Swati Bhatt and Takar Nabam’s latest collaborative single Scarlet Skies has every single element—the narrative cloaked in the form of lyrics ‘We’ll build a home within… where gravity can’t find us and no storm we can’t fly though…’; the dreamy textures; the restrained vocals; and even the mellow sounds—that is directed to bring about the feeling of finding home (and your own safe space) within you. This was exactly the thought process when South Delhi-based singer-songwriter Bhatt (26) was working on the lyrics. She explains, “Even if I might not be in a good situation, sometimes it helps me to just pause, and I feel like I am home. That was the main theme of the song.”
In this week’s Soundscape, we speak to Bhatt about her latest collaboration with Takar, the genres she identifies with, and more. Excerpts from the interview…
In a 2020 interview you had mentioned that the process of creating music can be overwhelming yet fulfilling. Has that feeling changed in 2022?
Bhatt: No, it has evolved since then. Back then, it was my first time releasing music and it was amid the pandemic… the process was even harder because of everything that COVID brought within our [music] industry. That just made it more difficult for me personally. But, this year, things are much better. So, the song’s release was better because firstly, I already had the experience of how to go about it through my last EP, and secondly, the situation is a lot better post pandemic. However, this song is also something that we [Bhatt and Arunachal Pradesh-based Takar] have done from different parts of the country; so a lot of it has still been online.
Have you worked on a collaborative project before, or is this a first? Also, how was the process?
Bhatt: I have collaborated with other singers/songwriters. But, this was the first [collaborative project] that we finished and released.
Scarlet Skies started on Instagram. Takar had posted a video with him playing the chord progressions on his guitar, which instantly captured my heart. I found it beautiful and commented the same, to which he replied, ‘Why don’t you give it a spin and write something on it?’. He then sent me that file on Instagram, I downloaded it, wrote something on it that same night, and sent it back to him. I wrote part of the lyrics and a nice melody on top of it. We were both of the opinion that we should turn it into a song. However, this episode was one-and-a-half years back and we were already dealing with our own releases. So, we could not continue this project back then.
One day, six months later, we went back to the same conversation and realised that we still love this song. That is when we decided to complete it. Since we both had the time now, we decided to pick it up and make it a priority. Everything, so far, was completely online from different parts of the country. But, it worked beautifully because our work ethics are very similar. We are both particular about giving all our heart to it [making music] and being on time (we met our commitments with no delays). The process was very organised, which is important when you are not in the same place. Also, both of us have had similar influences in music. He is a senior at Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, Chennai [Bhatt is a diploma graduate in Music Performance from Swarnabhoomi]. And we had also played a jazz gig together once, for fun.
Finally, in 2021, we started writing the song. Takar would mail me the chord progressions and some arrangements that he has done [apart from vocals, arrangements, vocals, and productions, Takar has played the guitars, keys/synth and bass for Scarlet Skies], on top of which I would finish the melody of the song and lyrics [Bhatt is vocalist, lyricist and composer], then we added the trumpets by Tiziano Bianchi, and percussion by Suyash Gabriel.
It was a nice collaborative process. We would send each other whatever we would do via e-mails. Slowly, the song started to shape up. Finally, in October 2021, Takar came to Delhi. We recorded the vocals together and also did a live version; it was easy because we could work together in the same environment.
Apart from Indian classical and Western contemporary, your songs have a lot of jazz elements as well as acapella. What is your musical identity?
Bhatt: From what I have observed and know from others who have heard my music is that it is multi-genre for sure. There are hints of Indian music; you can see melodies with that kind of movements, but they are done in a Western way. There is an overlap of jazz, pop, and folk (not just Indian folk but World music). For example, I have a lot of 6/8 and 12/8 rhythms going on, which are influenced from Brazilian music, salsa, or World music from Spain and Brazil. Scarlet Skies is based on Bossa Nova, and there is also an amalgamation of pop. I think one of my identities, for sure, is that my music involves a lot of acapella elements.
Tell us about the lyrics of Scarlet Skies. What was the writing process like?
Bhatt: I am a visual artist of sorts; I usually have visuals in my mind while composing the melody. For this one, it was that I am going back home after a tiring day, and in that moment, when I finally pause, I look up to the sky, and it makes me feel like I am a part of a bigger journey... It calms me and brings me home to myself. That is the theme: You do not have to be lonely if you can be in solitude with yourself, because you realise you are your own home.
What’s next?
Bhatt: The first thing that will come up by year end is my second EP, which comprises three songs. I will release the title track very soon, and even the video is in the editing process. I am thoroughly excited about it. Apart from that, I am writing a Hindi song and will release it as a single this year. There are also two collaborations I am working on.