Fete celebrated independent music

The second edition of ‘Fakiri - folk festival’ was hosted over the last weekend by Phoenix MarketCity. The three-day festival was graced by renowned artistes of various genres like Mame Khan, Harshdeep Kaur, Chandana Bala Kalyan and Indian band ‘Kabir Cafe’.

The festival served as a platform for Indian folk and fusion music. Metrolife finds out more in a conversation with the artistes.

“I think it is an incredible initiative since Bollywood has taken over most of the venues. Musicians and artistes who are into parallel genres are not getting the right platform to exhibit their work. I am happy that this festival welcomes an audience to listen to our music as well,” says Chandana Bala Kalyan, a carnatic vocalist.

The artiste is currently working on ‘Marma’ (a confluence of bhakti poetry) where she blends poetry from all over the country with her musical compositions.

When asked about the current music scene, she says, “Because of initiatives like ‘Fakiri’, I think it is going to get better for artistes like us. What we don’t realise is that the audience also listens to different kinds of music; they want to listen to songs that are not Bollywood. Unfortunately, it is difficult to convince the organisers because they are scared of the returns and sponsorships.”

Rajasthani folk singer Mame Khan calls the festival unique and feels that it had a really good line-up of artistes who have made a mark in their respective fields.

“Earlier, people used to listen to Hindustani music, and a lot of changes happened in between. Now it is 90 per cent Bollywood and 10 per cent independent music covering all genres. But I am happy that my music is well received; people sing along with me during my performances. So I would say that one has to work hard to reach that spot,” he says, sharing his view on the Indian music industry.

With good reception of his music online, Mame feels that social media helps independent musicians in their fete.

The singer is well-known for his collaboration with Amit Trivedi for
‘Chaudhary’ on MTV Coke Studio. He has sung only a few songs in films.

“Bollywood’s formula and genre are different from mine; it has a lot of commercial element,” he notes the reason.

“I have been singing since I was a kid, music is my life. My work is done out of passion and not for fame. I will sing for movies if get good projects,” he further adds.

He is currently working on a new project and also has sung for a few films now.