There are very few songs that grab your attention from the moment they begin. It could be the beat, it could be the tune or the voice of the singer that gets you hooked. And one such song that we think will probably catch your attention is the just released Saaye by Mumbai-based singers Aanchal Shrivastava and Aasa Singh. We speak to both the artistes to know more about their latest release, what’s to follow and much more.
Aanchal, can you tell us more about the song and the idea behind it?
So, how I make music is by jamming with some instrumentalists with whom I work. One of them was Britto Khangchian (who is also the producer of the song). I asked him to play something and he played the opening of Saaye. I started humming along and I used the word ‘Saaye’. We tried many other tunes with which we could start the song but the first one always came up and I remembered it very well. If I could remember it, then the listeners would also remember it — that made us stick with it.
So Aasa, what was your reaction when you first heard the song?
I was contacted by one of the people we know in common and he asked me if I wanted to do a collaboration. This was in 2020 during the lockdown and I was looking to work with different artistes. We met at my studio and jammed on the song. I knew that I wanted the song to be very simple and easy going. That’s the beauty of it.
How long did it take for you to finish the song, Aasa?
It took a lot of time and I am used to it now. Some of my songs took two years, some two and a half years, some even five years. That mostly happened because the producer Britto was travelling. In the middle, for around a good seven to eight months, after we both had recorded our individual parts, I had no update from Aanchal. I thought they decided to leave the song and work on something else. After two years, I get an update from her, saying that Britto is back, before he leaves let’s finish the song. Then we started working on the song again, I tweaked it a bit and then we were ready to release it.
Every song is a learning process. What would you say are some of the learnings you took away from this song?
Aasa: Our vocals, genre-wise and zone-wise, are on a different spectrum. She is one of the artistes who sings from her heart. I am like an artiste who would put a lot of thought process while singing a song or dubbing it. When Aanchal first shared the song with me, because it was her song, her creation, her vocals were set. I could resonate with them and put my soul into the song. But when I started working on the song again, my thought process had changed. So, I redubbed the song and since for those two years, I was listening to the song, when I sang it again, it came out better for me. I was totally satisfied with it. When you listen to the song, you would feel that it is two different souls, talking about their feelings, in their own way yet sounding beautiful together. The more you sing a song, the more are the chances that it will come out better.
Aanchal: This song has taught me to be more patient as an artiste. It taught me the idea of never losing hope and not giving up. I became more faithful, in the fact that, if there is something that we created and it’s halfway through, there is always a possibility that you will be able to close it and complete it with your full satisfaction. It has taught me to be sure of every project that I am doing or being part of.
What are your upcoming projects?
Aasa: There’s this Punjabi heartbreak single, which I have written, composed and produced by myself with a very special artiste, whose name I won’t reveal now. I am really excited about that.
Aanchal: My next release is called Aaj Rang Hai. It is a qawwali and I have recreated it. I have also done a song called Haji Lok, which will be released by the end of the year or towards the beginning of next year. I am also recreating Chitta Kukkad Banere Te by Runa Laila.
Saaye is now streaming on all major music platforms.
Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @al_ben_so