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How does “Begin Again” deliver your key message? Have you ever “Begin Again”?

Begin Again stems from my experiences in personal and professional life. Personally, I have seen friends and family and many others having to cope with uncertainties, and I have also seen them thrive in adversity. Professionally, as an entrepreneur, I feel energised by difficult situations and push myself to find logical alternates. Knowing that we have to fall to rise, ‘Begin Again’ is a kind of a life mantra.

 

Your influences include Sarah Bareilles and Elton John, both known for their dazzling piano notes, how did they play into your creation of “Begin Again”?

I sit and tinker with the piano most evenings. And sometimes I come up with a riff or a set of chords that excite me and I then set them to music. I think this process is central to my song writing process and I think it also resonates with other singer songwriters like the ones you mention.

 

It was really interesting to know that two major historical figures have been the inspiration for “Begin Again”, how did they influence your life as an artist?

As mentioned before, you will always be faced with adversities or difficulties. But they must not drain or dishearten you. Instead they must allow you to think differently and find innovative solutions. I feel both Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela realized their vision while facing extreme challenges. They embody the human spirit. Interestingly the lyrics to Begin Again happened in about 15 minutes and these two stalwarts fit right in, without me having to think about it. “His name was written on the wall” were the first words that sprung, and the rest just flowed….

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Can you elaborate on how Indian music has become more mainstream lately?
I don’t think there is anything called India music per se. We are a large and diverse people. There is classical music, folk, pop, and rock (and the other mainstream genres) but they are performed very differently as you traverse the nation from north to south. In general, there is focus on vocals and percussion, so you will find that its very dynamic. Of late, with the rapid rise of Bollywood, cinema focused music is considered mainstream, which has mass global appeal.

 

What can listeners expect from your debut album?

As of now I am focusing on releasing singles. Havent really thought about an album yet.

 

How has COVID impacted your artistic journey?

Without COVID my music would have never (re) started. I used be musically active in school and college but not thereafter. Only with the lockdown did I have the time to again get back to my favourite pastime of playing the piano. Life experiences lent themselves to writing lyrics that held deep personal meaning. Also during this time I found like-minded people around the world who have helped in ideation and production. So the downtime has allowed me to revisit my hobby quite seriously.

What are your upcoming projects?

Currently I am working on 3 songs that I hope to release in the next few months as singles. I am quite excited about one that has only voice and piano!

Follow Anindya Mukherjee on Facebook and Spotify.

 

Jaylan Salah