A graphic designer by day and a musician by hobby, Soham Bhattacharya aka tHe soHam has a knack for playing with words from a young age. A decade down the line, he has grown as an individual and a solo musician who has performed across the globe.
“I am a regular at the Pune, Mumbai and Goa music scenes and have performed abroad as well in countries like Singapore and Malaysia. I began as a song-writer due to which it still holds a preferred spot in my heart. Since I am a solo musician, it’s mostly just me and my guitar when I am on stage, hence words are really important for me,” shares Soham whose single Just Those Tears released on Spotify today.
What gave shape to Just Those Tears?
I am a very emotional person by nature and the plight of migrant workers during the onset of COVID-19 struck deep chords with me. I wrote Just Those Tears back in 2020 but the project has taken shape only recently due to unavoidable circumstances during the pandemic. I have used minimal instruments to stress more on what the words are trying to express. The song is all the more unique because I have mainly used the Ukulele as an accompaniment. It was a challenge to not to overpower the words of this song with unrequired interruption.
What are some of the other instruments that you have used in this production?
I have collaborated with my friend Mayukh Sengupta and senior percussionist Raja Mukherjee for this track. It includes a very simple arrangement where I have sung the song while playing the ukulele and Mayukh has accompanied me with the classical guitar. The song has a very organic feel to it because we recorded the song live in an old school format. The entire arrangement was supervised by vocalist Sanjeev Sinha.
Will you be releasing a music video as well?
Since I have a degree in media studies and I freelance as a graphic designer now, I usually try to keep the productions independent. We shot the video with a small production team and I have personally worked on the story and visuals of the music video which is due to be released on Poila Baishakh.
How encouraging is Kolkata’s music scene for budding independent artistes?
It is a mixed bag. Even five-six years back, we used to lament over the lack of venues and platforms for independent musicians. However, the picture has changed vastly with increasing number of cafes and pubs. Nevertheless, people are still more focussed on commercial music and this overshadows independent artistrs like us.