#PastForward: Decoding Bengaluru's shift to acoustic sounds with city's rising star Natasha Caroll

Rock and other prominent genres of western music have always defined Bengaluru’s presence as a city filled with musical prowess. Now, as we turn our attention towards the future of western music in the city, we witness many voices moving closer towards more stripped-down, acoustic sounds with a greater focus on honest storytelling. Reflecting on the shift in such trends is this Indulge issue’s central theme of Past Forward and embodying it perfectly is one such voice in the city – Natasha Caroll. We chat with the rising chanteuse whose love for music and the voice that she has found over the years sprouted from small independent shows.

Natasha’s musical journey truly began from within the confines of her bedroom before her first job at a music academy in the city. “I used to compose and write in my bedroom and not share it with the world. So that actually gave me confidence to sing live. Slowly, I started doing my own shows at venues like The Entertainment Store and other such tiny places through friends that I had — they would be working in a small venue and they’d say , “we’re looking for an artiste to do covers and maybe some originals.” I saw that I really enjoy doing this and I could see myself doing it professionally. But I was teaching music. So that was still not at the forefront of my career,” recollects Natasha.

However, the pandemic changed the course of this trajectory for Natasha. “After the pandemic, I had to quit that job. Now, all the schools had shut down along with all the venues. Everything came to a standstill. So, I switched to teaching in online classes. That’s when I actually got into writing my own songs,” she tells us.

Then, the return to normalcy prompted Natasha to build a promising journey into an independent career in the city. “I went right into every opportunity I got. I used Instagram a lot. I would keep posting my ideas,” she explains, adding, “social media back then helped me create my artiste profile and get my music out there.”

A few years into this journey, Natasha observes, “it is a field which requires full dedication. Being an indie artiste itself is a full-time job.” Highlighting the shifting trends, demands and infrastructure of the city, she highlights, “now there are more venues that are looking for singer-songwriters. People are slowly starting to appreciate local artistes and value what comes from their city rather than outside.”

The crooner further delves into the role that streaming platforms like Spotify have played in the growth of artistes such as herself. Highlighting the transformation witnessed in the access to music by the audiences, she notes that such platforms have become a major reason for their prominence within Bengaluru. Having some knowledge and access to such platforms before their official release in the country helped Natasha use them as a tool to release her track simultaneously with their launch. “People were really receptive. Their approach towards my music was like: oh, how cool! This person’s from my city. Let me check out their music!” she notes.

Natasha also believes that the older talents from the city often make way for the budding musicians. “They want to hear what we have to sing about,” she says. “Within the musician community itself, a lot of what I’ve learned is from my older peers. I was in a band with rockers who were killing the scene in the ’90s. They taught me so much about music itself and just how to be a professional,” she adds.

Looking ahead, Natasha’s gearing up for the release of a single within the next two months and an exciting new EP next year. On a parting note, we enquire about that one element from the city she’d love to use in her future tracks. “What I’ve always found fascinating is the streetcar vendors who have a distinct call. The way they announce themselves, ‘soppu, soppu!’ — that’s something I’d like to record after taking their consent and sample it into my music. Some of them have unique voices and for me it’s all about the humanness of things, plus it’d have a local touch,” she concludes.