The first time we came across his voice, we assumed he’d be a singer with at least a decade-long experience and his almost impeccable western-aligned English accent threw us off. We we sure this was an NRI who returned to India and was discovered by a music director in Bengaluru. How wrong we were! The 24-year-old crooner, began his career when he was just 18 and has since sung over a 100 songs in several Indian languages including Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Sanjith Hegde burst onto the scene when he participated in the Kannada singing reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa — Season 13 (2017), following which, he also appeared in the Tamil version of the show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa — Seniors (2018), which was broadcast on Zee Tamil. He made his Kannada debut in playback in 2017 and the following year in Tamil and Telugu. Since then we’ve heard him in several super hit songs, including the Tamil single, Bodhai Kodhai (27 million views) by Ondraaga Entertainment; and more recently his cover of Rajkumar’s hit Sathyabhaame that has already garnered him several million plays on Instagram. His recent most release, Geejaga Hakki, with Coke Studio Bharat (featuring yakshagaana artiste Prassannakumar Hegde) has crossed 12 million views and counting and we caught up with the Bengaluru boy to talk about music, his upcoming album and his debut in films…
Do tell us about Geejaka Hakki, what is the song about?
I grew up listening to the story of Satya Harishchandra and Ankur Tewari (creative producer) and I were in touch and were talking about this collaboration with Coke Studio and I told him about the idea of wanting to do a song around this idea. So, he told me, send me a sample of how you want it to sound like and how you picturise it and that was the beginning of the journey that led to the song. I decided to work the song around the story of Satya Harishchandra with the message against normalising the act of lying — something we’ve come to take for granted. One needn’t lie — that’s basically the core of the song and then we decorated it with a lot of analog production work.
How much did you want the influence of yakshagaana to be in the song, beyond the stunning vocals of Prassannakumar Hegde?
In yakshagaana there is always the presence of the bhaagavathike, the narrator or sutradhaar of sorts. This artiste narrates the story and that’s what I wanted to crux my song on. I was very influenced by the way in which this narrative unfolds in a yakshagaana performance. The style, the aggression and soul with which the narrator performs the art — that’s what I wanted to ensure finds its way into Geejaga Hakki. We also used the chende (similar to the chenda) that is native to Karnataka, as a percussive element, but it was the voice of the bhaagavathike (Prassannakumar Hegde) that made the difference. It had to be clear that this artiste was the narrator. My voice, from the beginning, was designed to be secondary — describing and echoing (in a certain way) what this artiste was saying — complementary to his style and narrative, which we wanted to drive the song.
With the song becoming so popular, do you see yourself bridging that ever-present gap between contemporary and folk music?
The beautiful part about folk music is the stories attached to them and these stories are so universal that they apply to you even if you’re in a city or a village. I want to bring these stories out. I want to ensure everyone gets to hear these melodies and I want to present them in a way that would make them attractive to anyone, irrespective of age or musical inclination. I want to produce them in such a way that they could compete with anything from the west with all its technological advancements and still sound better. Yes, I really hope I can bridge that gap, in whatever way I possibly can.
You’re 24, representative of Gen Z. Do you think your generation will appreciate this kind of music?
All forms of good music is going to eventually be accepted by anyone, irrespective of generation and when it comes to Gen Z, I think it all boils down to how well you tell your story in your song. You can use elements that are contemporary and classic, but its finally about how you use these elements and how they connect to the music and to the song; to the production; and eventually to the listener. Well thought-out music, which takes a lot more time, a lot more people and a lot more sacrifices — will always find takers and be accepted across generations, Gen Z included.
We’ve also heard you’re dabbling in music production, why the shift?
I feel like singing is now in my blood. I’ve been learning hindustani for over 20 years and now I want to shift my focus to music production. I am able to think out loud as a singer, but haven’t reached that same level as a producer. That is a skill I’d really like to pursue; which is why I am working a lot with analog synthesisers and discovering my own sound. I really want to figure out what that sound is.
How did a hindustani singer get so good at western styles of singing?
That’s purely because of the city of Bengaluru. I’d finish my hindustani classical training at 2 pm and then I would head back home and would dedicate the next few hours to Prince, Micheal Jackson and Stevie Wonder; and they were composing songs in the same raags! So, even though my English wasn’t fluent enough then, I was able to relate and sing most of their melodies thanks to my hindustani training. It was a small imaginary bridge that I made in my mind, connecting the two genres — I made my own world. I would mimic the songs, the singers and sometimes, even guitar riffs. I was just every kid growing up in Bengaluru really wanting to be a part of that global culture. I don’t think I would have had these influences if I grew up anywhere else. In this city, you’re exposed to so many things and you’re given the liberty to choose what you like and it always happens so organically. So, today when I sing in English or play the bass guitar — it’s all as much a part of me as my Indian classical background and training.
Tell us more about this journey as a music producer?
My journey into music production began in 2017 when I met Charan Raj (composer), who is a dear friend and almost a brother of mine. He told me how just one line of an instrument or one chord or one harmony can change an entire song or how it is perceived. That one discovery literally opened up a whole new universe for me and I knew, this is what I wanted to be. It began slowly. I started to write my own songs. I’d produce a small bit of music and show him and I feel music production is that thing where the more you do it, the better you get.
And your foray into acting?
Nag Ashwin (director) is a dear friend of mine, which is why I even attempted acting in his project xLife (a part of Pitta Kathalu on Netflix) and I had lots of fun acting in it. It was amazing working with Shruti Haasan and I have got several scripts after that, but I don’t want to jump into something that doesn’t excite me. But, I’ll never say no to a great script.
And finally, what can we expect next?
I’ve spent the last four years juggling between playback singing and my debut album. This is a vision I’ve had since I was a child, so I want it to be larger than life, I want it to feel like ‘India’ and what that means to me. I’ve never been so immersed in anything like this in my life, so far, and it is such a beautiful feeling. I am really excited about it and I hope to release the first song from the album, Baadal, within the next two months and the rest of it, slowly, all through the rest of the year.
Geejaga Hakki is streaming on YouTube.
romal@newindianexpress.com
@elromal