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And now, Indipop goes West
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Joining hands with international bands spells instant success for desi composers
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TRACKING NEW TUNES Music Director Sandeep Chowta with singer Sonu Kakkar of "Mallika I hate you" fame
Music has no boundaries, literally so. If singer Shaan's latest album Tishnagi has been appreciated, apart from hummable lyrics, what's also worked in the album's favour is the collaboration with Michael Learns to Rock for the song Take Me To Your Heart.
International collaborations are not new. We've seen it before and we'll surely see it many times over in the near future.
Shaan himself has collaborated with Blue for the hit song One Love, earlier. He says, "Collaborations aren't tough. Music companies that have a global presence handle the work of most indipop singers. These companies make these collaborations work." The One Love song with Blue was originally based on giving hope to life in the U.S. post 9/11 attacks. "But then, when it was used for the film Rakht, Abhishek Bachchan stepped in to do some `hip hopping' around. That made the song a phenomenon," recollects Shaan.
Take Me To Your Heart was a song that Michael Learns to Rock had originally done as a collaborative effort with a Chinese singer. And since both Shaan and MLTR are managed by EMI, the Indian alliance came about.
Such partnerships give the artistes a chance to try something new and for the companies, it translates into a successful album. Even if not for an album, the coming together of two bands of different nationality sparks curiosity. Remember the theme song composed by Euphoria and Strings for the India-Pakistan cricket matches? "The idea that time was beyond merely creating a commercial album. We had to reflect the spirit of the cricket matches and the two countries playing a series after a long time. The song became an anthem," reminisces Palash Sen of Euphoria.
Sandeep Chowta is another composer who has just completed working on a collaborative album, American Pilgrimage. The album features jazz artistes such as John Scofield, Bunny Brunel, Dave Valentine, Eddie Daniels and Jay Oliver. Chowta and Jay Oliver have been working together for a while now. In fact, Oliver has given us the lounge version of Chowta's hit single Mallika I Hate You.
"To make a collaborative album in its true spirit, you need to respect the different forms of music involved and maintain their integrity. Else it could end up being a jamming session that churns out khichdi. After American Pilgrimage, I'm doing another album for which I'm working with some internationally renowned names. Musicians in the West are hesitant to work with you until they know that you really understand their music," says Chowta.
Film-maker Rohan Sippy is also toying with the idea of getting an album out with some international players.
Soon after the songs in Bluffmaster became a hit, he sent the album to William Morris Agency. On his plan to make an album with Abhishek Bachchan and some music bands, Sippy says, "Nothing has been confirmed yet. The music and lyrics have to be worked upon. Getting known bands such as Trick Baby for Bluffmaster worked; that made me consider a collaborative album."
SANGEETHA DEVI. K
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