Singer-composer Shayan Chowdhury Arnob on Coke Studio Bangla 3
Bangladeshi music composer, producer, and singer, Shayan Chowdhury Arnob, is an accidental musician. A fine arts student at Visva Bharati, Arnob’s passion lay in Rabindra Sangeet, meeting encouraging music teachers in Santiniketan drew him closer to the genre.
A fan of classical music by Ustad Rashid Khan, Rabindra Sangeet by Subinoy Roy and Shantideb Ghosh, and English classics by Bob Dylan, Arnob is now a sensation beyond Bangladesh, courtesy of Coke Studio Bangla. Experimenting and contemporising soundscapes are Arnob’s forte, and we chat with him about the latest season of Coke Studio Bangla, which just released two songs — Tati, and Ma Lo Ma.
Excerpts:
You are back with Coke Studio Bangla Season 3. What new collaborations can we expect?
This time, we are collaborating with more singers and performers, across borders. Oli Boy, a Nigerian musician who has been staying in Bangladesh for the last three years, has been featured in Tati. We required Afro-pop in this track, and Oli Boy came to our rescue. This year, we have two directors too — Krishnendu Chattopadhyay was always there, and Adnan Al Rajeev joined us. Also, I will probably collaborate with a few Bengal singers, and many previous season performers are returning.
This season, will also see a lot more drama, and more movements. While some live sessions are recorded, some (the more dramatic ones) will also have pre-recorded music mixed later. We didn’t want to let go of the whole live music scene, since that’s our identity
What were some of the challenges you faced?
In Season 1, we didn’t have a dedicated practice floor. We started practising from an apartment, and after a few sessions, we literally got kicked out. Second season onwards, we could build a dedicated studio space/shooting floor, where we shot. We are now using three shooting floors — our own, one of a television channel’s and one of Bangladesh Film Development Corporation’s.
We see Jaya Ahsan as a singer for the first time in the season’s first song, Tati.
Not many know that Jaya Ahsan is a beautiful singer. In Tati, we talk about the weaves of our land, especially Jamdani. As you might have noticed, Jaya always promotes Jamdani proactively, especially in foreign lands. So, she was the best bet, and it worked wonderfully.
What does music mean to you?
It is a medium for telling a story. It is also about pursuing an emotion, and when I perform live, that is an emotional achievement. Not only is it immersive, but I connect with it on a personal level.
While Bangladesh is prominently working on experimental music, West Bengal lags. Why do you think that?
I feel West Bengal also faces competition from a lot of other languages, and other industries, with Bollywood being the biggest threat. In Bangladesh, we don’t know any other language — it’s just Bengali. This probably is one of the major reasons why Bangladeshi music is a lot more experimental, whereas in Bengal, it is mostly boxed up. Bengal, especially Kolkata, is a lot richer in terms of classical music. We aren’t so much trained in classical music, but there is a free flow of music here. We are planning something called, Coke Studio Explore, where young independent musicians will write, and create their songs. I find the youngsters here are confident enough to write in English, so we are welcoming them with open arms.
Is your wife, Sunidhi Nayak, a strict critic?
She is — not strict, really, but she teaches me a lot of things. She always scolds me for my pronunciation. Bangladeshis have an issue with dialects, and I am trying to rectify it. Also, since she is a former student of Shrutinandan and trained in classical music under Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, she shares lots of tips during riyaaz.
Any independent album in the pipeline?
There are about seven to eight songs I am working on currently, and I hope to release them this year.