Known for their chart-topping hits like ‘Nasha,’ Faridkot’s EP ‘Ibtida’ signifies a fresh start for the band post the challenges of the Covid pandemic. With tracks like ‘Ek Samay,’ ‘Tu Dass Kivein,’ ‘Main Na Jaanu Kyun’ featuring Jubin Nautiyal, ‘Chhad Ke Na Jaa’ featuring Raghav Chaitanya, and ‘Aadatein,’ this five-track EP is a harmonious blend of soulful melodies and captivating lyrics.
In their pursuit to redefine Desi Rock-Pop music, Faridkot has never shied away from experimentation, always striving to forge deeper connections with their audience through their distinct sound. Their latest EP ‘Ibtida,’ produced by the visionary Bhushan Kumar, is a testament to their commitment to crafting music that resonates with the heart and soul of their listeners.
The dynamic pop-rock duo comprising IP Singh and Rajarshi Sanyal shed more light about their album, highlighting the journey of creating it, collaborating with other artists and more, in an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha.
Here are the excerpts:
Can you tell us about the vision behind ‘Ibtida’ and why you chose this title for your EP?
IP Singh: The vision behind Ibtida was mainly to club a bunch of songs that really represent our current state of mind and how we are feeling and what we feel is a lot of gratitude, love, and newness. So that’s what we wanted to encapsulate in this EP and that’s why we named it Ibtida.
What makes this EP a ‘celebration of music marking new beginnings’ for Faridkot after the pandemic?
IP Singh: It is a celebration of new beginnings, not just for Faridkot, but for the whole world. In the sense that the whole world has reset after the pandemic. As for us, releasing a bunch of songs together was very exciting and something that we felt was a new start for us.
So that’s another reason as to why we named it Ibtita.
You’ve collaborated with artists like Jubin Nautiyal and Raghav Chaitanya for this EP. How did these collaborations come to be, and what was the experience like working with them?
IP Singh: It’s been amazing. First of all, I want to give a shout out to T-Series for always being so encouraging and always bringing up new ideas; in fact, Raghav was a recommendation from Sonal from the T-Series team. And she’s always been extremely supportive. As for Jubin, we had this idea of ‘Main Na Jaanu Kyun’, and we thought Jubin’s voice would be perfect for it, and that’s how we happen to collaborate with the both of them. And as for our experience working with them, it was completely different but amazing at the same time. Jubin is a babaji; he is a calm and centered person, and he brought calmness to ‘Main Na Jaanu Kyun’, and Raghav, on the other hand, is a playful, full of life, very expressive person, and that’s the sweet madness that he got to ‘Chhad Ke Na Jaa’ that no one else could have.
What were the early days like for Faridkot, and how did participating in Channel V’s ‘Launchpad’ in 2009 shape the trajectory of your career?
IP Singh: Early days were actually very amazing; we got selected in a radio competition, so we were playing all over radio. Then we went to the Channel V Launchpad and We were on national TV, and since then, there’s been no looking back. It definitely helped our career as it gave us a platform. It made us reach out to the whole country. I think it is because of these two things that people have always remembered Faridkot, and we have sort of created a legacy, and we just want to keep making music.
Your music beautifully blends rock, pop, and Punjabi folk. Can you discuss the process of fusing these diverse genres? How do you balance maintaining traditional sounds with contemporary music?
IP Singh: It’s in our name, ‘Confused Pop’. We always want to do something new. We want to stay relevant. We want to use the current sounds and we absolutely admire our Indian roots and the music and instruments that have been used here. It’s our wish and our attempt to always fuse the two because both of them are such strong mediums, and if we can merge them both and create something new, relevant, and fresh, then why not?
Each band member comes from a different musical background. How do these diverse influences come together in your songwriting and composing process?
IP Singh: Raj has grown up listening to a lot of Bengali folk. He has listened to a lot of western music, rock and roll, and a lot of blues. I grew up listening to a lot of ghazals, a lot of Punjabi music, and a lot of Bollywood music. So, it’s obvious that when we both sit down and make music, all these influences just reflect, and it’s these contrasting sensibilities that come out and create something new and different.
How do you prepare for major festivals and performances, such as the NH7 Weekender or any other musical festivals?
IP Singh: We just practice, we spend time with the band over meals, and we just keep happy vibes between all of us. There are only two things that we need to do to make sure the show goes well. One is that we are well prepared, well-rehearsed, and the second is that we are well fed and in a great mood, and that’s what we try to do.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who look up to Faridkot for inspiration in their own careers?
IP Singh: I would say: know what you want from your music. know how the music industry works. If you have made it a business, then you have to understand the nitty-gritty nuances of it being a business, and don’t try to copy anyone. Don’t try to be someone, just keep your head down, keep working on your music, and figure out how you can make a business out of it. Keep it absolutely real, and understand where you are and where you want to be. And then just work with a lot of purity in your heart, and everything starts falling into place.
Could you share some insights into the songwriting and production process for ‘Ibtida’?
How do you decide which direction a song or an EP will take musically and lyrically?
