Songs of hope and love

Bengaluru-based two-piece band ‘Aural Mural’, comprising husband-wife duo Sneha Sundaram and Bharath Bevinahally,  has been nominated for the Global Peace Song Awards for their song, titled ‘When The Silence is Broken' under the ‘Music Video category’.

Sneha holds a Master’s degree from The London School of Economics and has dabbled in the corporate sector before she decided that music was her true calling. Bharath too gave up a lucrative corporate career to plunge into music full time.

After establishing ‘Octavium’, an academy, studio and performance space on Bannerghatta Road, Sneha and Bharath formed ‘Aural Mural’ to celebrate music and say that it’s the simple things that they see around them, that inspire them to make music. In an interview with Nina C George, they talk about their journey thus far.  

Did you expect to get nominated for the Global Peace Song Awards?

Sneha: Not really. We came across a post about the Global Peace Song Awards on Facebook, sometime last year and were inspired by the intention behind the awards — which is to create awareness about the power of music to inspire and spread peace. We decided to take a chance and enter our song, ‘When The Silence is Broken’ under the ‘Music Video category’.

Bharath: This was our maiden effort, recording in the studio and shooting a video. So it was definitely a pleasant surprise to receive the nomination. We are especially excited because there aren’t many other Indian contenders, and our category also has some Grammy Award winners who’ve been nominated.

What inspired you to write the song?

Sneha :  I was deeply disturbed by the increasing incidents of all kinds of abuse around the world. I began writing this song as a way of expressing my pent up anger against the perpetrators of abuse. However, when I finished writing the song, I realised that there is no point in making people angrier. ‘When The Silence is Broken’ is written to spread the message of hope and love as a response to the helplessness and anger experienced by survivors of abuse.

Bharath: The video of the song brings together positive messages which was crowd-sourced from people across the world, including places like Bulgaria, Vietnam, Latvia, London and of course, different cities in India.

Is making original music the way forward?

Sneha :  Well, writing one’s own music is incredibly gratifying for any musician. We have a wonderful support system at Octavium and it’s always a treat to be bouncing off ideas with talented musicians. As a band, we draw influences from a variety of genres.

Bharath: Making our own music brings out the best in us. As musicians and composers, it’s a creatively satisfying process to see an idea taking shape and turning into something that can move people.

What inspires you to make music?

Sneha :  I am a trained Western classical singer and enjoy listening to everything from old school jazz to contemporary musicians like ‘Hiatus Kaiyote’ and ‘Snarky Puppy’. Therefore, we draw inspiration from everything and anything.

Bharath: Growing up, I was taught Carnatic violin by some incredible teachers, and though I’ve branched out, my foundations and thinking are still shaped by my upbringing. Listening to different forms of music over the years has shaped my musical thinking. What one observes in life, is what shapes their expression. This is true with our music.

How competitive is the world of music?

Sneha :  I never thought of this as a competition. My focus is to learn, explore and
experiment in this musical journey. One just has to stay focussed and things will
unfold in the most unexpected way.

Bharath: I prefer to focus on being the best musician that I can, making music that I love. Once, we have a considerable body of work, with the right amount of marketing, then we will reach the appropriate
audience.