Singer Kshitij Tarey has always struck a balance between film songs and independent tracks and is all set to release his dream fusion music project -- a global album called Classical Crossover that sees him collaborating with two Grammy-winning international artistes like Rusal Sirota and Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. The first song, More Ghar Aye, released last week and has garnered millions of views to date. We talk to the Bollywood crooner about his album.
Tell us about Classical Crossover?
I was planning to do this for a long time but could not due to work commitments. It is a fusion album and the idea was to use two completely different genres and fuse them into one song, producing it in such a way that even a layman can enjoy it without getting into the technical details. The beauty of Classical Crossover is that even if you don't understand Indian Classical or jazz and funk, you can still groove to the songs.
The first track More Ghar Aye released last Friday, what reactions are you getting?
The reactions are outstanding. The song has a lot of classical singing including Taans and Sargams. The very talented bass guitarist Camille Frillex from Paris, who is the featured artist on this song, adds her own unique style.
What are the other tracks in the album?
One track is a lullaby featuring Grammy winner Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and the other track is a Thumri - a jazz fusion featuring the great jazz pianist and Grammy winner Ruslan Sirota from Los Angeles. My experience with these legends has been wonderful.
How different is the indie music scene?
More independent artists are coming up now and it is different from the 90s era courtesy the social media. Now, indie artists can release and promote their work on their own. The best productions with the right approach, right sound, right track and right promotions will always be hit.
Your upcoming Bollywood projects?
My next is Mrs. Undercover starring Radhika Apte, Sumeet Vyas and directed by Anushree Mehta is releasing in April. There are two more movies in the pipeline.
I have three more releases lined up under Classical Crossover and a beautiful Ghazal is also coming up.