Vasu Dixit: ‘I always want to reinvent myself’

Vasu Dixit is known for making music with a difference. In an interview, B S Manu Rao asks the musician-composer about what lies ahead for him in 2023.

This is the 20th year of your band Swarathma. How has the journey been?

It has been a fulfilling and adventurous journey, both as an artiste and as a human being. Whatever I have learnt musically and otherwise is always linked to my band. There have been smaller successes and challenges in the journey. I have met many musicians and parted ways with others. Everyone has taught me something. Especially my bandmates, with whom I learn, fight, and grow every day.

What’s in the offing for Vasu Dixit Collective in 2023?

I have been working with a couple of wonderful musicians to bring in electronic and modern elements, blending them with folk and raw sounds. I always want to reinvent myself and experiment as an artiste without worrying about what will work or not work.

What about your music strikes a chord with the listeners?

My interest has always been in what we say with the music we create. Being an art student, I believe that it has to do with something within or be about the things happening around us. An artiste has to be sensitive and vulnerable to let things affect him and then allow it to be expressed through his art. When we are true in that expression, listeners will tune into that frequency. We stay away from ‘trends’.

Will you foray into movies in 2023?

It has always been my dream to make a feature film. I have been working on a pet project called ‘PaDa Project’, which is a docu-series on the lives, culture, and occupation of tribal and folk musicians across India. This is where the filmmaker and the musician in me meet without any conflict. The series is on my YouTube channel — I would love to take it to an OTT platform so that it can reach more viewers.

Does your music convey a message to society?

Through Swarathma and Vasu Dixit Collective, I have presented social or philosophical messages with a twist of fun and satire. We need to entertain the audience, but we can do a little more as responsible humans. In the collective, I try to work with the words of saint poets, which already convey deep life messages.

Vasu Dixit will perform at Bhumika Club event on December 17, 3 pm, at Indiranagar Club. For details and registration, log on to bit.ly/dhbhumikaclub