<p>His dingy recording studio is his entire universe. Lost in the world of music, singer-composer Amit Trivedi is a man of few words, but once he starts talking about his tunes, he doesn’t stop. Having started his career with a non-commercial film like Dev D, Amit slowly rose to the top by bagging a National Award for Queen. The artiste believes that his talent and hard work in the last decade has paid off, and he is now open to experimenting with newer technologies and compositions. <br /><br />Non-commercial take<br /><br />When Amit made his foray into the music industry, he didn’t have any godfather or mentor. It was his sheer talent and luck that paved the way for his music. “I was into advertising, creating jingles and the like. My friend Shilpa Rao noticed my work and introduced me to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who gave me my first break with Dev D.”<br /><br />Interestingly, Amit has had no formal training in music, but says it was his inborn talent. “I have inherited musical genes from my mother, who is a singer. I started composing in school and college, and she would love my compositions. Way back in the 1990s, when I started working on ad films, she would tell me that some day I would be compared to A R Rahman. Her instincts were so strong that it has become true today.” <br /><br />Amit says his journey in Bollywood was not a cakewalk, as he had to face stiff competition. “After Dev D, I did Aamir but I was jobless for eight months after that. I had decided to quit the industry altogether and find a regular job. People didn’t like my compositions, as my tunes did not fit into the commercial genre. I approached Ehsaan Noorani from the Shankar Ehsaan Loy team and Salim Merchant for a job as an arranger. They were more than happy to accommodate me, and they believed in my talent,” he says. <br /><br />It was the song ‘Iktaara’ from Ayaan Mukerji’s Wake Up Sid that made the industry sit up and take notice of this young talent. The appreciations and awards followed with films including Udaan, Kai Po Che!, No One Killed Jessica, Ishaqzaade, English Vinglish, Lootera and Queen. “The awards have not stopped pouring in since,” says Amit, adding, “Now I am content and the accolades have motivated me to create better and fresher music. I want to compose something new every day and give listeners something out-of-the-box.”<br /><br />Trippy tunes<br /><br />Amit draws his inspiration from music of the 1960s and 1970s. “I have grown up listening to Pink Flyod, Beatles, Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi. Unfortunately, that magic has faded now. After the 1990s revolution set in, music channels invaded the entertainment scene, and now we have different apps on cellphones, also the internet. We are exposed to more than 200 songs a month. Although the consumption has increased, quality of music has suffered,” he informs.<br /><br />Speaking about the pressures of meeting deadlines, he says, “Sometimes we are pressurised by the producers, directors and stars, but I don’t mind their involvement since it has its own perks. All of us have to compromise at some point. But there are times when I put my foot down, when it comes to creative liberties,” says the 37-year-old.<br /><br />“My upcoming films are with Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. They are pretty chilled out. Aamir sits and discusses my compositions and also gives his inputs. I have not worked with Salman Khan so far, but he’s one of the nicest human beings in the industry. Though our sensibilities are different, I hope I get to work with him someday,” he adds.<br /><br />Amit’s latest film Udta Punjab is already making waves. “Since it’s a dark and edgy film, I had a lot of scope to experiment. I have tried trippy tunes, used trans music and rap in the compositions. I have also introduced a new voice in the film. I got Babu Haabi to sing for Shahid Kapoor’s character Tommy, who is a rock star. I have tried to push the envelope with these tunes,” he explains.<br /><br />Unfortunately, despite his many hits, Amit has also had three box-office duds including Bombay Velvet, Shandaar and Fitoor. “There have been disasters, but I have moved on and I am working equally hard. I try to reinvent myself at every stage. But the day I feel I am not enjoying work anymore, I will take the time off to reflect.”</p>
<p>His dingy recording studio is his entire universe. Lost in the world of music, singer-composer Amit Trivedi is a man of few words, but once he starts talking about his tunes, he doesn’t stop. Having started his career with a non-commercial film like Dev D, Amit slowly rose to the top by bagging a National Award for Queen. The artiste believes that his talent and hard work in the last decade has paid off, and he is now open to experimenting with newer technologies and compositions. <br /><br />Non-commercial take<br /><br />When Amit made his foray into the music industry, he didn’t have any godfather or mentor. It was his sheer talent and luck that paved the way for his music. “I was into advertising, creating jingles and the like. My friend Shilpa Rao noticed my work and introduced me to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who gave me my first break with Dev D.”<br /><br />Interestingly, Amit has had no formal training in music, but says it was his inborn talent. “I have inherited musical genes from my mother, who is a singer. I started composing in school and college, and she would love my compositions. Way back in the 1990s, when I started working on ad films, she would tell me that some day I would be compared to A R Rahman. Her instincts were so strong that it has become true today.” <br /><br />Amit says his journey in Bollywood was not a cakewalk, as he had to face stiff competition. “After Dev D, I did Aamir but I was jobless for eight months after that. I had decided to quit the industry altogether and find a regular job. People didn’t like my compositions, as my tunes did not fit into the commercial genre. I approached Ehsaan Noorani from the Shankar Ehsaan Loy team and Salim Merchant for a job as an arranger. They were more than happy to accommodate me, and they believed in my talent,” he says. <br /><br />It was the song ‘Iktaara’ from Ayaan Mukerji’s Wake Up Sid that made the industry sit up and take notice of this young talent. The appreciations and awards followed with films including Udaan, Kai Po Che!, No One Killed Jessica, Ishaqzaade, English Vinglish, Lootera and Queen. “The awards have not stopped pouring in since,” says Amit, adding, “Now I am content and the accolades have motivated me to create better and fresher music. I want to compose something new every day and give listeners something out-of-the-box.”<br /><br />Trippy tunes<br /><br />Amit draws his inspiration from music of the 1960s and 1970s. “I have grown up listening to Pink Flyod, Beatles, Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi. Unfortunately, that magic has faded now. After the 1990s revolution set in, music channels invaded the entertainment scene, and now we have different apps on cellphones, also the internet. We are exposed to more than 200 songs a month. Although the consumption has increased, quality of music has suffered,” he informs.<br /><br />Speaking about the pressures of meeting deadlines, he says, “Sometimes we are pressurised by the producers, directors and stars, but I don’t mind their involvement since it has its own perks. All of us have to compromise at some point. But there are times when I put my foot down, when it comes to creative liberties,” says the 37-year-old.<br /><br />“My upcoming films are with Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. They are pretty chilled out. Aamir sits and discusses my compositions and also gives his inputs. I have not worked with Salman Khan so far, but he’s one of the nicest human beings in the industry. Though our sensibilities are different, I hope I get to work with him someday,” he adds.<br /><br />Amit’s latest film Udta Punjab is already making waves. “Since it’s a dark and edgy film, I had a lot of scope to experiment. I have tried trippy tunes, used trans music and rap in the compositions. I have also introduced a new voice in the film. I got Babu Haabi to sing for Shahid Kapoor’s character Tommy, who is a rock star. I have tried to push the envelope with these tunes,” he explains.<br /><br />Unfortunately, despite his many hits, Amit has also had three box-office duds including Bombay Velvet, Shandaar and Fitoor. “There have been disasters, but I have moved on and I am working equally hard. I try to reinvent myself at every stage. But the day I feel I am not enjoying work anymore, I will take the time off to reflect.”</p>
