Nikhil D'Souza releases twin-track EP

Singer-songwriter’s ‘People’ talks about hope and the need to overcome differences

Over the last few years, Mumbai-based singer-songwriter, Nikhil D’Souza, has built up an extensive body of work. While in the UK, D’Souza signed with East West Records.

“I was writing about one or two songs a week,” he says of his stint in London.

D’Souza has previously lent his voice to Bollywood tracks ‘Shaam,’ ‘Mere Bina,’ as well as the 2019 tracks ‘Sitaare’ and ‘Vaaste.’ “I majorly wrote love songs and ballads for East West Records,” he explains, adding that he felt it was time for a change. “I wanted to write something that related to the current scenario.”

The title track of his EP, ‘People,’ is exactly that. “With every passing year, the divide among people has been increasing. ‘People’ is a track that talks about the message of hope and overcoming our differences,” he says. “Children do not discriminate between each other based on differences; it is often the adults who impose their feelings and insecurities on children,” he adds, talking about the inspiration for the track. The first of its kind, D’Souza’s twin-track EP comprises an English version of the track, as well as a Hindi reprise. However, neither were produced with a simultaneous release in mind. The English version, he says, was penned and recorded during his time in London; lyricist Pinky Poonawala worked with the artist to write the Hindi version.

Speaking of translating the song into Hindi, D’Souza says he will not follow the same pattern for all of his tracks. “Some melodies can work well in different languages. The Hindi version of ‘People’ is not a direct translation since it takes away the essence of the song.”

The two versions are similar but not identical, he explains. “The English track is more casual, while the lyrics in Hindi are a little darker and more introspective.”

According to D’Souza, ‘People’ was scheduled for a later release. However, the spread of Covid-19 changed his mind. “I played the track on an Instagram Live a while ago. Most people liked it and thought it was appropriate for our current situation.” This kick-started the idea to release both the versions together. The Hindi version, which was still a demo at that point of time, was produced by the singer’s producer in the UK during the lockdown.

Simultaneously releasing a track in different languages is a rarity, especially in the indie music space. “This is probably because most singer-songwriters think and write in English so it might not occur to them to write in a second language,” he explains. There should also be an inherent purpose in translating a song. “The message of the song needs to be important enough to translate it into a different language. Unless the goal is reaching a larger linguistic audience.”

The outbreak of the virus has impacted the indie music scene in a significant way. Musicians often rely on live shows as a source of income. “Doing paid gigs online and understanding how we can make them seem more engaging and intimate is one way of ensuring income. Owing to the current situation, the Bollywood music industry has been stalled. Indie musicians can take advantage of this and bring their work to the forefront.”

A music video for ‘People’ is slated for release as well. “We have had a lot of help from friends in shooting the music video. We’re still looking at what works right now, but it echoes the idea of people helping people.”