We talk with her about the track and more.
Tell us about your latest track, Gaye Mausam?
Gaye Mausam is a Ghazal inspired by Urdu poem written by the late Parveen Shakir, a Pakistani writer from the 70s. She wrote on themes of love, longing, abandonment, desire, and became a voice for a woman’s perspective, which was exceptional in her time. Her work broke several boundaries and is an inspiration for all of us. The Parveen Shakir Trust permitted me when I expressed my wish to compose and publish this beautiful track last year. Being a ghazal, this track uses elements of traditional ghazal gaayki juxtaposed with a cinematic and orchestral musical arrangement.
Independent music gives us artists an opportunity to break set patterns and show society that vocal music/singing is not the only place where women can work in the industry. Parveenji did that in the 70s with her work inspiring and opening doors for other women. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go to eliminate the inequality from the core and hence, each step counts.
Tell us how you thought of arranging the music composition for this track?
This track is very experimental. Ghazal being a traditional form, I wanted to retain the gaayki style and even the composition style as per the poetry form. However, the arrangement is very contemporary and uses a string section to make it sound larger than life. To represent the meaning of the lyrics, I have added lots of backing vocals that almost sound like waves hitting the seashore.
Tell us about your future projects?
I’m working on a bunch of original music and a beautiful live stage show called ‘O Gaanewali’ based on the lives of Tawaifs and women performers from North India. The show should hit the theaters soon.