Composer and singer Vipin Patwa’s much-talked-about song ‘Ishq Mera’ falls under the semi-classical genre, which is rare to come by these days. Sung by Pratibha Singh Baghel for the film ‘Bhuj – The Pride of India’, it climbed the charts soon after its release. Vipin, who composes not only for the Hindi film industry but also for indie projects, talks to Metrolife about his latest song, and what goes into making a hit number.
What’s your favourite genre of music?
Every genre has something special to offer. There are different techniques involved in making a song and singing it.
Did your classical background give you an upper hand in the industry?
I did my graduation and post-graduation in classical music. In the music industry, such opportunities (of composing a semi-classical song) come to you only if you have the background. If one is classically trained, one can pick up other genres of music with little effort as the base and understanding of ‘art music’ is already there.
What are your favourite compositions?
As a music director who keeps composing new melodies all the time, it is difficult to pinpoint a single composition. ‘Ishq Mera’ is a little different from what you hear in the mainstream. As a musician who has classical roots, this song is special to me. ‘Matabi Yariyan’ from ‘The Girl on the Train’ is another favourite.
Who did you look up to as a young composer?
Not a single person in particular. I think when one aspires to be an artiste, one should borrow a little from everywhere, but more importantly, one must try to develop and preserve one’s personality in their art. That makes them unique. Aspiring to be like one person shouldn’t be the approach. I followed all the greats when I was young.
What’s the difference between composing for a film and an independent project?
Composing for a film is different from composing independently. You can do your own thing when you working on an independent composition. For films, you have to make bespoke compositions to fit a situation. Accordingly, you have to decide what the tone of the song will be, what instruments you can use during the production, how to convey the message of the song correctly, etc. You have to do a lot of research on the film.