HYDERABAD: The Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdowns since March 2020 has been a blessing in disguise for some people, as it has given them a chance to pursue and hone their passions and hobbies. Twenty-five-year-old Siddhant Pillai, a lawyer by profession is one such person who took this time to focus on his first love – music. “Music was always on my mind, but the pandemic gave me time to put my music out there,” says the youngster who moved from Pune to Hyderabad six months back.
His latest release, 007 on March 1 is receiving rave critical reviews. Since May 2020 he has released a three-track mini-album and eight singles. His music is deeply rooted in hip-hop, but he ensures that no two tracks sound the same. Siddhant also writes his own lyrics. His day job is working as a legal associate under an advocate and he lives in the Financial District. Wake up, Go and brush your teeth now, Take a bath, Get to work, It’s the week now... Siddhant says, “I wrote it for everyone working a nine-five job, and for every independent artist who has a day job like me. I want this track to be the first thing people listen to before starting their day.” The track which has jazz and hip hop elements and a beautiful saxophone riff has been mixed and mastered by Yash Patil.
On the name of his single, he comments: “The track is titled 007 because the music has you feeling like James Bond and 007 is also my area code.” Siddhant’s tryst with music started when he was gifted a keyboard by his parents when he was nine years old. He has done a music certification from Trinity College London and continued to self-learn, playing in his high school band, ‘Battle of the Bands’. He takes inspiration from bands such as The Doors, Scorpions, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles whom he first heard when he was ten years old, “and was instantly hooked.” For him, “Music was never genre-specific,” so he consumed all -- from Mozart to Megadeth. Siddhant’s music is rooted in hip hop, jazz, rap, and blues. “My current sound is an amalgamation of what I grew up on,” he says.
His previous songs, just like his latest, are based on different ideas, and some inspired by his personal situations. The track Sheelavati, a hip hop/rap number talks about ideas ranging from sati to capitalism and love. Rozgaar is about his experiences as a lawyer. Ethereal is about his credibility as a rapper. Rowdy, an EDM/Rap/Hindustani classical track has a punchy hook and beautiful drop. “I released Ekaant after moving to Hyderabad and when I started experimenting with Urdu. P.U.N.E discusses the drug problem in the city.
About Toxic, a Hindustani classical/ Rap, he says, “Because we are all toxic in someone’s story.” And his Hip hop album has three tracks telling three stories about three people on the tracks titled Hope, Baatein and Split. “Being a lawyer and an artiste, come together to make my identity whole and the balancing act is fun,” says Siddhant who also plays the keyboard. Describing himself as an artist whose music isn’t defined by genre, he has a few more singles and an album lined up, which will shift into different genres.
— Tamanna S Mehdi tamanna @newindianexpress.com @tamannamehdi