The latest track of versatile singer Arjun Kanungo, attempts to capture the essence of relationships. The contemporary pop-ballad has a video directed by Keyur Shah, featuring actress Sonal Chauhan. It mixes Western and Indian percussion, and redolent of the Rock Pop golden age.
In a conversation with The New Indian Express Kanungo reveals the challenges of shooting this single in the pandemic, and how, at the same time, isolation boosted his creative spirit.
Excerpts:
What led you to create the song?
It is a love song, with a mixture of longing and separation. Last year my dad was sick with cancer and I went through a lot of emotions when I wrote the music. Mayur Puri and I wrote around the same time when Hona Chaida was released.
It was a challenge to shoot alone. We were like, ‘okay, let’s finish as much as possible while the lockdown is on’. I think we shot for six days.
Basically, my girlfriend was shooting this side, Sonal’s sister was shooting at her house, and the director of photography was on Zoom telling us what to do, and they were generally frustrated because it was difficult.
The DOP had to get everything right and now if you look at the video, I can’t believe how it has turned out. When we presented it to the label, they couldn’t believe it.
How are you spending time in a pandemic?
My goal in lockdown was to get comfortable shooting on my own, and now if you give me a camera, I am super comfortable. I have got a ring light now, and we even used bedsheets for skimmers in Fursat Hai Aaj Bhi.
Every day, I make music, shoot covers. Our next song is completely mixed and mastered and ready to go on floor. It’s amazing how more selfsufficient I have become in lockdown.
I didn’t have anything else to do, so I have been super productive and wrote 12 tracks that I am dying to release. I am ready for 2021!
Any word of advice for artists in a pandemic?
Don’t pressure yourself. It’s a difficult time, so creativity might not come as easily as you think.
For me, it was a good thing not to have distraction, but for some people it might be motivation not a distraction. So, don’t be hard on yourself. Just keep working towards something, make short term goals and long term goals, and try to stick to them. Eventually this will pass. Don’t feel like you are alone in this.
What is the relationship between creativity and isolation. How has it been for you?
So creativity and isolation have a very unique relationship. While both are important, you need isolation for creativity, but also that break to meet people, reset emotionally and mentally and then come back and try again.
Isolation really makes you write stuff that you want to write. I am only speaking for myself. All I know that is when I am alone, I am more of myself than ever.Isolation has its ups and downs, but the lockdown has been very good for me as I have not been distracted as a musician.