'Bollywood music is a different ballgame'

Avik Lahiri plays music to satiate his soul and let the world hear what is going on in his mind. A music composer and freelance artiste, Avik is proud that music has helped him find his versatility because of the collaborations he's been part of. Though he has shared the stage with such great singers as Arijith Singh, Kumar Sanu and Abhijeet, the humble artiste says there’s a lot more to explore. In a candid chat with Tini Sara Anien, he talks about his world of riffs and notes.

When did you know that your future is in music?
I was five when I got my first guitar — it was a Hawaiian one. I got introduced to music then. Slowly, I moved on to play other guitars and found it a soul-searching experience.

Your favourite music…
I listen to music varying from Rabindra Sangeet to heavy metal and enjoy them all. I’m inspired by every kind of music. I don't differentiate between genres.

What inspires you to create music?
Music is all around us. From the birds chirping in the morning to every other sound we hear around us has music in it.

Some of your compositions…
One of my most experimental tracks is ‘Suspended Harmonics’ where I play many instruments. My other tracks are ‘Gyan’, ‘Traffic Jam’ and ‘Ek Ped’.

Your experience of collaborating with popular Bollywood musicians…
Bollywood music is a different ballgame. At big commercial shows, the audience just comes to enjoy the tracks and doesn’t realise if I go off beat. But in a jazz performance, I would get criticised if I play the wrong notes. The audience for a jazz performance is more informed, even if it's smaller.

According to you, what is more important in a song — the rhythm or the lyrics?
Both of them are equally important. For a music lover, the words matter a lot as every song should convey something. For me, the arrangement of instruments in a track or song is the most important element.

An interesting experience that happened on stage.
I was getting ready for a stage show with a big artiste and the rehearsals had gone smoothly. But when we went on stage, he told the team to go a half note low. It was an amusing yet challenging experience, since I perform the bass guitar.

Your relationship with the guitar…
My guitar is my life. It is more important than anything else in my life.

Something you always wear on stage…
My wristband.

If you were an instrument, which one would you be?
I would love to be the drums. The drums is the king of rhythm.