As Rebecca West said, “It is the soul’s duty to be loyal to its own desires.” But very few fulfil this with utmost honesty. However, Kanika Malhotra is one such artist who treads the path of her passion with all heart. Kanika is a professional singer and performer, who has recently come up with her original “Mundeya Ve”. 

Kanika started learning music at a young age of five and since then, she has embraced the world of music, learning and growing with it. Born in New Zealand in an Indian family with no musical background, she has strived and persevered through the years to be the singer that she has evolved to be. She is not only a star performer but plays a charm on everyone with her euphonic voice.

Kanika has grown up in different countries across the world. From New Zealand to Australia and back to India, her life has added many exciting experiences to her journey since the very beginning. Being trained in Hindustani and Western vocals has added to her caliber as a vocalist. Apart from being a vocalist, she has completed grade 5 in piano and grade 8 in violin. 

Starting up as a professional singer was a tough decision for her. Kanika, after completing her graduation from Shri Ram College of Commerce in Economics (Honors), did not instantly take up music professionally. She went through a lot of planning and thorough research about the music industry in India before stepping ahead into the profession. It was then that she took the leap of faith, quit her job and became a full-time artist to follow her dreams. Ever since then, she has never looked back and is more than satisfied with her decision.

Kanika Malhotra is not just a name in the industry, but is an experienced artist too! She counts her US-North America-Canada musical tour with famous singer-rapper Guru Randhawa as the golden opportunity of her life. Apart from him, she has also performed with the likes of Badshah, Papon and Jasbir Jassi. Taking inspiration from Sunidhi Chauhan, a wonderful performer and singer herself, Kanika is determined to move ahead and achieve a lot more in life.

One of the biggest milestones in her musical journey is the release of her first original Hindi-Punjabi music video, titled ‘Mundeya Ve’. Performed by her, the track is a piece of groovy pop music that will bind you to dance to the beats. The upbeat track was co-composed by Kanika and Sukhamrit-Sachin and the lyrics were penned by Siddhant Kaushal.

Artists like Kanika, who have taken a leap of faith, chose risks over certainties of life and worked hard day and night, to fulfill their dreams have proved that great success demands great sacrifices. Kanika’s message to all the artists is to never give up on learning. One can achieve great only when there is a balance of talent and knowledge. Kanika’s journey is indeed an inspiration to the young artists out there paving their way to success.

Creating and producing original musical compositions is an artistic triumph. Music Artists not only create music for themselves, but for us as well. We have music for every single event in our life. Music for our difficulties, for sad and happy days. Music for celebratory and fun days. On tired days, music can relax us. For some, music becomes a better means of communication with oneself and others. Music dominates our life so much. We can never extricate ourselves from some melodies and beats. 

Here are some contemporary Indie musicians, putting together rhythms and lyrics, gifting us original soulful musical compositions.

Phir Miloge Na by JalRaj 

‘Phir Miloge Na’ is a beautiful and emotional piece. An original single by JalRaj (Jalaj and Rajat) the song with its simple yet sincere lyrics is about long-distance relationships. JalRaj created this song from scratch. The two brothers worked on the vocals, lyrics, composition and mixing and mastering on their own. Prolonged physical distance, sometimes oceans apart, between two people, be it family, friends, lovers, is hard. They have delivered this piece in all honesty and truthfulness. Throughout the song, the anxiety yet the hopeful belief that the distance will not ruin the relationship, and the reunion will happen soon, is persistent in the song. It’s a song on faith, promises and love.

Tumhare Aane Se (Reprise) by Ashu Shukla

Ashu Shukla is a singer-songwriter. He released his fifth single, ‘Tumhare Aane Se’ on 2nd July 2021. The song is about the magic of falling in love. It is a blend of chirpy music with idyllic lyrics. Ashu’s vocals are very soothing. With the metaphorical deep lyrics, Ashu earnestly creates that magical aura around us. In his reprise version of the song, he beautifully captures the essence of true feelings with his singing. The song is a work of his passion and his candour. 

Tara by Deepak Rathore 

Deepak wrote and composed ‘Tara’. Just like stars against the dark blanket of the space bring us peace, so does the song ‘Tara’. The lyrics are truly a work of artistic genius. Tara is a song you’d want to listen to after a day of hard work. It is a slow and a relaxed song, yet still moving because of its lyrics. The galaxy metaphors used in the song make the piece even more stellar. The subtle comparison between a broken heart and a shooting star is poetic. 

Mere Yaar by The Local Train

The Local Train is one of the most famous four-member Hindi Rock Band in India. They produce and perform original pieces. ‘Mere Yaar’ is just another of their raw music. Mere Yaar is a song on friendship and togetherness. The Urdu lyrics will remind you of Sir Mirza Ghalib. ‘Mere Yaar’ is deeply poetic, beautiful, and emotional as well. The song weaves around the love and intimacy that is found in friendships. Our friends, with whom we’ve grown up, leaned on and learnt from, hold a special place in our hearts. The Local Train sing the beauty of our profound relationships with our friends.

