 So, hello everybody, welcome back to yet another episode of our series Rising Stars which profiles the emerging talent in the music industry. And today on this special episode we have with us Hriday Ghatani, a singer independent budding artist. We welcome you by today Hriday. Thank you. Such a pleasure to be here. Thank you for that beautiful introduction. I think it's a very interesting time to be a budding independent artist or someone who's been you know even though this form of or the side of the world was something I started doing in 2015 that was when I first released my first independent song. Obviously the field wasn't as popular as then because there was very little consumption of independent music. Definitely. So my first question to you is tell us about your musical journey Sofa. Sofa, who was your inspiration? The musical journey has been incredible. I feel like it's grown with every year and every milestone that I've set for myself. And personally it's been such a beautiful journey because of the evolvement that I've had. I've evolved with every phase that I've been through and I've had had the opportunity to have new inspirations with every evolution that I've had. And yeah, I mean, but some of the biggest inspirations and the people who like have been my mentors or have guided me through this and have brought me to this level are definitely like a couple of them. My name is like, of course, Mr. Yerayman. He has been my guide, my mentor from the musical world for the last 12 years of my life. When I decided I want to become a musician and I went to KAM and started studying. He was that first person who kind of spotted me, gave me an opportunity and that's how he's always been someone who's had my back and you know, I've learned so much from him, of course. And obviously everyone is inspired by him by the kind of music he makes. He's a legend. He's a true blue legend. Yeah. So he's been, I think, one of the most experienced. What all you learned from him? Time got intimidated from him. Tell us about your experience, personal experience. So many incredible experiences, definitely have been intimidated by him. I don't think anybody in this world won't be like he's such a fantastic musician and obviously such a fantastic human being that when his aura comes into the room, you already feel like there's a humongous presence around you. It's like ominous in a way. And yeah, I think the first time I interacted with him was, I was very young actually. I was I think 14 years old or something. And I got called in to just sing in the chorus as like with a few kids. And the song was being made for Mr. A.P. Jabdul Kalam, the last, I mean our president at one point of time in India. Yeah. And he basically, Mr. Kalam was a writer and he's written a few books and some poetry as well. So there was a poetry piece that they turned into a song for Children's Day. And I had the opportunity of singing on that. And I remember I was very tiny to realize who I was singing for or what that meant. But luckily, I wasn't intimidated at all. I was sleepy and I was like, okay. And he loved that. He loved the idea that this boy doesn't even care. Like he's just enjoying himself. And that was very sweet. So that was my first interaction. So I think it kind of calmed me down and it calmed me down in a sense. It kind of gave me a little more confidence that when the next time I met him, it was a little easier to have a conversation and not be as intimidated. Yeah, that's great. So what motivated you to explore the fusion of Indian classical music with western melodies in your work? How does this fusion came on? Tell us about this. You know, honestly, it's so strange that when I started off my journey as a musician, even when I was young and I had music as a hobby for myself, I used to only listen to western music. I had my parents, like my dad, heard a lot of English music and especially like a lot of classic rock and some of the some of the old school legends like The Beatles who are, you know, incredible. Those are that that was the kind of discovery that I was listening to at home. And very little Indian music, to be honest. So when I discovered Indian music and in film music or non-film music and classical music and all these different kind of genres that came from India, my mind was blown because I had only heard a certain, I mean, of course, I didn't just heard English Hindi songs because I watched the movies and I lived in this ecosystem. But I wasn't as a tune to it. So when I started understanding what it meant and how beautiful it was and how each Raga was so different, that really inspired me to learn more and, you know, to dive in deeper. So I think it's it's somewhere been like a self exploration for me, because I took it up as a challenge that oh, you know what, I never got a chance to learn Indian classical music properly. So why don't I learn it while working? And why don't I why don't I push myself towards trying something with the Raga, trying something with, you know, with with Indian classical, I mean Indian instruments and just build a fusion because my strengths are already Western, and I have learned Western vocals as well. So why don't I fuse the two and do something that could be inspiring to others as well. And in a way, it's like, I've always felt like we have so much to offer as a culture, musically and artistically from many other forms. So why not bridge that gap? So what are the challenges and rewards you faced when learning these two