Bharatt Hans and Saurabh Malhotra, who prefer being addressed by their first name, like to describe themselves as 'typical Delhi boys'. Although they studied economics and software engineering, respectively, to appease their parents, their true passion lay in music. Bharatt, a keyboardist, and Saurabh, a guitarist, became music buddies and started jamming together in 2008.
"We both shared the interest of making original music," says Saurabh and adds, "Our original careers were not our cup of tea. We wanted to follow our passion."
The duo moved to Mumbai in 2014 to follow their dreams and started off making jingles for brands such as Syska LED and Colgate while simultaneously working on background scores for television shows. However, they never wavered from their original goal, which was to produce original music. Their first single Tum Jo Mile, released on their YouTube channel in 2015 has over 20 million views. Another song of theirs, Mila Jo Tu became massive popularity on Douyin (TikTok) in China. Over the years, they made several song, including Tujh Bin, Ye Dard Mera and O Soniye, all of which garnered millions of views and received unanimous love and appreciation.
Earlier this month, the music duo Bharatt-Saurabh released a new single, Saari Raat, with the music label VYRL originals, making it their first collaboration with a big music label. The music is a sultry blend of Punjabi music, R&B and pop and the video features two couples going on a vacation in the hills.
“We are fond of nature and also wanted to illustrate a serene atmosphere,” explains Bharatt. Describing the track as ‘vibey’, the duo admits wanting to capture the night element to make it celebratory, a common factor among their songs, most of which romanticise the idea of love.
“Each composer has his/her own style. Our focus has always been on love. We are primarily melody makers,” admits Saurabh and adds, “We mostly come up with the melody first and then write the lyrics to match the tune. More often than not, the lyrics end up being about love.” Revealing another secret, Bharatt adds that most of their music is made during the night. “Nighttime is very beautiful and peaceful. The melody came naturally to us when we jam at nighttime,” he quips.
Optimistic about the rise of independent artists like themselves in the world of music in India which has largely been dominated by film-music, Saurabh says, “Right now is the time for independent music. Bollywood was always there and will always be there. The good thing now is that Bollywood is picking independent artistes such as Guru Randhawa and Badshah. He also acknowledges that the film industry has started to reach out to independent artists due to the rise of music streaming apps that make music accessible to millions of people. “If the music is good, Bollywood will take it naturally,” adds Bharatt.
The duo also has a music album in the works, which will have eight new tracks. But, that’s for another story.