HYDERABAD: You may not be seeing the the Chandu ke Chacha ne, Chandu ke Chachi ko, boys and girls together a lot these days, but Aasma band member Jimmy Felix, (the one with the goatee, and mostly clad in a ganji, rings a bell?), says the band members still spend time a lot of time together and also make music.The musician who was in the city to perform at HICC, Novotel recently says, “All four of us are still part of the band Aasma and we are like family. We have not worked together in a long time now, but we have evolved individually as musicians.”
Though they have released only one song in the recent past, Maa Meri, composed by band mate Vasudha Sharma, they still meet for jam sessions. “We make music purely for the love of it. Everything else follows,” shares the singer, for whom music is the only strength. “Music gives me confidence and keeps me sailing smooth on the rough paths of life. It is my source of happiness,” he tells us.
Talking about all the things that the band members do when they are hanging out together, Jimmy excitedly shares, “We spend time at Sangeet’s house quite often where he lives with his talented wife Anusha Mani and their golden retriever baby dog. We also meet at Neeti Mohan’s house, where I am fully pampered by her mom, who serves me her signature ginger tea,” he giggles and adds that Vasudha Sharma’s house is like a mini studio. “She is one of the most passionate musicians I’ve met and known. Mostly we end up listening to her new compositions which she plays for us, while I’m busy playing with her pet cats,” he grins.
Aasma will make music in the near future, he tells us. The band was formed as part of a reality TV show on Channel V after the all girls’ band Viva in the early 2000s. It eventually faded out, along with the pop music that started to get dominated by Bollywood music and remixes. Agreeing Jimmy says, “I have seen the era of indi-pop music when it was at its peak. It was the same time when we were launched. But over the years, Bollywood music took over the market, and non filmy music slowly faded away. For many years it was very difficult for indi-music artists to survive.” But the boom of internet has turned the wheel around.
“With so many online mediums and platforms available, artists can promote music on their own without depending completely on a music label or any producer,” opines Jimmy. The rise in the number of music-based reality shows is also a good thing, he feels. “It is a chance for the hidden talents from all corners of the country,” he says.
Despite the highs amd lows, Jimmy says he has had his dream run as a musician and singer. “All these years, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the best talents of the industry,” he says.
On Hyderabad