Technology has played a dual role, enriching creativity while also isolating artists, believes music composer Ankur Tewari, who wants to revive collaboration between musicians through his latest album “City Sessions”
In collaboration with Island City Studios and Tiger Baby Records, “City Sessions” is a singer-songwriter initiative that brings artists together in an immersive studio setting.
The album, which marks the beginning of an intellectual property that reimagines the way music is created, performed and experienced, was released on audio platforms on May 9.
“In today’s time, because of so much technology, there are good and bad parts of technology. With technology, people are getting lonelier and working in silos because you can do everything on your own. You see a lot more musicians making music on their computers, in their homes.
“Earlier, there was no home studio. So, people would come out, step out, meet each other, and collaborate face-to-face. Nowadays, even in your workspace, you must be seeing people meeting on Zoom. Human interaction is missing, which is what I felt we needed to bring back,” Tewari told PTI in an interview here.
Humans will always have an upper hand when it comes to technological advancement, he added.
“If you’re good, then you’ll probably have to outdo AI, and you’ll have to get better at your craft. So, you can’t be complacent. There’s something that you have that AI doesn’t have, which is feelings. So, you’ll always have the edge. But you’ll lose the edge the day you stop feeling. The whole idea was to move away from this, and (with ‘City Sessions’) we went into how songs were recorded in films before the ’70s and ’80s.”
“City Sessions”, divided into two parts: Side A and Side B, comprises six original tracks by independent artists Neel Adhikari, Pushan Kripalani aka Slight Diversion and Arijit Datta of the band Airport.
Tewari, who has composed for films such as “Gully Boy”, “The Archies”, and “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan”, said he aims to cultivate a rich community of singers, songwriters, and filmmakers that thrives on collaboration and shared experiences.
“In the world of AI, algorithms, and numbers, we need to probably go back and bring that feeling of community together. So, like in ‘City Sessions’, everyone is sitting together in a studio, feeding off each other, and is contributing to the song in their beautiful manner.
“So, it’s like making or giving birth to something together, rather than you making something, sending it to someone, and then that person reacting to it, and working in silos,” the composer-lyricist said.
“City Sessions” has songs in both Hindi and English, and Tewari said he is committed to representation and inclusivity.
He wants to expand this library to include songs in regional languages such as Bangla, Kashmiri, Nepalese, and Manipuri, added the musician.
On the film front, Tewari is thrilled to begin work on Farhan Akhtar’s “Don 3”, which features Ranveer Singh in the lead. He has also composed music for Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Arjun Ustara”, starring Shahid Kapoor.
“He (Farhan) is on the fast track. They’ve killed it with the script. Hopefully, we will be meeting soon to start the work. The original ‘Don’ music is fantastic. It’s iconic. I don’t see it as a task, but in a way, it will be a task. But it’s about the way you respond to the script in terms of music,” he said.
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Asked whether it is justified to ban the work of an artist, for instance “Abir Gulaal”, the composer said: “When it has to release (it will). The art also finds its destination… Anything that’s been created with love should be released, should be consumed by people, because it can make a difference in their lives.”
The release of “Abir Gulaal“, a Hindi film featuring Pakistani star Fawad Khan in the lead, is in limbo in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. Also starring Vaani Kapoor, the movie was set to be released on May 9.
