A song for every emotion

Young singer-songwriter Abhilash Gupta believes it is time indie music looked beyond Bollywood musical clichés.

Though he grew up listening to the rosy Bollywood and pop music of the 90s, singer-songwriter-composer Abhilash Gupta was always determined to make music that mirrored real-life situations. This led him to not only compose tunes that are a perfect blend of mainstream Bollywood and indie music, but also encourage his followers on Instagram to talk on a range of serious issues like the anxiety and depression one has to deal with post break-up; the importance of self-love and the stigma of separation or divorce.

His latest project is called ‘Emotional Rationale’ and his first single as part of it, titled ‘Bichadna Zaroori Hai’, has received a lot of praise and views on social media. The Bengaluru-based musician, who has also composed music for two Kannada movies and worked with the likes of Sunidhi Chauhan and Vijay Prakash, spoke to us about his journey and ‘Emotional Rationale’, among other things. Excerpts from an interview

How did you get into music?

I have grown up on Bollywood music. My emotions run high in Hindi and English (laughs). I remember playing ‘antakshari’ as a child where I would be up against the whole family. When I was around four or five years old, I even had a book of songs. People said I have a good voice and my mother made me join Carnatic music classes.

I was always a class topper and pursued engineering from R V College of Engineering, but even during my college days, I would keep taking part in various competitions. I learnt to play different instruments like the guitar, ukulele and keyboard and went on to learn classical Hindustani music as it was important for me as a composer to understand the ‘thehrav’ or delivery of music and expand my improvisational skills.

From software engineering to music, how did the switch happen?

After working as a software engineer for one-and-a-half years, I just didn’t see myself as a techie although I worked with a great team. I started pursuing music fulltime soon after but it was hard for me to get work. The whole industry is riding on money and working under a lot of pressure so you can’t really blame the producers or composers for not giving newcomers a chance.

I started releasing my songs on YouTube and to my luck, the digital media company founded by A R Rahman, liked my work. I also got into employee engagement and used music to engage corporates in team-building activities. I went on to compose music for two Kannada movies — ‘Heegondhu Dina’ and ‘Kushka’ and formed my band ‘Abhilash Gupta Diaries’. I had the privilege of working with Sunidhi Chauhan, who sang two of my songs ‘Sunehra’ and ‘Jhonka Hawa Ka’. For ‘Kushka’, I worked with Vijay Prakash, which was also a great experience. I even sang chorus for KK, Kunal Ganjawala, Zubin Garg and Nikhil D’Souza at live concerts.

But it was Covid that gave me the time to write my own music, polish my skills and look into what I want to deliver.

Tell us about your latest project ‘Emotional Rationale’.

I love mainstream Bollywood, but the way it glorifies love has always bothered me. There are millions who take this ‘mar-mitna’ type of cliched music very seriously. What about the journeys of personal trauma that people go through after a heartbreak; the numerous youngsters who try to commit suicide; the stigma associated with divorce or separation or even dealing with a toxic friend or family member?

These are practical situations that need to be discussed and that’s how ‘Emotional Rationale’ came about. The first song as part of this theme called ‘Bichadna Zaroori Hai’ talks about the importance of separation in toxic relationships. One of my upcoming songs, ‘Sahi Tha Sahi Hai’, is all about exes who are on good terms and meeting after a few years. While another song named ‘Dayara’ is about the boundaries of love. I also ran a campaign on Instagram where I encouraged people to talk about their feelings and emotions.

Who are your influences?

I am one of the biggest fans of KK and am fortunate enough to have worked with him. I also love the music of A R Rahman and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. As a guitarist, I like John Mayer, Harry Styles and Jeremy Zucker. Justin Bieber too has a Midas touch at the moment and I love all of his latest songs.

What are your future plans?

Right now, the plan is to just make more music and shift to Mumbai since my music is in Hindi. In the long run, if I could make a tiny change in terms of how people understand the concept of love and life, I will be thrilled. Music has been there for me during my difficult times and I hope my music does the same for others.