Bending genres, creating timeless music

Rising Star

Though he stayed aloof from prominence in the music industry, Amit Trivedi continued doing what he does best -- create music for some of the most critically acclaimed films in the last few years.

He started off with Bollywood in 2004, but has been most noticed for his songs in Udaan, Aamir and DevD. From there on, he has been on the top of the charts. His songs won him so many listeners that the new age off-beat musician-cum-singer has been called the new AR Rahman by leading publications.

According to him ‘being called Rahman feels great’, but he would rather like to have an individual identity. “I love him (Rahman) but comparing me with him is all kiya dhara (responsibility) of the media. I think that I make my own kind of music.”

Trivedi is modest about his fan following and the new starry image. He tells Metrolife, “I would have been happy even if I never made songs for Bollywood. I would like to be independent sooner or later and want to explore more avenues like Coke Studio, MTV unplugged and Dewarists.”

He says, “I wanted to be a musician for the love of music. I never considered the success or failure of my music; I made it because I believed in it. So when I began, I didn’t think about how successful I wanted to be. My only hope is that my music is loved by everyone. With films you get restricted to one kind of music.”

Speaking of Trivedi’s compositions, DevD songs took the Bollywood songs tradition to a different realm with songs like Pardesi and Nayan Tarse. “For me, it is all about instinct. Before I choose a film, I read the script and try to understand the world of the film and director’s vision. If I find the script exciting then I go ahead and make music for it,” he
adds determinedly.

Being a visualiser by nature he spends as much time in deciding the singers for his composition.“Casting singers is as difficult a task as casting for a film. I do not like to compromise on my music and I spend a lot of time in deciding the singers as well,” says the humble maestro.

“With new filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane coming up, musicians are able to experiment with the new kind of music. But experimental music is still at a nascent stage and Bollywood has a long way to go,” he tells Metrolife.

The singer has explored genres like no other musician of his day and age has, having composed jazz for Bombay Velvet, folk music like Badri Badariya, he has transgressed and bent many genres. He should be called a risk taker when he decided that he would only do those films in which he wouldn’t have to curb his enthusiasm.

This year’s list for Trivedi is long, with Shaandar, Udta Punjab already set to release and Milan Talkies, Bhavesh Joshi and Akira in its pre and post production stage. News has it that Udta Punjab’s music is a lot of rap.

“I do a lot of research for my music and this rap will not be what you have usually heard by Honey Singh or Bohemia. It will be different,” he says.

With the long line of films awaiting him, the composer is not deterred with the pressure and says, “Right from when a script is given to me, I make sure that I dedicate enough time to do justice to the director and the film. It is all about managing my work schedule, so I never take on more projects than I can handle.”Trivedi will be performing at Close Up First Move event on August 19 at JNawaharlal Nehru Stadium, I pm onwards.