Behram Siganporia
Pop-rock band Best Kept Secret has had a busy year so far. But in the midst of new music and tour dates, frontman Behram has made some time to be with the people who matter. “We are currently on tour and I managed to get just two days in between to come home. I set up the Christmas tree and decorated my house as my mum loves the festival. I will also be in Bengaluru for Christmas concerts so I will be celebrating it with my ‘band of brothers’ and with our fans,” he says.
On the work front, 2021 has been the best year so far for the band. It started out slow, but now the band is back to its roots — live concerts. “There were no gigs or fests. We were totally booked for virtual shows initially. All of a sudden, we started getting booked for wedding shows and even won some awards,” he adds. For the festive season, the band has Christmas songs that are slated to release on social media this weekend. Best Kept Secret will also be playing some fun Christmas gigs spread across five cities, including their home turf Bengaluru.
To Behram, a minimal Christmas is Christmas with just close friends and family. He also adds that it is a time for us to also think of people who are alone and away from families and friends in these tough times. “Sometimes we don’t need a Christmas tree or fancy decorations to celebrate. It might be considered minimal but being together is priceless,” he ends on a poetic note.
Hannah Mathews
Vocalist Hannah Mathews’ Christmas music focusses on the essence of the season — giving, love and hope. The city-based musician is popular for her acoustic renderings of festive tunes and hymns that showcase her vocal prowess. “2021 has only gotten better as the year has progressed. The live gig scene slowly started coming back. The pandemic has been rough for most musicians but things are definitely
looking up!” she says. This December, Hannah has been a part of gospel artiste Benny John Joseph’s new Christmas music video called Baktharae Vaarum, a Tamil rendition of the famous carol O Come All Ye Faithful. “I’m also been blessed to have been a part of another recent music video release by Awakening To God Ministries in Malibu, California. The song is a mashup of an old hymn called It Is Well and the gospel number Living Hope,” the singer adds.
On Christmas Eve, Hannah will be performing in Vizag, but will be back with her family for Christmas day. “My plan is to rush from the airport and make it to church for the morning service and spend the rest of the day with my family and friends,” she says. The artiste loves the ‘extra’ and over-the-top aspects of the Christmas season. But she feels we should be valuing meaningful quality time with loved ones, over expensive gifts. She sums up, “This is one thing to keep in mind. This is the true reason for Christmas.”
Jonas Olsson
Jonas may have his origins in Sweden, but this musical conductor has been living and working in the city since the early 2000s. As the head of the vocal department of The Bangalore School of Music, he also conducts two choirs in the city — The Bangalore Men (an all-male choir) and Capella Bangalore (an all-female group). The choirs are known for their a capella and stripped down renditions of Western classics, operas, rock anthems and songs from famous musicals. This Christmas season, the choirs have had a full schedule with performances in St Marks Church, St Andrews Church and Bangalore Interna-tional Centre. “Our performances include traditional festive songs and also music from Sweden and Germany. Our last performance at BIC was a packed house, we had to turn away more than 100 people! We performed carols but with some modern influences of jazz and newer genres,” he tells us.
Last year, Jonas went home to Sweden for Christmas, but this year, he is keeping it simple and spending time with friends in Bengaluru. “Usually, even if I don’t go to Sweden I head to Goa, but this year it’s going to be a quiet one at home . I will spend Christmas Eve preparing a traditional Swedish feast for my friends. Everything from ham and herring, to liver pâté will be on the table,” Jonas says, adding, “By staying back in the city, I have the opportunity to give my friends here a Swedish Christmas.”
Eashwar Subramanian
Ambient music by its nature is as minimal as it gets. City-based producer and composer Eashwar has been engrossed in the genre for more than three years now and has multiple albums to his name. His latest release is an eight-track album, Frozen Timescapes, that has a wintery theme. “This album started with simple tones and I wanted to design the tracks for easy listening,” Eashwar tells us. Musically, the album takes inspiration from a lot of Nordic artistes and traditional music that focuses on crisp and minimal sounds. Soft piano tones come together with raw nature samples to throw the spotlight on environmental themes. Amidst the chatter and buzz of new releases, Eashwar’s music stands out because of its meditative silences.
“The theme, as well as the title really resonated with me, because this year it really feels like time has stood still,” the artiste explains, adding, “Through the album, I want to reflect on the year gone by, and also get a sense of stability. Hence I titled it Frozen Timescapes.” The festive season is a time for the artiste to be with his family and maybe make some more music. The Bengalurean loves plum cakes from Koshy’s, as well as the ones his friends make at home. “My Christmas will be just like my music — quiet,” Eashwar signs off.
Dominic D’cruz
It’s been over 30 years that Dominic has been making music, during which he took on the roles of guitarist, bassist and vocalist across many genres. He has collaborated with everyone from Grammy-award winner Ricky Kej to city-based choirs, but his heart lies in making traditional Christmas music. This year, Dominic, with the help of his wife Jerusha, has released a Christmas album titled Led by the Light. “We always wanted to do a Christmas album with traditional carols, but we wanted it to be different. So, we have enhanced traditional songs with unique elements of Indian and global music,” the artiste says. The arrangements on the songs encompass high octane rhythms, festive chants, all blended with sargams and percussion. For example, the classic Silent Night has the backdrop of bansuri tunes and smooth stringed rhythms.
On Christmas day, Dominic will be spending some quality time with family. “Christmas is simple and minimal by its very nature. Jesus Christ was born in a little village to simple folk. I feel the true essence of Christmas should not get swamped and sidelined by the glitzy glamour that we see in abundance. It’s the time for giving, and for spreading peace, love and joy among the less fortunate,” he says.