Trishita sits with her ukulele, and lets words, thoughts, and rhythms come to her. That’s how the Indie singer-songwriter, Trishita Recs, produces her original songs and music. 

Music is indeed one of the most honest ways of self-expression. It is a free, welcoming sphere for both the musician and the listener. Music always gives us respite from gloom and sadness. Indie musicians and singers depict the rawness that we seek. No wonder the Indie industry is currently on the rise. Independent musicians get to sing their inner thoughts and conflicts freely. Their music talks about mental health, love, friendship, loyalty, and can also sometimes be socially and politically critical. This appreciation of music, in its naturalness, also serve multiple projects. 

Trishita has been invested in music for a long time now. Her two most recent releases: ‘Sab Ruk Sa Gaya’, and ‘Tum Mujhe Jaante Ho’, are her original pieces. These self-produced songs, with her talented team, talk about Mental Health and Adoption of Indie Pets. We had a conversation with Trishita and learned about these projects, the motivation behind them, and the processes involved. 

Mental Health

The pandemic has been detrimental to all sections of society in different ways. The social isolation spiralled all of us in a loop of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and hopelessness. Trishita, during the initial lockdown, lost her sense of direction. Forced to be apart from her social group, she went through peak anxiety in those four walls of the house, alone. On talking about the initial lockdown days, she stated that, “Mental Health wise I had already seen the worst”. Consequently, Trishita prepared herself for the second round of lockdown. This preparedness helped Trishita cope with what followed the first wave of Covid-19. As a result, Trishita could clearly understand what many people around and away from her have been and are going through. “I don’t sympathise, I empathise.” and this was the push behind her original piece, ‘Sab Ruk Sa Gaya’.

The song, its lyrics, and the music video reflect Trishita’s own struggles with mental health problems. She has overcome her struggles and braved relaying her vulnerabilities through music. The song is an assurance for struggling people, that they’re heard and it’s okay to ask for help. Both the music and music video are edited and shot with utmost precision. It was a challenging task for her. The music shoot took 12 hours. Even though she portrayed her own character, she had to act and perform realistically, keeping in mind that it should trivialise no one’s lived experiences. That is why it was a taxing task for her, since she didn’t want to tarnish such a sensitive topic. 

Adoption of Indie Animals

‘Tum Mujhe Jaante Ho’ is a single from Trishita’s debut album ‘Khoyi Rahun’ which was released in November, 2020. It is a song for our friends, people we love and cherish, about loyalty and unbreakable bonds. Trishita released a music video under this song on October 10th, 2021. The idea of the music video came to her through her followers on Instagram. Last year, when the song was released, Trishita asked people to tell her who their soulmates were. A lot of people shared their adoption stories. These adoption stories had one common aspect in them: not only how they’ve rescued them, but how their pets have rescued them too, especially during the lockdown. Their pets were the only ones who kept the feelings of loneliness at bay. 

The music video is adorable! The pet owners enjoying with their furry adopted pets is a serotonin boost. More than the visuals of the video, it is about adoption of Indie pets, rescued pets from streets and nearby areas. Naturally bred animals, in need of homes and care-givers, should be prioritised and normalised. ‘Adopt’ instead of ‘Shop’, because pet stores are harbingers of ‘breeding factories’. 

Music for All

Trishita’s amazing team of her friends, with whom she met at an audition, continue to produce soulful songs. Since the last 2 years, Indie singers and musicians are carrying India’s music industry. Trishita stated that, as an artist, she works to carry out two mottos through her songs. First, songs which can relax her listener after a tough and heavy day. Second, songs that make her listeners question something they would have never thought about. Songs which throw light on things that have never been pointed before. I guess, therefore, the Indie sub-genre is growing at such a fast pace. People are consuming and embracing the honesty in the art.

‘Fusion music’ is a well-defined genre now in Bollywood and has taken various shapes with every new generation. The concept of this lively genre of music arose with the introduction of rock music in the late ‘60s. And since then, the combination of classical jazz with rock music elements has been loved worldwide. In fact, most of the music that we enjoy listening to today is the very result of this astounding genre of music.

Taking you all back in time, to the days of evergreen classics and to the decade of ‘60s, when Indo-Jazz music started to bud. This 28^th October, we commemorate the legendary Indian-origin composer, John Mayer, on his 91^st birth anniversary.

John Mayer was a renowned Indian origin Indo-Jazz composer and violinist of the ‘60s decade. He gained fame from his beautiful fusion compositions in Indian classical and jazz music. His compositions made him the most-liked violinist of London in the late 1960’s.