distinct musical worlds? Any challenges you, you know, you thought that it cannot be possible? Any, you know, any thoughts came into your mind? Challenges many, I would say, because in a way, like, you know, you're you're touching something that's sacred Indian classical music and or or any Raga based music is very, very sacred. And it is, you know, a lot of people don't touch it till they, you know, do like 150 years of literally like learning, etc. Right. So for me, I was very scared when initially started off this process. But my Guruji really helped me initially. Because when I started learning Indian classical music, which was actually around six years ago, properly, like, you know, and at that point of time, he used to come to my studio to teach me. So I told him, you know, I want to I want to learn here, you know, it's so much fun because we have so much around us and the environment is so nice that you never know, like a session could turn into a songwriting class, which is what happened, you know, and he helped me a lot and guided me in a way where like, I was like, I love this Raga that we are going into. What if I put this with like, you know, Western chords like triad chords or jazz chords or like sevens and stuff like that. And he was like, I'll try and then I would try stuff out and be like, no, no, no, no, no. See, that is going in the Tiviramadam. And that's not there in this in this Raga, etc. So he guided me and gave me a little more confidence to understand the techniques and rules and do's and do nots. So that was a challenge. But I think I overcame it by involving him and be yeah, and practice as well. Whereas I think the good part about this is, see, classical music is evergreen, right? I feel like these kind of melodies never leave you. I think anybody who has liked my music will hopefully be able to listen to it for a longer duration of time, whereas certain because because it's very deep rooted. And because of where it comes from, right? The background of it. So I feel like that is that is a very big I think that's an advantage of having done something like this. So do you believe in nostalgia marketing? I mean, how do old heads are coming back in the brands and they are just like using them in their campaigns, the main jingle lines and main lines from the old heads. So what is your take on that? I mean, on nostalgia marketing? I feel like, you know, it's justice to the old songs and we're using it not we're not doing justice to these campaigns or stuff like that. What do you feel about this? About nostalgia marketing? Look, throwbacks are a part of life, I feel. As a human being, you cherish every moment that you've already been through. And those are those are something that you cherish openly, whereas the what you want for yourself, you cherish secretly, right? So I feel in a very nice way throwbacks are evergreen again. So this is going to keep happening. Beautiful things from the past will keep coming back up because but and of course, you know, who does it right and who does it wrong is something that is a very subjective consequence, because there are people who have done it right, who have taken a song, recreated it or use it in the jingle and made it beautiful or done justice to the past. Whereas there are some that have failed to do so. So it's very subjective. You can't really trash the entire ideology of recreation. But yes, definitely, I feel like the only thing I would suggest and my my thought would be if I were asked to do something, it would be oh, can I do something original that could replace this? Like or is it in important for me to do that for some other reason? Because it's only if it's if it's only for marketing, then I think something new can come out and there's so much talent and there's so many great songwriters coming out of so much good music and there is so much scope. So if you don't give them the opportunity, they're never going to grow. And our, you know, our entire musical legacy is going to keep diving back to the past. It's never going to grow further. So I agree with, I mean, there are pros and cons to the entire conversation. So your new song has come up the Dharmiyas. Tell us about the song. Dharmiyas actually, it was, you know, a guitar idea that I came up with many, many years ago. Actually, this was like around the song was written probably in 2017 or 2018. And before that, I composed the basic idea, maybe a year before that in like 2016 or so. So when I thought of this song, I thought of the ideology of, you know, somewhere I got inspired by the things around me. And with every song, there's something that inspires me. So Dharmiya is about, honestly, it's about obviously Dharmiya, the word means within. And in the context of this song, it's about the beautiful things you see around you and how you absorb that to create it into something, to some inspiration. So, you know, what do you feel? And then with that feeling, how do you imagine something else, you know, and how that probably has influenced your mind? So the entire song is about that. And it's about taking flight. It's about letting go and letting the universe kind of take over and guide you. So that may has about that. So can you sing two lines of that? Oh, sure. Of course. Of course. Let me just pull make it up. Thank you. Wow, it's so soothing. It's so much like very calm vibes. Thank you. So today you said that it's like in films like the little witch are blinded by the light and cartoon will belly die. How does your