Singer-songwriter Tanmaya Bhatnagar’s songs are mostly drawn from her personal experiences. With sombre vocals and melancholic tunes, Bhatnagar’s music touches upon themes of love, distance, heartbreak, and solitude; the product being tender and evocative.
The artist—who recently released her single Quietly—is all geared up for her four-track Extended Play (EP) in English Wherever I go I’d like to be all I need, which releases today. In this week’s Soundscape, we speak to the artist about her inspiration, her songwriting process, and her EP. Excerpts…
Take us through the process of writing the song Quietly.
From all the songs on the EP, Quietly was written fairly recently. Honestly, I wrote this song after having a massive panic attack. I feel that most of the time we keep things bottled up and it eventually becomes a huge lump in your throat that needs to find its way out. Quietly was something like that for me. I felt the words so strongly that I was able to create a painful yet hopeful melody out of those feelings. I wrote the song in perhaps 15 minutes. It was a release of intense emotions. I didn’t want to make up words, I just let them flow.
Your songs communicate very strong emotions. Have personal experiences ever been an inspiration for your work?
Always. That’s where I draw my inspiration for pretty much everything I do creatively. I feel that emotions are meant to be explored, explained, and shared in the form of art. I need it, we all do. It shows us a way to make sense of things, it makes us feel understood. I think anything emotional and true validates how you feel and that can be very freeing.
Do you pen the lyrics first or is the focus on the melody?
It depends on how I’m feeling. Most of the time, it is the melody that comes first.
Your debut EP releases today. What does it entail for your listeners?
Aaah, so much! I have been waiting and waiting to work on these songs because I feel like they are so integral to my story and how I started writing music. I know that my audience and supporters have been very understanding and patient throughout the process, and I am sure they will enjoy the EP. It is personal and raw, and I have had the best time making these songs and stories come to life. I am truly excited; it’s all love, heart, and hard work.
‘Quietly’ by Tanmaya Bhatnagar is available on all streaming platforms
Song - Quietly
Artist - Tanmaya Bhatnagar