Musician Ishan Mitra on his latest musical journeys and staying grounded
When melody meets true passion for music, magic happens. And a very few possess the qualities to create this magic as effortlessly as Ishan Mitra. With every note he composes, with every emotion he pours into these compositions, Ishan has been quietly, yet powerfully, crafting a space for himself where music has no categorisation and is not just heard, but felt.
From the soul-soaked strains of songs like Jaani Okaron and his independent song Shondhe Namar Aage to his beautiful recreation of Tagore's song Phagun Hawaye Hawaye, his songs are less about theatrics and more about celebrating a concoction of various forms of music from all spheres. Now, with his latest compositions, Premer Rong and Moh Sa Laga, Ishan dives even deeper. In this exclusive interview, we sit down with him to unravel the stories behind his latest musical journeys, the inspiration that strikes when least expected, and his love for a good-ol’ hilly retreat every once in a while.
Ishan Mitra breaks down composing for his songs Premer Rong and Moh Sa Laga
Can you walk us through the creative process behind Premer Rong and Moh Sa Laaga? How did the melody come to life?
When Apeksha Lahiri from Asha Audio contacted me one day and said that we are planning something that they will do nationally. After the initial meeting, we came up with the idea that we will take a thumri and make something different in the genre. When I had made the scratch of the song, there were already three genres in it. It was Brazilian Funk with Drill. We took those two genres and made the song with a little Indian touch. Apeksha gave me full independence to design the song in any way that I want, and told me that you can do whatever you want. Trust me, very few people say this. Thus, I tried to create something different. And the way Nakash Aziz and Shrestha Das performed, it was just cherry on the cake.
What was it like working with Nakash Aziz and Shrestha Das, both of whom are vocally rich and versatile in their own ways? How did you know they would be the perfect voices to bring your compositions to life?
The first time I heard Shrestha was when we were jamming at a casual get-together and she just sang a thumri. She was absolutely stunning, and I was like, this voice needs to be listened to on the mic. And when she came to the mic and sang the first words, it was as if somebody had stabbed me with their voice.
Now, if I speak for Nakash, he had been singing other genres and songs till now, and when I sent him the song he was surprised to be called. He has a Marathi song which is his own composition called Bhaybheet and the composition was so beautiful that it was unbelievable for me. So, if someone could compose that beautifully, they were sure to sing it like that as well and this is what I thought back then. I told him that the day I heard Bhaybheet, I just wanted you to sing any kind of this song, and even he was shocked that a Marathi track had reached out to us over here.
Your compositions have often become cult classics, and there's a distinct creative touch in your work. Do you usually enjoy experimenting with your music and trying out new ideas or do you prefer to stick to the basics?
Yes, if we don't experiment, the sound will never be futuristic. I believe that at some point, we will have to bring something new to the table. If we don't do anything new, frankly speaking, we won't even be able to click on social media. Now it’s like this; earlier we used to get CDs, but now we only want “reel songs”. So, we have to focus on that also while composing tracks these days.
How closely did you collaborate with Nilayan Chatterjee (lyricist) for Premer Rong and Moh Sa Laga?
We were working on a film called Khadaan. One day we were very tired and sleeping in the studio. When I composed the song and made a basic track, he suddenly woke up and he was like “What have you made?” I was like is it that bad? He said, no it's very good. I asked if he would write the song. He said, I am ready to give my life to you but you are only asking for lyrics (laughs). Thereon, we started making this song together– Hindi and Bengali, we wrote both together. And trust me when I say this, he has nailed it with the Hindi part.
Did you know that you wanted to make a bilingual song from the beginning or did it come organically with time? Is there a genre you want to explore in the future as a composer?
I was told that the thumri, which is actually a geet and not a thumri, will go nationally and regionally as well. So, I had this thing about making a track that would work nationally and even regionally and from there on we started creating the song. Talking about a genre I want to explore, music like a universe. No matter how much you experiment, it will be less. But yes, my next wish is something classical with rock. It's a different thing. There are many examples already— you can check out Bandish Bandit’s playlist.
On days when you're not composing, what do you usually do to stay grounded and connected to your roots?
I sleep a lot! When I get a break, I go to the mountains. I sit there, I meditate and then I go on with work because that's life. To stay connected, my teacher has taught me a very good thing, it’s that music will come out of you as long as your feet are on the ground. Music is like prayer, you can’t fake it. It depends from person to person but showing off does not create music at its purest form. I try to be as pure as possible.
(By Archisha Mazumdar)