approach adapt to this voice to suit your cinematic projects? I mean, can you share memorable anecdotes or challenges faced during playback singing experiences? What was your experience? I feel like, you know, I think it's a very politically correct answer that it says just to try and be different. But it's not important to be different. It's important to have a like, have your own approach. You know, like, just to be different, you shouldn't be different. You should be yourself more than anything else. But when it comes to singing a film song, you know, honestly, there are too many minds that involved in that process. There's a music director, of course. And all these films you mentioned, the music director has been Mr. Yareman. So he generally actually gives you a lot of free like leeway to do what you want and then guides you if you're going wrong or right. That's the best part about. Yeah. So most of these songs, you know, including someone, a song like Matum Hara, he gave me a melody and Amitabh Sir gave me the lyrics. And they briefed me about the situation because I was anyway working on the film as a music supervisor. So he gave me the free hand to sing it the way I felt like. And at that point, I just felt like I was choked to sing that song, you know, in a way because the situation was so I felt like something was stuck here. So therefore, therefore the style had to be very soft. And because when you choked, you can't, you can't suddenly be like, you can't do that. You have to kind of have that feeling and probably sing it in a more mellow way. So I would like to tell you that it was my favorite song from the film. Thank you. Thank you so much. It was amazing. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. So yeah, I mean, when you're working on any film, it's very important to have a holistic approach towards the situation, what the director wants, what the music director wants, what the lyricist is trying to say. So yeah, it's a very, it's a group effort rather than just me alone trying to do something. Yeah, that's great. Any, you know, any favorite compositions that you like about your mentor? Any? Many is the word. So many, so many, so many. I mean, you know, every day I discover a new song of sorts that I've heard before, but I'm like, wow, how did you do this? How do you think of this? And like, like, wow, how did he go from here to there? There are so many songs, you know, but one of them, and I think everyone who knows me knows this that one of my favorite albums, and it's very personal. Again, I don't think it's, you know, it's not got to do with anything else. But my favorite albums of Raman Sals's has been Rockstar. And yeah, I think it's also because that was kind of the album that somewhere wanted me to become a musician. I heard that album, and I was like, this is this is what I want to be. This is what I want to do. I want to, because it connected me so deeply. And what I love about the style of his composition is that there are no bounds, like a song like Phrise Uchala starts somewhere and ends somewhere else. It literally starts like a power ballad, not even a power ballad, starts like one, you know, Northeastern vibe. There are these women singing, and then suddenly it goes into this guitar vibe with a beautiful voice singing, and it ends at this techno number. So it's outstanding how he thought of the entire song, right? And there's so many songs like that, like in that film specifically, that transcend you through a journey, you know, it starts somewhere and ends somewhere else and shows you the entire picture of what the person's trying to say. I honestly like songs like that. I enjoy, I enjoy music like that. That takes me on a journey with it. Not just like, okay, I like this one part and okay, okay, like, this is fun. So I know that back then that this song met Mara, it was a viral hit on Instagram. It was a viral hit on Reels and Fact. So how was the experience you felt on the day that you found that it's a viral hit and it's a, it was a trending song. It was not a back then I'm talking about. So what is your take on that the Reels algorithm and the campaigns that are going on these days, the trends, the strategies, the marketing, what do you think about this? I mean, they're great tools. They're fantastic. In fact, they're fantastic tools, you know, for somebody to get their music or any form of art out there. I feel like it has somewhere given, it has broken the monopoly of music in a way where it's not, you don't have to go through a label to release a song. You don't have to have someone backing you to release a song. Yeah, you just put it on Reel and if it's a good composition, it'll go viral. And it's a very, very win-win situation for both of them. Totally. Totally. I love the idea of that. And the feeling is always special. Yeah. I mean, I think if anybody is giving your work love, it's a great feeling. It only inspires me more to do better and to do more work and hopefully keep up that standard. But I'm actually a very social media challenge. I'm not the kind of person who's taking photos all the time. But it's interesting because I've had to evolve and adapt because I feel like I'm, as a 90s child, and I mean in early 90s, since 91, I mean, 91 born, I've seen everything from, I've seen dial-up internet to, I've seen literally modems and PCs and whatever everything, like the evolution of the entire, no social media to little social media to only social media, the entire graph. So it's been fun. I