Yohan Marshall and Alyssa Mendonsa team up for soulful alt-rock ballad 'Kaali Raatein'
A huge spike in the trend of popular musicians releasing independent tracks to experiment with their talents has been witnessed in 2024. Singer-songwriter, drummer and music producer Yohan Marshall is known to have upheld this notion through his many 2024 releases including Jo Tu Mere Paas Hai, Bawara Mann, Just for Once (featuring singer-songwriter Mali) and others. Even Alyssa Mendonsa, the voice behind Bollywood hits like Khaabon Ke Parinday, Uff Teri Adda, Adhoore and countless other tracks, shares the same feature with her indie releases.
Both these incredible vocalists recently joined hands to test their talents further resulting in a fresh-sounding and soulful alt-rock ballad called Kaali Raatein. While the song’s score is reminiscent of ’90s popular western rock, Yohan and Alyssa seamlessly blend raw emotion with soaring melodies, showcasing the contrasting vocal styles of both artistes. In our chat we learn of their unique creative process brought this captivating track to life, the inspiration behind it and much more…
How have you weaved in introspection and reflection at the crux of Kaali Raatein?
Yohan Marshall: Sometimes, the only way out is through! Kaali Raatein is about finding yourself in a hard situation and realising that only you can make this better. The collaboration makes the message come alive even more. It’s as if you are having one of those hard conversations with a trusted friend in real-time. The song is a reflection of one of the darkest times of my life, which, in hindsight, helped me find my resilience. It asks you to let go, get up when you stumble and reminds you to face adversity head-on.
Alyssa Mendonsa: The message of the song is so powerful and has made me think of all the times I’ve felt lost and out of sync with myself — that no matter what, there is a greater power that can lift you and all it takes it to listen to your inner guidance. Keep that voice close at all times. Follow your heart.
Tell us what worked best in terms of the collaborative process for this single?
Yohan: When producing the song I had my ’90s rock influences in mind (Linkin Park & Evanescence). When I put this across to Alyssa, I was almost nervous because I had never heard her voice in this context before. What stands out in this collaboration is the contrast between the two voices. Alyssa delivers this soft and vulnerable narrative; and I deliver the chorus with a massive high-range rock melody. This has been a true collaboration and not a one-sided effort. Creating this with Alyssa has been a treat!
Alyssa: I feel Yohan and I had great communication during the entire process. There was a lot of clarity in terms of what we wanted it to be and also a lot of respect towards each other where we allowed ideas to flow from
both sides.
Many artistes are going back to the idea of adopting rock and alt-rock introduced by bands and singers in the ’90s and 2000s. What do you feel is bringing about the rise of the trend today?
Yohan: Here’s the thing — ’90s rock music is just fantastic! I grew up listening to a lot of music like that. For me, Linkin Park, Green Day, Incubus and Evanescence is home. hip hop, R&B and pop have been having their share of moments and have dominated the discussions for 10 years now. Nowadays, curated playlists also favour a certain type of easy-listening vibe and so, a lot of artistes make music like that. But, I’m really happy to hear more music like this (’90s rock music); but to me, it never went anywhere. Streaming numbers for big rock groups from the ’90s have consistently been sky-high.
Alyssa: Nostalgia is a powerful emotion and bringing elements of the past into present songwriting allows for two musical timelines to co-exist uniquely. To experience the nostalgia of old sound with present-day songwriting is an affair that is joyful for the listener and is probably the reason behind the rise of
this trend.
Who are your favourite musicians from the genre?
Yohan: Linkin Park, Switchfoot, Radiohead, John Mayer, Incubus and Evanescence are some of my favourite artistes.
Alyssa: Linkin Park, Depeche Mode and Radiohead for me.
What are your upcoming projects? Are there any film-related projects
in the pipeline?
Yohan: So much going on at the moment. There’s a new track dropping early next year. I am also working on a score and producing a bunch of songs for other artistes!
Alyssa: Nothing at the moment! However, I am eager to collaborate on projects and songs that resonate with me.