The year 2020 was tough on musician Sanjeev Thomas who was on a break due to health issues. But turning adversity into advantage, Thomas’ new single is based on the introspection he did during his recovery. The result is his fifth single from an album, Future. The song is called Underdog, which he says speaks of those who “persevere the tides whilst truly identifying themselves through unique expressions.”
Though the song is composed by Thomas, it has been written and sung by singer-rapper Ranjani Ramadoss. “I have been writing songs based on my experiences during the lockdown, but I told Ranjani that for this one, I wanted her to write the song based on her experience. I told her to go about it the way she wanted to. She wrote about being an underdog, something I myself identify with,” says Thomas, adding that these tunes come from a place of introspection. The single also features bassist Carl Fernandes and Grammy-winning sound engineer PA Deepak.
It might come as a surprise to many but Thomas — whose career spans over 21 years in the industry, who has worked on projects like Rockstar, and has been part of Oscar and Grammy winner AR Rehman’s Jai Ho tour — still considers himself an underdog. “I feel that way because I was never part of something that was commercially viable or successful. For example, if you want to be successful in the music industry, you have to fall under the movie category,” says Thomas, who started work with western music and rock. “I did movies because of my love for music, and not because of my love for Indian music,’’ he adds.
Unlike other musicians, Thomas, who focuses on a particular genre of work, experiments with different aspects of music. “That may be one of the reasons I might not get the success that other musicians do,” says Thomas, who has no regrets about it.
The song, which is currently out on various music portals, was supposed to have a video to it, but before it could be shot, he suffered a severe heart attack. As he recuperates, Thomas is working on a Telugu project and hopes to come out with more good music in 2022.