Bollywood music producer, composer, and content creator Mayur Jumani, who has been creating waves with his one-of-a-kind musical videos, gets candid with The Pioneer over an exclusive chat, discussing one of his most viral videos, his journey, creating music with maestros, and a lot more.
Tejal Sinha
Ekdum Krishna Lage Che, remember the video of Radhika Merchant that went viral, and then there was a version that certainly didn’t fail to bring a smile to your face? Well, it was Mayur Jumani who created the version from his ‘Jamnagar Universe’. That’s what he captioned the video as: wink.
This video was his personal favourite too. “The hook and the flute melody go so well together. Secretly, I’ve been playing the video from my own account so many times.” A versatile music producer and composer, Mayur Jumani is renowned for his eclectic creations and meme mixes that resonate with audiences worldwide! With hits like Jalebi Baby 90’s version, Babu Babu, Kesariya Tony Kakkar Version, and Chori Patata Hai, Mayur has carved a niche for himself in the music industry.
A former engineer and UX designer he has been playing the piano since he was five. Today, as he looks back on his journey in this exclusive chat with The Pioneer, he recalls, “It’s almost been like a roller coaster ride. When I started with music, I had no idea this would become my career. Little did I know that an introverted person like me could do so much on social media.”
He graduated from Berklee College of Music and is now known for making innovative and interesting audio-based content for social media. He has collaborated with the major music production houses in India and has released several commercial and Bollywood songs. Pursuing music production as his career came pretty late in his life. “I graduated as a computer engineer and then worked for 2 years at an IT company, all while considering music as my hobby,” gleefully enthuses the music artist. “One day I reached my workplace early and started browsing some new music on YouTube.”
That’s when he stumbled upon the Jiya Jale cover by the Berklee Indian Ensemble. It suddenly hit him, and “I would rather be out there with them doing what I love. This job had its perks, but there was no feeling of fulfillment. I knew there was so much more I could do with my musical skill set. So I decided to apply at Berklee. Since music and technology were my two core strengths, this master’s degree was best suited for me.”
Berklee—more than academics—was the experience that he really counted upon—the collaborations, the time spent with the faculty, and the exposure to a different culture as well.
Looking back at the opportunities that Valencia brought in for him, he recalls, “Honestly, I do feel that people out there are much more open to innovation; at least that’s what I felt 7 years ago. I had created a very unique live set where I mixed electronic music with live instruments, which I performed and was loved both in Valencia and L.A. I remember performing at one of the biggest clubs in L.A. called Avalon Hollywood, where the crowd went crazy.”
In 2017, when he came back to India, he played the same set at a small bar near Carter Road, where he recalled, “A few people came up to me and said, “Bhai Rashke Qamar baja na. Of course, a lot has changed now, but I credit my time abroad for giving me the confidence to think outside the box.”
Having always had this thing where any sound he heard, his brain started putting it in rhythm, ironically, these mashups on social media were never part of his plan. In 2019, “I bagged my first ever Bollywood movie as a composer. I thought, finally, people would start to know me, and I’d get more opportunities when suddenly the lockdown happens. The whole world goes into a gloomy state, and I, being the fun, happy-go-lucky person I am, took it upon myself to entertain the audience. I was only doing this for the few thousand followers I had back then. Surprisingly, the first ever mashup I created crossed a million views, and that’s when I knew I was on to something.”
With all of this, his only aim was to entertain people during the lockdown. Little did he know that his career would take the opposite route, where he started with Bollywood and then ended up being a content creator.
His crossovers have in fact made memes go more viral, and to this end, he expresses, “Honestly, I just make whatever I feel will bring a smile to people’s faces. I’m very grateful to everyone for sharing my videos. It feels great when someone comments or DMs me, saying my video has made their day or has changed their mood. I never pick up any dialogue or memes because they have the potential to go viral. I pick the ones that I know will sound good with some music and will bring a smile to people’s faces.”
Not only this, but he has also collaborated with the Shark Tank India and the Master Chef India too. Recalling the ‘Sharks’ video that had been all over the platforms, he shares, “The video with Shark Tank was honestly one of my most creatively satisfying videos yet. I actually had only 2 days to create the track, and somehow the composition, lyrics, recording, and production were done within those 2 days. I have always admired the show, the sharks, and the time we were on set; everything went so smoothly. They were all very sporting and open to spending time and effort to make this video come to life.”
A lesser-known fact: “People might not know this, but my first ever viral video happened all the way back in 2015. It was a live remix I made with a GoPro on my head, like I’ve been doing during the lockdown. But I made the mistake of not following up with more content and lost that opportunity. This time, I made sure to grab that opportunity and make the most of it. The main problem with people making mashups like this is people’s interest in you as a person. They’re usually following you for your content, not you. It took me a while to showcase my personality, but now that I see so many followers converting into loyal fans, it feels great.”
Recently, he has also made a one-minute song, Whistle, with his friend Nick; you know him as Beyounick. “I had just started working on original music and came up with this catchy tune. When I played it to my friends, they all said this should be the first song that I release since it perfectly suits my personality. Finishing the song, the music video, and the release all happened within 2-3 weeks, and the response was amazing.”
He has also collaborated with multiple musical maestros, including Kailash Kher, Vishal Dadlani, and Anu Malik. An overwhelmed Mayur shares, “My first interactions with Vishal and Kailash Sir happened long back when I did a few projects for them. I love to go overboard with my videos, especially when there are some celebrities involved. One of my favourite videos is the one I did with Kailash Sir, where I mashed up his song with the Wes Anderson trend. With Anu Malik, we made a new version of his song Garam Chai, and to everyone’s surprise, we shot at a local chai tapri. My collaboration with Sunil Shetty has to be the most fun I’ve had since initially he was not sure about rapping, but once he heard the final version, he said, “Badshah shouldn’t feel bad listening to this.”
Bollywood, OTT, or even independent release, Mayur looks forward and aims to create good music and share it with the world.
