Singer-songwriter and music producer SRIHARI JAGANNATHAN speaks with SHALINI SAKSENA about how his musical journey began, his band, Chennai Street Band and latest EP
How did your music journey begin?
I was always interested in music but my passion started when I was in college with cultural events that used to take place. By the end of my engineering degree I knew that I wanted to pursue music in some form or the other. Since I had a passion for music and writing songs, I formed my Chennai Street Band in 2015. But due to the lockdown earlier in the year, I was stuck in my room as was my band, I worked on some of my work as an independent artist.
Tell us about your Chennai Street Band.
I will continue to be associated with it once things are back to normal. Thanks to platforms like Gaana, it opens a chance to perform virtually. I will perform some of my songs and some of our band’s. But we are looking forward to getting back on the stage. We do alternative pop in Tamil. But we recently released our first Hindi single.
What is your EP Intezaar about?
I worked on this EP during the lockdown period and it was released in August. For our band, we released a full-length record in November last. Post that, we had a long tour. But just before the Pune-Bengaluru leg of the tour the lockdown kicked in. Whatever we had wanted to do as a band couldn’t be done. But I wanted to try my music. I love the beach and Intezaar is all about that. It has two parts. A guy sitting at the beach is having a conversation about finding his love when he spots a couple celebrating the sunset.
What were the challenges working on your music projects during this lockdown?
There were a few limitations. If you look at our previous album, it took us two-and-a-half years to bring it out. Each and every detail was worked on before we went ahead with it. We spent money on the highest level of production that was available out there for recording. We wanted to give our best to the listeners. But when Intezaar happened, it was in May, there were challenges. But it was also good to explore alternatives. I went and got myself a set of home equipment and explored. Of course, there would be a difference in the quality. But I wanted to put out some music and this was a good time to experiment.
How did you get associated with Gaana LaunchPad?
This was a surprise. One day I was just added to the LaunchPad. One day I got a call from one of the team members. She told me that they were doing an exclusive with independent artists and you are among the 30 who are featured in the playlist and that’s how I got associated with it. But my association with them started last year with our band. We did have a bunch of fans on the platform.
Do you think artists like yourself need such launchpads?
It immensely helps. Even if we have releases, what is missing due to the present pandemic is the connection with the listeners. When we perform on stage, we have a direct connection with our listeners. Through this launchpad, we get to expand our fan base and interact with them in terms of music. Also, every independent artist seeks some sort of support from streaming platforms to get recognition. When you have launchpads like this, it is going to do wonders for your music especially now.
Who has been your inspiration in the indie music space?
To write, half the time, I don’t know if there is a process to it; it just happens. Like when Intezaar happened, I was sitting on a cliff in Varkala beach (Kerala) with the golden sun and saw a couple who I could feel were very much in love. That image stuck in my head and the song was born. Song writing can come from anywhere. As for artists whom I look up to, one of them is AR Rahman. He drove me to listen to music; internationally I love ColdPlay. There are many brilliant indie artists in India, I would like to mention Parvaaz, Prateek Kuhad and Maalavika Manoj aka Mali.
What are your upcoming projects?
We will be releasing our first Hindi single.
