My parents tell me that when I was six months old, I couldn’t walk but I would dance to Thriller by Michael Jackson,” shares Jay Anand (29), a singer-songwriter from Delhi who is slowly making his mark in the Indian music industry. Anand lent his voice to the peppy and upbeat title track of the newly-released film Looop Lapeta, a comedy thriller starring Taapsee Pannu and Tahir Raj Bhasin.
An ongoing passion
Anand’s passion for music started at the early age of four. “I was always intrigued by the concept of playing instruments and creating those sounds,” he shares. After learning to play the keyboard, he moved to strum the guitar. “I picked up the guitar in my teen years, and it stayed with me. It felt like an extension of myself, and I felt a lot more comfortable playing it,” mentions Anand, who has received an education in music at the Musicians Institute, Los Angeles (LA). Sidharth Mago and Mayank Mehra [the music producers of this film], who have worked with Anand on a few advertisements, gave him the opportunity to belt out a song for Looop Lapeta. “It was a beautiful experience. Knowing that I will be able to lend my voice to a movie like that and a song like that was great. I never saw myself getting into playback singing for Bollywood but when it came my way, I really enjoyed it, and would love to do it in future as well.”
Accounts of love
Prior to singing in a Bollywood film, Anand released an album—Faces of Love (2017)—and two singles—Fool to Want You (2018) and Come Home (2019). His previous musical ventures have looked into complex ideas of love, heartbreak, and longing. “One of my teachers in LA used to say there are two types of songs in the world: love songs and everything else. I get a little carried away when I write songs about love,” he laughs.
As a trans man, there have been instances where he felt that his gender identity preceded his professional identity and talent. Shedding light on this, Anand explains, “The idea that I would be identified by my gender identity instead of my work in professional spaces puts me off. If I’m in a professional space and I’m being hired for certain work, I should be hired just for that work and nothing else.”Anand is now looking forward to reconnecting with the musicians he has worked with in the past to produce more original music.