Producers, music labels and even actors want to have a say in it. Earlier a music composer would follow the vision of a director but now, there are a lot of people who are involved in it. Songs are getting repetitive these days and that is purely because people who do understand music are making the decisions. The music industry has surely evolved but unfortunately, we are still following the herd mentality. Today, we have multiple composers working on a single film, so it has become a surgical procedure. When I started my Bollywood journey in 2003, I was still lucky enough to be in the era where only one music composer would work on one film. These days, filmmakers prefer to have multiple composers working on their film.