Early Life of Mayer

John Henry Basil Mayer was born on 28^th October, 1930 to an Anglo-Indian father and a Tamil mother in Calcutta. He was born in a middle-class family and did not initially have a hierarchical musical history. Although, Mayer’s interest in music developed at an early age. He studied violin with Phillipe Sandre since he was only seven and later in his teens, with Melhi Metha in Bombay.

Life brought him the greatest opportunity when he won the scholarship to London’s Royal Academy of Music in 1952, which brought him to England. There, he studied music composition and comparative music. Mayer was truly dedicated to becoming a great composer and he did achieve it through his hard work and excellence. He learnt the theoretical aspects of Indian classical music with Sanathan Mukherjee in India and also became a part of jazz bands as a drummer in his youth.

The Journey from A Violinist to A Composer

During the days when he was studying composition in London’s Royal Academy of Music, he professionally started playing violin in London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1953. The year 1958 brought him success as his fusion composition of Indian and western music was premiered for the first time by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. And right after the premiere, he joined the Royal Liverpool Orchestra as a composer.

In the 1960’s, his first fusion album, Indo-Jazz Fusions was released, in which he had worked with the jazz musician, Joe Harriott. The album made Mayer a star in the world of music. Acka Raga, Partita, Contrasts, Multani are a few of his famous compositions from the Indo-jazz Fusion album.

John revived Indo-Jazz Fusions in 1995 after the death of Joe Harriott in 1973. The revived album had a fresh collection of his compositions. Toccata, Capricio, Saraband are some of the most famous etudes composed by Mayer.

Mayer achieved early success in life, but behind his success was his journey of dedication, perseverance and passion for music. His excellence and his willingness to be better marked him extraordinary in the crowd. Mayer passed away in a car accident in London in March 2004, leaving his fans around the globe in tears. A part of him will always be remembered through his rich compositions and will continue to be an idol for several musicians to come.

People with no musical background can also identify the violin as a very complex instrument. Rightfully so, it is indeed one of the most sophisticated stringed musical instruments. Even born geniuses need at least 2-3 years of practicing to master it. The vibrating strings of a violin need to be controlled and plucked precisely. Drawing the bow against the strings produces a reverberating sound. This sound can either be musical, or could also be a screeching unpleasant noise, if not mastered properly. Therefore, the violinist needs to grasp the coordination between the bow and the strings.

The music produced using the violin is peculiarly unique. It develops a heavenly aura around one self. There is, in each vibration of the strings, a deep sensation. The tunes and whistles of the strings are harmonious. It enchants the listeners in its control. Violinists produce all that uncountable music and rhythm with just four strings and a bow! The physics behind violin is surely difficult. I think that is why, for art, human beings really lose themselves in it and reproduce the most beautiful elements of life. Hence, mastering the violin is no less than a commendable artistic achievement.

So, today we present to you passionate and talented violinists. Their blissful covers and compositions depict their insatiable thirst for musicality.

APOORVA KRISHNA 

Apoorva is an Indian classical and contemporary violinist and composer. She has performed over 500 concerts, internationally and nationally. In this video, she presents a piece named ‘Inner Voice’. It is a captivating single from her debut album ‘Intuition’. For Apoorva, music is a medium which brings everyone together in one sphere. Music transcends all language and social barriers. Inner Voice, a deeply moving composition, seeks to unite people.

NANDINI SHANKAR and MAHESH RAGHVAN

Nandini and Mahesh transform the classic ‘Na Manungi’. Originally in Raga Khamaj, they present it as a violin composition of the Thumri genre. This will be especially mesmerizing and soulful for Indian classical music enthusiasts. The entire piece is Indian in its essence. Both the violinists made sure to not deprecate its originality. While we see Nandini playing a traditional wooden violin, Mahesh, on the other hand, is digitally playing the instrument. They represent music in two worlds: traditional and digital. You can see the violinists losing themselves in the waves of the music.

KUSHMITA KC 

For all Lata Mangeshkar fans, this violin cover of ‘Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha’ will be a treat for the ears and the heart. Lata Mangeshkar, the nightingale of India, has set the music standard high. To this day, her songs appeal to so many. Kushmita’s violin conveys the same unquestionable feelings of love. The song and her cover are the same piece, but in a different disguise.

VEDA MITHRA

‘Vaishnav Jan To’ is a Gujarati hymn. It was Gandhi’s favourite song. He mostly sang it before his meetings. The hymn has a historical significance. It was sung during the Dandi March. This Bhajan was on the lips of Gandhi and his followers during the entire walk. Veda Mitra performs an exceptionally moving violin cover of the hymn. The cover is spiritual and devotional. It is possibly the best tribute to Gandhi on his birth anniversary.