honestly feel like it's been fun to evolve with time and be able to see it all. Like our parents, they were too used to not having the internet and social media around for the former part of their lives. And now they're used to have that. And now they're used to it. And now they love it. Somehow it's like, they can't get off of it in a way. You know, like my mom's always on her phone and shows my dad like that. And it's great because they're getting great information and everything. But I feel like being a 90s kid, no, I know a lot of people around me also who have, like are around my age. We're not as excited about the medium because we've seen it all. We've seen the entire progression. So it's like, okay, it's good. We're going to use it for a good cause. Yeah. Whereas the newer generation like who I think they call the Hensley, they lived them. That's their world. They would live with that you guys are born with it. So are there any dream collaborations or specific musical projects that you are looking forward to? A lot. There's a singer who I am very very excited to collaborate with which is happening hopefully very soon. And then there is I mean dream collaborations there are like so many names out there. And future projects tell us about that. Okay so basically I'll tell you so there's a song coming out in a Tamil film hopefully very very soon. Yeah yeah yeah so I've sung a song for a Tamil film. I don't know if I can give you too much more information about it but it's right around the corner and it's going to be very very interesting. It's a very big film it's a very fun song and the film's name okay I don't know if I can tell you yet. So yeah that's happening and that's going to happen very soon. Another thing that's working in the pipe. Any live performances, any events happening in the coming months? I'm not doing anything in December as we just finished an entire Europe tour with Mr. Rahman around a month ago. So a little break from the live scene. I've been only travelling through this. How was the experience? Incredible incredible. You know it's fun to see and this is an experience that I've had with Mr. Rahman sir. And it's a very special experience when you get to see people from other countries coming right up in the front and dancing to Chahiya Chahiya. And they probably don't even understand the language. It's a very proud feeling you know it's like and like they're all standing up to Vande Mataram when you end the show. You feel this sense of pride standing on stage and being like wow sir what have you done like you know you've like put the music in. Put Indian music on the world map in a way where you know we can't even imagine. So it's always a very very exciting feeling. And also these are songs that I've loved. These are songs that I wish I had made you know because they're so good. So it's a lot of fun to play them live with sir. I play the keys and I sing on our shows. So yeah it's exciting. It's challenging. It's been a roller coaster. But I'm very glad with where I am in that platform today. So any advice for budding artists you would like to give and any message for your fans? Yeah for sure. I think for budding artists I feel like anybody who wants to be you know in this business and wants to do music they should like I feel this is my personal opinion. I feel one is just keep your originality. Whatever you are however you sound whatever your style is don't change that because somebody else says that is not going to work. No everything works. And that time is coming where every person's niche is going to be valued and it's going to even if it gets you 50,000 streams or 5000 streams or 2000 streams or 1000 streams it's good. Because those are unique people who actually like your work. And you'll go a long way. It only gets better from there. So that's one I think that's the most important thing and also be self sufficient. Yeah I mean like try at least I mean if you can pick up a guitar you can spend some time and I'm not asking you to like be a proficient player. But if you can play pick one instrument up and learn it a little bit as a singer then it's a great thing because as a singer it's very important to know instrument. I feel because you can accompany yourself while you're singing and be I think it helps you get your tuning right as well. And also then you can write songs yourself. You don't need like you don't need to jam with someone to write a song. That's great. Yeah I think these are some things for my budding artists and for my fan fans who I actually call like my family. Thank you so much for this beautiful year. I think this year has been really exciting because a lot has gone down. It's been a roller coaster of your year for me from good bad ugly everything. But the great part is the way we vented it with these three beautiful songs that I've had my you know that that have been my my very close to my heart and I've had the opportunity to release. So it's been very pleasing to see that you guys have accepted it enjoyed it and given in your love to it. And I'm more motivated to release. Like now now I feel like it's going to work. I mean there are people who are listening and they like it. So I'm happy. You know I'm going to definitely keep releasing. I'm not going to sit back and think. I'm just going to enjoy my process. I'm loving my work and I'm going to keep releasing. Thank you so much for your time. And it was a pleasure to have you here all the best for your future. Thank you. Thank you so much.