Unfold, a new single by Karthick Iyer has been three years in the making. But press play on YouTube and you will agree with us when we say that this one was worth the wait. The founder of the popular fusion band IndoSoul had the novel idea, back in 2020, of showcasing art forms, music and beyond, ‘unfolding’ over the length of vibrant feel good melody. Alongside Karthick on violin, expect to see dancer Rasika Rajagopal showcase her prowess and potter Chinmayee Sridharan show us the joy of sculpting a pot from messy clay to sculpted perfection all in under two minutes. Excerpts from the interview:
What inspired this unique collaboration?
There are numerous art forms that harmonise with music, not limited to dance alone. In this video, the elegance of dance and pottery intertwines with the melodious violin notes. The intricate convergence and unfolding of various art forms showcase their complexity.
Take us behind the scenes of the making of the video. What were the fun parts and the challenges?
The video and ideation were brought to life by Dimensions Entertainment, a video production team based in Chennai. The shoot by itself was an experience since each of us witnessed the complexity behind each art form’s creation. Shoots are always fun and lively, especially with a wonderful team of talented artistes.
Did you all know each other before this creative project? How did you meet?
Rasika had tagged us on an Instagram story showcasing her dance skills in a captivating cover of a song from our (IndoSoul) album Equilibrium a few months ago. Her interpretation brought a fresh and unique perspective, leaving us in awe of her talent. It was a delightful experience to witness a fan engaging with our music in such an expressive manner. Chinmayee’s work with pottery, we discovered online as well. We constantly seek opportunities to collaborate with our fans and emerging artistes, as their
creativity adds an enriching dimension to our musical journey.
Was Unfold composed with the idea of showcasing multiple art forms?
Yes, a burst of inspiration struck for Unfold a few years ago. I had this idea of a composition that showed a blossoming of art, and this could be any art form, not just music. Once the basic composition was in place, we assembled talented musicians like Abinandan R David on the guitar, Venkat on tabla/kanjeera, and Reshwin Nithish on bass. Together, we infused the track with their unique musical prowess, adding an incredible flavour to the composition.
What other art forms are you planning to interlace with the violin in the future?
I anticipate the exploration of diverse methods in which music and other art forms converge and harmonise. At the top of my mind is theatre, sand art, weaving. I would love to explore how these forms come together with our music.
What are you working on next?
Our next release, which comes out in a couple of weeks, is the music video of Highway Raga. It’s a song from Equilibrium but for the music video, we wanted to reach out to a wider audience. And so, this one is trilingual (Tamil, Telugu and Hindi) featuring actors Aberaam Varma and Monica Reddy and singers Sathyaprakash, Sreerama Chandra and Malavika Sundar. Super excited about this one!
Streaming on music platforms.