Cutting cruise
Jaimin Rajani’s new album is No Vices. Believe him. Born in Mumbai to a Gujarati family, the Kolkata-based singer-songwriter prefers to go by his first name and has a musical style that reflects the times. Jaimin’s 14-track debut album, Cutting Loose released two years ago. In No Vices he performs an acoustic duet with simple yet evocative lyrics which says, “But I never really told him that I am just lonely, looking for company, someone to talk to as I sip whiskey.” The song was put out on April 20 in collaboration with a host of notable musicians like American bassist Charles Parker Mertens and Latin-jazz pianist Pradyumna Singh Manot.
The 33-year-old artist who learned to play an instrument at the age of 23, says, “I am an outlier. No one in my family even listens to music, let alone play any instrument. Not knowing the theoretical aspect of the craft is a blessing in disguise. I feel inspired to see people create great music, and that matters. I am driven by the art.”
He says creativity cannot be a well-manicured process. It must be chaotic, full of ups and downs. “When I am working on a song, it has to be in solitude. I’m bringing together words and music to find the perfect moment for their union,” reveals Jaimin. Forget family, he believes his friends are a huge support system. He says, “When I wrote this song back in January 2020, the first draft was a solo version, but maintaining the same storyline. I played it to a friend, who tossed out the idea of turning it into a duet. I rewrote parts of it to offer a fresh perspective.”
Kolkata, now a city of old people has an exception: Jaimin. He insists the decripit city has its own charm. “I am surrounded by excellent musician friends. If I find someone impressive, I don’t hesitate to approach them with a request to enhance a song,” he adds. Heavily influenced by legendary artists of the past — The Doors, Hank Williams, Frank Sinatra, Cliff Richard, The Beatles etc, Jaimin says, “We have entered an era without quality checks on the kind of music that is being produced.
There is no entry barrier for new musicians because anyone can come up with a song and put it out on a social media platform. There used to be no compromise on quality earlier.” Jaimin’s idea about the future of indie music scene is that if a song exists in the same configuration as he imagines it, he will refrain from writing it. “We should avoid being repetitive and try to create what the genre lacks. As artists, we should be very mindful of what to put out,” he says.
Jaimin’s music has elements of longevity because of its power to transcend the idea of time and space. It invokes feelings of nostalgia, happiness, loss and hope while being unique. These elements in his music tell us that Jaimin is here to stay.