Azadi Records presents O, the debut album of Mumbai-based Tienas. The album comes after the release of the rapper and producer critically-acclaimed mixtape Unavailable last year. O is described by the artiste as the embodiment of the anomaly that his existence represents in the Indian hip-hop industry.
The Mumbai-based artiste Tanmay Saxena, known popularly as Tienas or Bobby Boucher, brings to the forefront a Nujabes-inspired sonic aesthetic that hasn't been seen before in a region dominated by 'gully rap'. The name Tienas is a wordplay on his initials “T n’ S,” much inspired by his idol and inspiration, Eminem who also used his initials “M n’ M” which stands for Marshall Mathers. Tienas' ability to craft together complex narratives on fluctuating, chaotic beats has seen him enter multiple critics' list in 2018/19.
O is a subjective project, offering an open-ended journey to the listener and allowing them to arrive at their own conclusions as to themes explored in the album. “It could mean anything - to one it could represent the circle of life, to another it could mean nothing at all. Some people might be able to derive a deeper understanding, while others could take it literally. I’ve left it to the audience to decide,” says Tienas aka Tanmay Saxena.
Some of the songs on the album are the titular O (Tienas says the title itself is open to interpretation. It can be the letter O, it can be the number 0, it could be a full circle or it could just mean nothing), Flowers from an Old Manor (which is inspired by the album art for Led Zeppelin’s IV), Lanos (this one is about a South Korean Car called Daewoo Lanos), 10:18 (the song's about a Bible verse 10:18) and Nice Guy (this song is heavily influenced by Nirvana).
The album also features other well-known rappers from the scene such as Delhi-based hip-hop phenom’s Prabh Deep (Cyclone), Sez On The Beat (Die Romeo Die) and Seedhe Maut (SM Interlude).