Rajarshi Sanyal: Actually, there is no definite way to decide which direction of the song we are supposed to take, because, as you know, the good part about independent music is that it’s free from fulfilling requirements, like how it has to fit a certain context, like a film or OTT. So, one of the most important things for me is that I like to let the song speak to me as I am approaching it. I try different sounds on it to see what is working, rather than giving it a predetermined direction. At the end of the day, I feel like a musician’s personality is not only collaborating with other musicians, but it’s also collaborating with music itself. What kind of sounds should I be using, or what kind of sounds are sounding good, in an EP like this. I keep it completely free from any kind of predetermined notion of how I want it to sound. Of course, it’s the sound of the EP that is a reflection of the kind of headspace that one is in at any point in time. That usually happens when you are writing independent music. It reflects a phase in your life, and for me, I think I have reached a point where I am very much at peace and very comfortable with who I am and what I feel about being a musician.
Are there specific themes or messages you aim to convey to your listeners through ‘Ibtida’? How do these reflect in songs like ‘Ek Samay’ and ‘Tu Dass Kivein’?
Rajarshi Sanyal: Of course, the message is there in the lyrics; both songs are a lot about love. But I also think it’s about love for everything. Love for a human being, love for people, love for nature, or love for good moments in your life. At times, there are moments in your life that show you how amazing the world is. I am always happy that I do music, there is a lot of love that I feel about existence in general. These are the kinds of themes that inevitably get transferred into the music. Like ‘Ek Samay’ ‘Tu Dass Kivein’, they are both very peaceful songs. They do reflect my current state, where I am in life, and music.
How have your musical influences and personal experiences shaped the sound and style of ‘Ibtida’?
Rajarshi Sanyal: Music influences are inevitably a big part of how one composes the song and the kind of sounds we are using. It’s really interesting. I think in my early twenties, I was someone who could not have a second of my life without music. I would sleep with music on, I would wake up in the morning, and I would like some tunes playing in the background. Now I think it’s different, now I barely listen to music. I listen to some songs that I come across, and they sound really interesting. It’s really funny how I think listening to music has really become a very tiny part of my life, and somewhere, I end up making more music instead. So I am very happy about it. Personal experiences definitely reflect in my music, and one thing that really influences my music is art. It’s painting, films, that kind of art. I really love art. My whole house is filled with paintings, and I think for me they have been a very powerful source of music because I am an untrained musician, and have learned music mostly on my own. All other art forms influence me a lot when I am working on a piece of music.
The music video for ‘Main Na Jaanu Kyun’ features Abigail Pande and Sanam Johar. How do you believe the visual elements contribute to the storytelling of your music?
Rajarshi Sanyal: Visual elements definitely contribute a lot because they provide perspective. We would like our listeners to take that as a little gift that we are giving them with music. People always inevitably have their own visual or storytelling from a song that they hear. Even while growing up, I used to listen to music on cassettes because there was no internet to watch music videos, and I used to form my own thoughts and visuals about the music I would be listening to. And then I would see the music video later, and I would think, ‘Oh, that’s a cool video’, but not what I was thinking. Visual elements help; they are just fun. I think it’s beautiful, our music video was shot beautifully. What both IP and I loved about the music video was the way they showed the experience of love in ‘Main Na Jaanu Kyun’. Where a woman is paralyzed and the boy is thinking about how much he loves her, and he just doesn’t know why. It’s incredible, We did not see this coming, and IP and I always come to tears by the end of the video.
Can your fans expect to see Faridkot live in concert soon? Are there any plans for a tour to promote ‘Ibtida’?
Rajarshi Sanyal: Yes, we are planning on a tour, we are just working out the details. We are now just waiting for the election frenzy to die down a bit. It’s an intense time for the country, as the big elections are here. Immediately after that, we are thinking of doing a tour. We love touring, and we love playing our songs for people. And yes, we also have our album, which we’ll also be promoting during the tour.
Faridkot, you’ve created a distinct sound you describe as ‘Confused Pop’. Can you elaborate on how this genre was conceived and how it has evolved over the years?
Rajarshi Sanyal: There’s no real story about how the genre was conceived, because everybody keeps asking us about genres. And I personally hate genres. I feel that when I was growing up, I would be listening to Metallica, Pink Floyd, Cradle of Filth, or Mohammed Rafi, and there was no way I could pick what genre of music I liked or what genre of music I wanted to listen to. For me, it was, if I like the music, I like the music. So, I think that’s what we thought about. We make pop music because pop music is definitely the biggest draw and because pop music changes with time. The pop music of the 60s was very different from the pop music of the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s, and so on and so forth. It is a very adaptable form of music, which is why we love pop music. If you listen to our songs over the years that we’ve been around, we’ve explored all kinds of genres because calling ourselves pop was definitely the way to make sure that we were experimenting all the time, and yeah, because we weren’t really sure why it was called pop music. I think we came up with the term confused pop. We were very amused by it because people would keep asking us, what music, what genre of music, is it Sufi, is it this, is it that? We’re like, we’re confused, pop, we don’t know.
What was your reaction when you guys were approached to recreate Jeda Nasha for An Action Hero? Was there skepticism or nervousness among the band members? Since the original song itself was so powerful,?
Rajarshi Sanyal: We were happy that a song we made was being used for a film; that song was very close to our hearts. We loved making it. We loved the experience of collaborating, and honestly, as a musician, of course, it’s like a part of you is like, Yeah, why? Why tamper with a song that people are loving so much? But then, honestly, we have always been looking forward, and we were very excited because Nasha was already three years old by the time it blew up. So it was a pretty pleasant experience, and people are loving it so much that a film wants to use it. So yeah, I mean, there was, but I don’t think we were in a position to feel nervous or skeptical about it. We were fine, and why not? Music is for everybody. And if there’s a recreation of a song of ours, there’s nothing. I mean, we don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.
