Bejoy Nambiar’s David had a soundtrack that was sung by indie singer and songwriter Siddharth Basrur, and was quite unlike the usual Hindi film soundtrack in its melancholy and ambivalence. It also recast a folk song into reggae, retaining the flavours of the original.
Indie musicians today are increasingly moving towards mainstream music while staying true to their core sensibilities. It’s no longer about staying away from the herd, but storming that bastion too and adding something unique to it. While Vishal Dadlani (also the front man of Pentagram, a four-piece Indian rock/electronica band) brought a touch of rock to Bollywood music, Midival Punditz and Karsh Kale scored the background for Karthik Calling Karthik. Several Bollywood film songs have been dipping into the font of indie music, the result often being memorably chart-busting albums.
Tanvi Shah, a popular playback singer and indie musician, who has sung in languages like Arabic and Latin with her band, points out that this is a good trend. “There is a lot of hidden talent that comes out through mainstream music. It is great that people are getting opportunities and there’s more variety. It is not the same old kind of music. People are experimenting and that is good,” says this Grammy award-winning musician who has sung for films like Yuva, Delhi 6, Slumdog Millionaire, Billa 2, Kadal and many others.
Playback singers applaud the inroads that indie musicians are making. “With indie musicians coming into mainstream music, there is a new outlook on what’s current, and anything that’s creatively new is lovely. Art needs to evolve and these new sounds and genres are coming together in a fantastic blend,” said singer Sunitha Sarathy, who has sung for films like Don 2, Yuva and is also a part of The Agenda. “This is a four-piece band and we do original music and completely different sounds — like neo soul, soul and quiet storm,” she adds.
With popular television shows like The Dewarists and Coke Studio, there is an increasing awareness of independent music and acceptance as well.
Jazz musician Mili Nair, who was a part of Coke Studio, says that a lot of genres have now opened up to mainstream music. “People are listening to other genres and with the Internet and YouTube, the way we experience music has changed. Most indie musicians have an aspiration to be a part of the mainstream industry. At the same time, people are trying to break away from tried and tested formulae. It is like a breath of fresh air. And shows like Coke Studio have a cult following. For a long time, there was a void where people didn’t see musicians play their instruments live nor had the chance to witness a song emerge from scratch. But with Coke Studio, there has been so much awareness created and the live format truly revels in the moment,” says this singer, who recently sang the popular number Meethi Boliyan in the film Kai Po Che.
Popular playback singer and an indie musician at heart, Benny Dayal says, “I represent the independent community of musicians, and I think we need to open up more avenues for them.”
Benny, whose latest number, Badtameez Dil from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is creating a rage among youngsters, reveals that he’s a part of three bands. “I am a part of Subject to Change (an acoustic acapella band), Fuctuation and Grove number 3 (jazz and funk band). In terms of the Karsh Kale Collectiv, I met Karsh, whose big fan I am, through music directors Salim and Sulaiman. He just lets you do your thing. He has worked with great artistes and he has been giving opportunities to many to create a mark for themselves,” adds this vocalist, who has collaborated with the likes of A.R. Rahman and Salim and Sulaiman, Anoushka Shankar and Amit Trivedi.
Down south, violinist Karthik comfortably straddles different genres — from Carnatic to indie and mainstream music. He’s flying solo now, but has performed with Raghu Dixit and even sung in a few Tamil films. The best part about being an independent musician, he says, is the freedom. “I have been lucky enough to work in commercial set-ups and that gave me access to a good number of musicians as well as a wider audience. It added to my experience when I branched out on my own. I wouldn’t say there are any ‘limitations’ to being an independent artiste. If you do something with truth and conviction, it’s bound to bear good results,” he concludes.