New Delhi, Sep 15 (Representative) Contemporary Indian singer Devika who gave memorable songs like ‘Kehnde Ne Naina’, ‘Barkhan Bahaar’, feels that independent artists have the opportunity to make a difference through their new creations. Devika had recently launched a soulful lo-fi Punjabi single titled ‘Dil Tenu’. On ‘Dil Tenu’, Devika had collaborated with Mumbai-based producer Jayhaan of Desi Jersey Club as her dialogue on love, heartbreak and memories swirls over post-internet lo-fi, chill beats. The Grammy Submitted singer is known for the old world charm that her renditions carry along her spirited collaborations with a variety of artists.The San Francisco-based singer Devika, is one of the few artists in today’s landscape to traverseintensely expressive songwriting, alongside chill, contemporary sounds; much like her cross-genrepalette of Punjabi, Sufi, Ghazal and Folk music presented with western, contemporary productionelements.In an exclusive interaction with UNI, Devika talks about her song, future of independent artists, remixes and trends.On the the future of independent artists in India, Devika said, “It’s hard for independent artists to get a platform or promotion to reach audiences. That being said, given that our content needs are becoming more diverse and evolved, there is a lot more interest in placing independent music in OTT content, and there are more opportunities than in the past where Bollywood was the only large platform. It’s still very much about being in the right place at the right time, but audiences are looking for fresh music and Independent artists have the opportunity to make a difference through their new creations.” The versatile vocalist who originally hails from New Delhi, always has the characteristic presenceof Indian folk/classical performance, soulful songwriting, and a distinct tonal quality in her songs.
And yet, she’s always looking forward to experimenting with a wide variety of genres be it Hip-Hop, Pop, Rock or Electronic Music.On whether she believes in compromising musical identity to fit into commercial cinema tropes, Devika said, “Musical identity can be a complex thing, especially given that we’re all evolving, experimenting and learning. I would draw the line at not singing a song or not wearing clothes that make me uncomfortable. But it could be fun to create something that takes you out of your comfort zone to fit the needs of a movie scene – that is a learning opportunity.” A summer ease is palpable as Devika’s raw and haunting vocals cascade against coastal rocks in the‘Dil Tenu’s video’s pristine beach visuals. The song is built around a melodic hook which is laid back and yetdeeply emotive. An ideal to delve in the sensitive arena of unrequited love that leaves one hauntedby memories of a time gone by. “It’s painful when someone you love doesn’t love you back and leaves you. Their memories haunt you. I was deeply affected by those who experienced this sadness and these emotions over the last few years, and as I sat in my home music studio, playing with some notes on the keyboard, the song revealed itself in the form of a dialog with the one you loved, the one who left you,” Devika deliberates on her inspiration and first steps for composing ‘Dil Tenu’. “The melody came first, I started humming a tune, then added a few words in bits and pieces. I started up Garageband on my Mac and found some soulful guitar chords to set the mood, plugged in my mic and started singing with the metronome, recording whatever came to mind.
I repeated this until I had a complete melody for the hook that I loved. Then I opened my diary and started to scribble the lyrics to fit the melody,” she shared. Devika further said that experimentation is key to staying relevant with time in music.“Being authentic, but experimenting with collaborations, new sounds and ways to present music is important. My collaboration with Punjabi Rapper Bohemia started with an experiment on the track “Dil” – we jammed and came up with a unique sound created by bringing together our respective styles and tones. This led to several other top charting Hip Hop collaborations such as “Ek Tera Pyar”, “Beparwah” and “Phir Ek Tera Pyar” released by labels like Universal, Sony Music and YRF Music,” she said.“Another successful song was my collaboration with Electronic music producer Holmes Ives on electronic Indian ballads including “Jab Se Piya” which was subsequently remixed by Karsh Kale, Midival Punditz and Bombay Dub Orchestra and featured on The Buddha Bar by DJ Ravin. “Jab Se Piya” was also submitted by Six Degrees Records for Grammy consideration in the Best Global Music Performance category,” she said.“ ‘Dil Tenu’, my most recent release, is a soulful melody and vocal performance in a chill out, lofi production – the result of brainstorming and experimentation until Jayhaan and I felt that we had something different and yet relatable,” Devika said.On her thoughts on remixes, Devika said, “Remixes can be fun and many of them can be as complicated as doing an original song from scratch. I think there is a place for remixes, and they often help revive beautiful, long forgotten melodies. The downside of only doing remixes is that we forget how to make new music, which would be very sad. For me personally, there is a lot of joy in creating new music as well as performing some popular and classic numbers.”If she likes/dislikes any trend in the industry, Devika said, “Generally speaking, it’s encouraging to see how technology is enabling artists in so many ways.
Online distribution on digital platforms like Spotify, YouTube etc. are the norm, platforms like Instagram enable artists to more easily share their creations with their fans, and the most recent development is NFTs, which could help artists monetise their work.”Devika worked with US Based producer Holmes Ives on electronic Indian ballads including ‘Jab SePiya’ which was subsequently remixed by Karsh Kale, Midival Punditz and Bombay DubOrchestra.‘Jab Se Piya’ was also submitted by Six Degrees Records for a Grammy consideration in the Best Global Music Performance category. Her other collaborations include music with Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash and Mike Klooster of Smash Mouth.She is also the first Indian vocalist to be featured on Apple’s iMovie in the Bollywood trailer and her tracks have been featured on Buddha Bar, iTunes playlists like Love at First Sight, The A List- Indian Pop, as well as on playlists like Raga Lounge on Spotify. On difference between Bollywood and Hollywood, she said, “Over the last few years, it seems Hollywood and Bollywood have explored projects that bring forgotten stories and social issues to the forefront, which is different from always producing content for the masses.” One actress of the current generation, she would lend her voice to, Devika said, “I don’t have any preferences for an actress, to me it’s more about finding the mood and emotion – something meaningful and soulful that makes a deep impact.” Her first album ‘Devika’ featured the song ‘Kehnde Ne Naina’ which was a big success – it aired onMTV India for over a year and was subsequently licensed by Song Music for their top sellingcompilation titled ‘Teri Deewani’ featuring a large list of some of the best names in the Sufi/folkrealm such as Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rekha Bharadwaj, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, KailashKher, Sona Mohapatra.