This new solo project by versatile musician Joy Sengupta strikes a chord with heartfelt melodies
All of us have witnessed the musical prowess of The Raghu Dixit Project. Having lent his talents with multiple instruments to this ensemble, composer, producer, guitarist and Chennai boy Joy Sengupta has now ventured out on his own to work on solo projects.
His debut independent track, Pariyon Ki Duniya, features vocals by singer Hansika Pareekh, a rising star in her own right. Joy brings out a melodic mix of various genres into his composition while also highlighting the innocence that one lays bare in love as expressed through Pinky Poonawala’s lyrics. In our chat, he reveals more about his process and working solo versus working in an ensemble, among other topics.
Excerpts:
What was the idea behind presenting an innocent side of love through this song?
The innocence in love is becoming a rare commodity in today’s world. We see innocence bloom in the love of a mother for her child or when couples meet for the first time, and also in the eyes of a puppy for their caregiver. In couples, this might seem to fade away with time. If people can be selfless and innocent in love, the world would be a beautiful place to live in.
You have mixed an interesting range of scores for this music. How did that come about?
I started this song with a sweet guitar and ukulele riff so that an old ’80s Bollywood-like melody came about. I strongly felt the urge to add some orchestral arrangements as the tune felt like it needed a little more to give a feeling of floating on the clouds. Also, once the lyrics were done, the words helped me to add movement to the music — like some Lofi beats, constantly evolving synths and panning arpeggios. This helped in creating a strong sense of dreams and desires, accentuating every word with the underlying music.
As a composer, how do you associate an emotion or feeling with a sound?
Being a student of Indian classical music, all sounds and raagas are associated with a certain set of emotions. Every sound that we choose to add to a track, needs to be sculpted in such a way that it adds to the emotion and lyrics of a song. And on a personal level, I cannot operate on a technical basis when it comes to music. It is all about the emotion for me.
Do you have a favourite instrument or do you like experimenting with many?
My favourite and go-to instrument is the guitar. But I play several other stringed instruments as well like the banjo, bouzouki, mandolin, and dulcimer. My recent love is the handpan that I got made and delivered from Rishikesh. Just the meditative nature of it keeps me hooked for hours.
Do you feel a great contrast in creating music as a solo artiste when compared to your experiences in an ensemble?
In some ensembles that I have been a part of, or commissioned work for films/documentaries, the roles are very well defined and you do your best in a short period, to bring to life someone else’s vision. As a solo artiste, it’s like an open playground where you can take your own sweet time to experiment with any sounds/instruments/ genres that you like.
What else is in the pipeline?
This year you will hopefully see my work as a film composer for a Bollywood feature and a lovely documentary with a National Award-winning director. Other than that, there are some singles in the pipeline with singers Madhubanti Bagchi (of Heeramandi fame), Kinjal Chatterjee, Abby V and writer Sameer Satija (Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway fame) to name a few. Also, I will release my EP at the end of the year.