JOIN USThe city-based band ‘Perfect Strangers’ started out as any other band by playing covers. Soon creativity struck and the band started dishing out originals. The group is currently working on its album.
The members Raphael Emileenaa, Pranav DM, Debjeet Basu, Steve Rajan, Prashanth Gnanamuthu and Preran Pramod Gulvady aim to present their personal tales to the audience in the most melodic and captivating way possible. In a candid chat with Tini Sara Anien, Debjeet, Raphael and Pranav talk about their musical journey.
Has your music changed over the years?
Debjeet: Our lineup has changed a few times and the music has also changed accordingly, though slightly. We started off by playing classic rock covers but have slowly moved on to blues, jazz and R‘n’B.
How would you define your music?
Raphael: The USP of our music is that we do not stick to any genre. Some songs are progressive, there will be a bit of jazz in others and one can find R‘n’B sprinkled in another. Which is why our songs don’t sound the same. Don’t be surprised if you hear a jazz-rock based original followed by a peppy pop-rock cover tune.
What is distinct about your music?
Debjeet: What will really strike you are the well-executed instrumental passages and the multi-part vocal harmonies that gives the band a unique sound.
Artistes who have influenced the band.
Pranav: Most bands have a two-guitar setup for the rhythms section. We have a guitar and a keyboard in the rhythm section. This is why we are influenced by bands like ‘Toto’, ‘Rush’, ‘Journey’ and ‘Deep Purple’.
Where do you derive inspiration from?
Debjeet: Our music is derived from personal experiences and our songs are slices of life itself. Our song ‘Selfie’ is about people’s obsession with social media and the irony of a selfie — how is a ‘selfie’ a true reflection of how one is? Our song ‘Walk on’ is about the queer community and the experiences they goes through. It is in support of the community.
Tell us about your new album.
Raphael: Our newest album will mostly be titled ‘Perfect Strangers’ and will have seven originals. Some of the songs are ‘Selfie’, ‘Walk On’, ‘Just For Gigs’, ‘Breaking Away’ and ‘Valerie’ — all of which are personal accounts. We wanted to know if people wanted us to come out with an album, so we have tried crowdfunding it through ‘Fueladream’, which is going really well.
Does crowdfunding help in making music popular?
Pranav: It worked well for us. We have been able to raise around
Rs 4 lakh in just 13 days. Crowdfunding brings in a sense of ownership and also creates a buzz in the music scene. We have also seen people expressing an interest in collaborating with
us. But there is a lot of effort involved in crowdfunding. We did a pitch view which went viral. Crowdfunding needs a lot of homework.
A funny incident that happened on stage.
Debjeet: Once when we were on stage, the keyboard player and I played the wrong chord together. Thankfully, it happened on the same time so it didn’t appear to be a blooper.
Things you remind yourself when on stage...
Debjeet: We always tell ourselves that every gig is about the audience. We remind ourselves not to be too self-indulgent.