Kaber Vasuki is back with a fresh track, ‘Oru Tharam’; this time it’s all about never giving up

“No matter how many times I fall, I’m going to get up, one more time,” says independent musician Kaber Vasuki when we call him on a Wednesday morning, eager to get his interview as he has just dropped his new track Oru Tharam. Well, so now you know why what he said right at the start is more than just a statement. It’s a whole track!

“This is my 10th year of recording and releasing independent music, and in these 10 years, I have picked up various skills along the way. So I wanted to do a few songs where it was basically just me, where I didn’t really hire anybody, or collaborate with anybody, unless, you know, I really had to. So for example, in this track, a friend of mine named Abhishek did the camera work. But apart from that, every aspect of writing and producing the song, mixing it, mastering it, and editing the video, as well as directing and grading the video, is all done by me,” Kaber says, adding, “And since this is the first time I’m editing and colour grading something myself, I just went crazy with all the colours. It’s been fun.”

Kaber shares that he has had lots of ups and downs in his life and career and that the audience is aware of this. Hence, it (the track) is very relatable to them as well, “along with me, of course — in the sense that I keep giving it one more shot, even when sometimes it seems things are not going anywhere,” he reiterates.

We remind Kaber that in our last interview, he had mentioned that he missed the stage. Having recently wrapped up his Oorvalam tour, Kaber says that while he is looking forward to doing more shows, but right now, he is just taking a “short break from doing live performances”. Why, we ask, and he replies, “I am currently figuring out a few things before I start doing more shows. Hopefully next time, it will be bigger and better. The Oorvalam tour was incredible. The response was great, and it really kind of jogged everybody’s memory. It was insane! In all the shows, people just came and sang along, and we sold more tickets than we expected!”

Talking about the kind of bond he shares with his listeners, Kaber says, “I’ve been very lucky in the sense that the people who connect with my music, they connect with it very deeply. A lot of listeners have said lots of things; some have tattooed some of my lyrics on their hands or on their legs, and they send me photos. I think one thing that I can say about my listeners is that they have a creative bent of mind; they’re all creators of some sort. And I think my work really speaks to that creative spirit that people have. That’s what really struck me this time.”

Sharing a memory, the artiste says, “I was very moved when this very young girl, who had lost her father two years back, told me that listening to my music reminded her of her dad. She’s not heard her father speak; she doesn’t have any voice recordings of him either, so she just, sometimes imagines my voice as his voice... It made me tear up a little when she told me this.”

Oru Tharam is streaming on YouTube.

Email: rupam@newindianexpress.com

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