In an exclusive chat with The Pioneer, singer-composer Akriti Kakar takes us through the new season of Big Band Theory Season 2: Celebrating Punjab, Mawaan Te Dhiyaan featuring her sisters and mother, her relationship with her mentor, and more.
Amartya Smaran
Guess what? It took the popular singer and composer Akriti Kakar around 10-11 months to pour her heart into making Big Band Theory Season 2: Celebrating Punjab come to life. While the first season showcased renditions of some of the famous existing songs, this season, she says is all about celebrating Punjab with her 5 original compositions with a folk vibe. The show features well-renowned artists like Shaan, Shankar Mahadevan, Nikhita Gandhi, Shashwat Singh, Romy, and Akriti’s mother Nirmal Kakar. Akriti Kakar’s Big Band Theory Season 2: Celebrating Punjab was released on March 10.
“We made songs, scraped them, and made them again till such time that I was 100 percent happy,” avered Akriti talking about her latest endeavor. “We got the best musicians to come and play on each song. The first season consisted of renditions of the existing songs. This season is all about original songs. It is not just the rendition of the existing songs. All the original compositions land up in the folk-inspired hooks.
The songs have been freshly written by wonderful writers and composed by me. It features some incredible artists who I’ve grown up listening to. I’ve idealised them and I’m fortunate to call them my friends now. One of them is Shankar Ji, who’s been my mentor and he’s been a big brother to me since I came to Mumbai. He’s been a guiding light who’s always inspired me. He’s the reason I began composing. He was kind enough to collaborate on one song and he’s taken it to some other magical level. I had to really pull up my socks while I was singing along with him.”
Akriti’s affinity for Folk music is no surprise. She told us that her grandfather would tune into this program every evening and he’d have these audio cassettes that he’d play on repeat. That, she says made folk music such an integral part of her life.
“I’m deeply connected to Punjabi folk songs and folk music has a power like nothing else,” said the Sui ve Sui singer. “Before folk music becomes extinct, we need to keep bringing it back in a way that is respectable and doesn’t distort its form of it. There’s this sanctity that one needs to maintain when one is doing anything around folk.That’s my endeavor.”
The Pioneer asked the Heer singer whether she follows any particular process to compose originals. She replied, “There’s no process mentioned in any book that one can really follow. Music is essentially free-flowing emotions and that’s how it should be.
It doesn’t matter if the tunes come first or the lyrics come first. All that matters is, it should feel right. I wanted to do justice to original folk tunes. I’ve grown up listening to folk tunes and I just didn’t want to mess it up. And I didn’t want people to call it a badly done remix or recreation. For me, the respect for all these songs is right up there and I composed around it and finally landing into these Punjabi folk signatures, it had to sound right. I hope everybody who hears it, likes it.”
The first video of one of the five originals- Mawaan Te Dhiyaan featuring Akriti’s sisters Prakriti Kakar and Sukriti Kakar alongside her mother Nirmal Kakar dropped on YouTube. This is the first time the Akriti sisters have come together and the singer is overcome with joy! “We’ve been waiting for this to happen and it had to happen when my mother Nirmal Kakar collaborated with us. My mother has been a music teacher and she’s done her post graduation from Delhi University. She got married and I was born and she took up a teaching job in Delhi for about 16 years. She loved what she did. Maybe if I was born a little later, she’d have become a performer. I feel like my journey is the way it is because of the sacrifices that my mother and father have made. Had it not been for their support and vision, maybe I’d be doing something else in life altogether. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for my upbringing.”
Speaking of the wonderful relationship that she shares with her mentor, Shankar Mahadevan, Akriti said, “I’ve been lucky that the moment I came to Mumbai, I got the opportunity to be a part of Shakar-Ehsaan-Loy’s band. Even observing him standing in the wings or just doing chorus on Dil Chahta Hai taught me so much. He’d say, “Don’t let the surroundings get to you. Wherever you are, justify your presence there.” Another thing that I learned and try to imbibe in my life is how he prioritises time for his family.
Alongside all the body of work he does, he still manages to give time to his family. That attracts me so much.”
The young singer set a benchmark for herself with Big Band Theory Season 2. “Personally, emotionally, and professionally, this is a bucket list sort of a project”, remarked the Aya Ladiye composer. “One video drops every Friday, which means in five weeks, the whole world would’ve seen our labor of love. We’ve been receiving some great feedback.
It is onwards and upwards from here. Of course, hopefully, a lot of songs for films and a lot of travel and music in general. Here’s hoping this inspires independent artists to not speculate so much. Find your voice, put it out, and see what happens. A lot of people waste time thinking about what’s going to happen. I hope this inspires the girls who would want to compose and release their own music as well,” she signed off.
