Mahima Dayal (32) shares that her grandmother—she would take music lessons at their home when Dayal was a child—motivated her to take up classical music. While this culturally-rich foundation at home helped nourish her creative abilities, the true inspiration only came later in life in the form of a scholarship at the Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, Chennai. “It took me a second to leave everything and decide to pursue music full-time,” the Vasant Kunj-resident adds. With the moniker ‘Bawari Basanti’, Dayal blends Hindustani classical and folk music with different contemporary genres to create a symphonic medley. In this week’s Soundscape, we speak to Dayal about her recent singles Ude, in collaboration with French musical artist Anouck Hilbey, and Sundarva, in which she partners with French saxophonist Quentin Biardeau; and more. Excerpts…
What was the idea for Ude and Sundarva?
There are three songs—Arzoon, Ude, and Sundarva—which form the journey of a young girl. The three songs are a gradual progression of the girl’s life. The story begins with Arzoon and how this young girl hopes to travel to another country one day, and fulfil all her dreams. In Ude, she is a teenager and actually travelling. Anouck [Hilbey] and I are her imaginary friends who are asking her to be herself even in this new world that she is embracing. In our lives, we struggle everyday to put on shoes that we actually like. The basic idea is to be true to oneself. By Sundarva, the girl has grown up and is more jaded. It is a journey of self-love and finding her tune and movement.
Will we find a general theme in your music?
My songs are more about being true to what I believe in. My beliefs and my emotions come out through my songs. Every song is a personal monologue in that way.
Would you say you are trying to acclimatise the present generation to classical music by blending it with contemporary tunes?
I would not want to stereotype my music that way. Music is a meditative process and my everyday music changes according to my mood. Even if I grew up to classical music, I am equally charmed by techno or other genres. It is more about finding a sound that will do justice to an emotion. Ude, in that way, is a movement-based song so I wanted to add electronic music to it. Similarly, Sundarva has a saxophone playing in the background to give it a jazzy vibe.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a song about long-distance friendship. You know friends who you barely talk to but know that they are still a part of your life. I can’t give you too much information right now but I think it will definitely come out in the next two to three months. .
‘Ude’ by Bawari Basanti is streaming on all leading platforms