Hailing from Arunachal Pradesh, singer-songwriter-composer Taba Chake has carved a popular niche for himself in the country’s music scene. Known for his indie album Bombay Dreams, the melodious song Aye Mere Dil, from Kadak Singh, and the compositions for Shoojit Sircar’s I Want To Talk, Taba is back with his album Khud Ko Miloon, and the first song from the album is live on all musical platforms.
The song is eponymous of the simplicities of life, and a time when things were less complicated. The song, as well as the music video, has an old-world charm, and the light rustic timbre of his voice adds to the feel. “The audio and video will take you back to a time when things felt real, including the music that we listened to. Things are changing, yet we don’t miss a chance to hum the songs from the ’80s and ’90s, or even earlier, which we grew up listening to. They are classics that we keep falling back on, just like the best of our memories. That’s nostalgia,” says Taba. Excerpts from the chat:
Tell us about the composition. Have you implemented new techniques?
Since this song is all about the simplicity and melodies of the earlier days, I’ve tried to be as simple as possible, bringing out the realness of music that we were probably used to while growing up. When I was recording my first full-length album, Bombay Dreams, some of the songs were very technical and difficult for youngsters to cover, especially new guitar learners. I feel people like it simple and raw. When I say people, I mean those who really value themselves or respect their lives, people who can see the beauty of the world in simple things. I have realised that they don’t want too many complicated chords or melodies, which is why I refrained from such notes.
But I have incorporated ethnic instruments such as a Tibetan lute. If one is not a musician, I doubt whether one will be able to identify it. The instrument has amped up the audio and emotions of that section.
In your music, you are speaking about the simplicities of the craft and life. Could you tell us what drew you to music in the first place? What inspired you to take it up as a profession?
Whenever someone asks this question, I am unable to share my feeling accurately. We grew up listening to so many songs, watching so many films, and we especially from the Northeast region of India, had access to CD libraries boasting of global cinema and music, especially from Korea, China, and Japan, which people are currently raving about. The first time we watched a Korean film with subtitles was in 2003-2004. We got exposed to such content two decades back, which ensured we were ahead of our time. I don’t want to name the composer or the song, but there is one famous Bollywood song that was released about nine years back, which was lifted from a Korean track. While the rest of the country was humming it, we wondered why no one realised it was a copy.
If you listen to my songs closely, you can easily realise that I use a mix of styles—sometimes a jazz score, sometimes a little technical, keeping the lyrics raw and real.
We have seen people from the NE states getting highly influenced by Western art and culture. Why exactly is it so?
It’s because of the Western films and music that we were exposed to. They played a big role. I grew up listening to so many songs from Western to Chinese and Korean pop culture. I think most of the people in the Northeast states, barring a few like Mizoram and Nagaland, relate to and understand the Hindi language. People in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh understand Hindi well, especially after the Indo-China war in the 1960s. Post that, especially in Arunachal, it was mandatory to learn Hindi.
Born and brought up in Arunachal Pradesh, and then travelling and staying in cosmopolitan cities, how do you manage such contradictory lifestyles?
When I was in boarding school, I dreamt of going to big cities. I came from a small village, so I wanted to go out, explore, see things, meet people, and understand them. But after a few years and multiple projects, I wanted to return. I find less peace in the cities. People are always chasing something. After a certain point, I didn’t want to stay away from home for more than 15 days. My hometown has a slower pace, with people having different mindsets. I like being at home because nobody’s talkin about achievements, and most have simpler goals. Here, I’m not surrounded by any musicians or any artistes, and nobody’s talking about it either.
The world is changing, more so after the pandemic. People from Mumbai or Delhi, or every corner, got to know and understand the Northeast music, its existence and importance. I’ve experienced the changes first-hand, and it feels good, finally!Taba Chake
Was becoming a musician a conscious choice?
It just happened, I would say, but then when I got into it, there was no looking back.
Did you learn music or how to play instruments? How many instruments do you plan on stage?
All self-taught. On stage, I play ukulele and guitar. But in studios, I keep on switching instruments just to get the tone and emotions. I play a little bit of keys, a bit of xylophone, and of course, guitars.
With so much talk around NE artistes on social media, do you think they get far less applause pan-India/globally than they deserve?
The world is changing, more so after the pandemic. People from Mumbai or Delhi, or every corner, got to know and understand the Northeast music, its existence and importance. And they probably stopped generalising and calling everyone with Asian facial features ‘Chinese’ . I’ve experienced the changes first-hand, and it feels good, finally!
Do you have a UK tour coming up?
Yes, we’re playing the UK next month, in six cities, and one show in Europe. We are super pumped up and super nervous as well. I usually don’t like long flights because they are strenuous, but this time we have to.
You have been announced as the Honorary brand ambassador of the Department of Art & Culture by the government of Arunachal Pradesh. What kind of changes are you looking forward to?
I had several talks with the ministry for projects, like getting music in schools or some halls, but it takes a lot of time since no one person has the deciding authority. We have big plans and collaborations, and we hope that some things will materialise soon.
We discussed a lot about your work. Tell us how Taba Chake is as a person.
I will give full marks to myself as a person, a lyricist, a singer and a composer. I don’t drink, smoke, or like going to parties. I am a little boring sometimes, yes. Even my friends have stopped inviting me to parties, because they always get a “no” from me. I like simple food like dal-chawal, and look for basic dal and rice even at the fanciest of eateries!
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