People love music everywhere because it often brings people together and makes them happy. The Pioneer is honouring this annual music festival today by talking about music and interacting with some amazing musicians in honour of World Music Day, a special occasion for enjoying music.
SHIKHA DUGGAL
Being a music enthusiast, Dhruv Dhalla’s path from being born into a family of businessmen to becoming one of Bollywood’s most sought-after musicians is very fascinating. He doesn’t need a particular day to groove out to his favourite song, but he thinks World Music Day deserves a little more fun. As he says, let’s celebrate this day with Dhruv. “Melody, lyrics, and emotions, in my opinion, are what make music popular in our nation. We Indians have a tremendous sense of melody in all forms of Indian music. The “mithaas” in the lyrics evoke strong feelings in us. For this reason, in my opinion, nazms and Gazals are returning to mainstream music. It has a powerful tune and mature lyrics in a terrific way.” Folk music and nazms are already ingrained in his way of life. It’s cozy music that makes you feel at home. He considers himself fortunate to have such a wide range of folk music. Although each has a unique theory and style of presentation, their core is what makes them all feel at home. A cover of an old, traditional song doesn’t, in his opinion, do it credit. What defines a song as classic is how it was written, recorded, and produced in the past. “I consider Indian Ocean’s music to be deeply ingrained. They have a lovely way of fusing traditional and folk melodies with straightforward production, which is completely acoustic and has a timeless quality to the music. Even if you have never heard them, you will be able to relate to their sound since it is already a part of who we are. Traditional music is in good hands, with legends like Shankar Mahadevan leading the charge. Every generation will see that art form change as long as it is respected.” His father gave him a keyboard pencil box when he was four years old, which was the beginning of his musical adventure. From then on, as each birthday went by, his obsession with music and his wish to acquire larger keyboards only intensified. In the end, he joined his school band as the keyboard player. The band won multiple awards in interschool music competitions when he was leading them.
In a different conversation with Nikita Gandhi, the music artist says, “The music industry, in my opinion, is currently undergoing an incredibly exciting metamorphosis. It’s an open book and a lot of experimentation is taking place. New artists are emerging, and I think this is a wonderful time to be in the business because there are so many opportunities. I have personally witnessed this over the last few years, as music has become more and more digitalised. Additionally, OTT platforms are starting to emerge.” She believes that due to social media platforms, there are fewer obstacles for aspiring artists to overcome. Having said that, from that perspective, everything new has advantages and disadvantages. As a result, she believes that more and more individuals are creating and releasing music, which presents a difficulty in terms of clutter removal. “Being a well-rounded musician is very important, and we shouldn’t take it lightly. The funny thing is that music is a self-thought process; there is no cheat sheet. It’s also important to put in the effort to learn how things work. Some important things to focus on are probably good quality music, basic production and distribution of music.”
However, by removing limitations in music, Nisschal Zaveri—a Ghazal singer, songwriter, and producer whose songs transport listeners outside of reality—has discovered his voice. On this unique occasion, he shares how music influences his life and what motivates him to infuse his candid remarks with a stunning musical twist! “Hindustani classical music is deeply entwined with the genre of ghazals. The majority of other Indian musical genres have their roots in Hindustani classical music. This is combined with ideas of love and longing, poetry and beauty to create a unique style of music known as ghazal. Ghazals are quite straightforward but contain a lot of depth and meaning, which speaks to people in various ways. Because of this, people still find meaning and resonance in the poetry of Ghalib and Mir, even though it was written a long time ago. People are inundated with information thanks to social media, but they are also exposed to excellent poetry and music that they may not have previously heard or had access to.” The Hindustani classical vocalist also highlighted how we do not have the concept of harmonies in Indian music. Our main tool for labour is melody! The skillful fusion of melody and harmony is one area in which AR Rahman, sir, has excelled. Although he has done it in his own way, there are a gazillion different ways to combine the two. Therefore, enhancing the melody with these notions is a terrific technique to appeal to a wider audience. Another approach is to translate the poem into a language that non-native speakers of Ghazal can understand. Give inventive explanations of it, perhaps using mood or animated films. There are several approaches to audience engagement. ” People have undoubtedly been exposed to previously unheard music and older “gems” that were not easily accessible before, thanks to the digital age. Rare recordings, unheard tunes and interviews. It’s an excellent spot to discover and learn. The drawback is that there are just as many pointless items available. The hardest thing for a musician to do is find steady work and a living wage. On the other hand, making music requires unwavering perseverance and a lot of work. While some may become extremely popular, many people remain dissatisfied. Being a real musician means that your primary attention should be on practicing music as a form of prayer, or sadhana, rather than pursuing fame and glitter as your ultimate objective. Although promoters were hesitant to do ghazal events because Sufi music is selling well these days, things are gradually changing. There will always be highs and lows, but what matters is how you push yourself daily to persevere,” also a tabla player, adds. The young ghazal singer Nisschal started developing the rock-steady foundation of his creative genius at the age of six by training in Hindustani classical vocal and tabla. His musical journey began before he could speak complete sentences! After receiving a tabla as a gift at the age of two, he worked tirelessly to create the soundtrack of his life.
We also have singer Jashan Bhumkar on board with us, for whom music is his heart. He says, “I have an optimistic view, that the music industry right now is a melting pot of opportunity,” on the occasion of World Music Day. ” Digital streaming services have surpassed both physical sales and digital downloads to become the primary means of consuming music. This change has altered how people find, share and make money off of music. Furthermore, independent musicians are increasingly using digital tools to create and release their music, upending the major record labels’ long-standing hegemony. Festivals and live music events are still significant sources of income for musicians. As a musician from India with a strong classical background, I’ve also noticed that listeners are becoming more receptive to a wider variety of music and we’re witnessing a type of comeback for classically influenced tunes like Heeramandi’s several beautiful compositions or Rangi Sari Gulabi Chunariya.” There is a lot of competition because millions of songs are released annually. Effective marketing and promotion techniques are necessary to stand out in a crowded industry, but they may be expensive and time-consuming. Getting gigs and playlist placements, as well as developing a fan following, are essential elements of starting a career. For artists without prior expertise in the industry, navigating contracts, royalties and legal matters may be quite daunting. In his opinion, the best way to go through these obstacles is to be dependable, tenacious and upbeat, or to have sound financial judgment when it comes to your purchases and investments, enabling you to say “no” to chances that don’t align with your values.
