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Hanita Bhambri to Tanya Nambiar: Exceptional Singles That We Missed

Aug 03, 05:39pm

Be it Delhi-based Hanita Bhambri or Baroda's Bullu, singer-songwriters march on with essential steps that will�be noticed.�

RSJ Staff

Every passing day, the inbox is populated with raw copies of sounds arriving from several parts of the country and, time after time, it has been established that the one of the biggest factors that discourages these honest efforts is their respective outreach. While promoters, labels and magazines like Rolling Stone India continue to consistently put the limelight - temporarily - on these gems, more often that not, it is not enough. The struggle for singer-songwriters, especially, is extra challenging. However, these musicians have risen to the occasion and DIY-ed the outreach of the compositions long enough to be heard in another corner of the country. Rock Street Journal would like to extend its gratitude to the musicians for never stop knocking.

Without a label, a singer-songwriter or a band's outreach remains restricted to the individual's social media influence. The other PR efforts follow but these efforts fall short of their destined outcome. So singer-songwriters began to evolve. Emphasis on high-budgeted music videos, unique collaborations, redefining an older mainstream sound or re-arranging entire live set-up are a few of the procedures followed by these musicians to find a spot that does not expect saturation anytime sooner. The trick, however, is to not stop after the first effort.

Here's three singles by promising singer-songwriters that grabbed our attention.

Hanita Bhambri - Let Me Go

From the poster to the timely trailers, Hanita Bhambri ensured there's a story towards the release of her latest single 'Let Me Go'. Bhambri, the new singer-songwriter on the block, is not new to the entire exercise of seeking a listen, if not acknowledgment, from the music community. However, for 'Let Me Go', she did, indeed, notch it up a gear.

The music video for the single leaves no stone unturned in attracting eyeballs towards the effort. And once it has gained your attention, Bhambri's voice ensures you stay longer. A meticulous arrangement has been practised - thanks to veteran Miti Adhikari - in the construction of the sound and Bhambri's unmistakably wounded and sharp voice must have factored into a super advantage. Sitting in a white dress against a dark background surrounded by emotion-less souls, Bhambri conceptualized the video in a manner that would compliment the lyrical essence and its direction, and the early reactions suggest job done right.

Watch and Listen: Let Me Go

Bullu - Gulnava

It's quite difficult to play with a the same family of chords (the usual suspects) and create something distinctive enough to be remembered and celebrated. Some musicians incorporate new-age elements to enhance the effort to drive the point home. In Shashwat Bulusu's case, the composer revisited the era where dense-yet-spacy compositions were not only cherished but gradually became the anthem of the generation. Bullu is a few decades late with 'Gulnava', and honestly, how glad are we. An extensive dive into Bullu's SoundCloud page would surprise one even further with the range of experimentation a songwriter can manage within the sonic label that his music creates. Bullu also extends the list of refreshing sounds arriving from Gujurat that have lately demanded the "scenesters" attention in an encouraging manner.

Listen to 'Gulnava':

Tanya Nambiar - Two Lost Souls

The time has come for listeners to not restrict the definition of singer-songwriter to the cliched guitar-driven solo appearance often supported by complementing musicians, opening a set towards the sunset. Tanya Nambiar, another Delhi-based musician, continues to constantly work towards breaking the mentioned stereotype and perception.

Her latest single 'Two Lost Souls', released mid-June, adds another feather to her 'indie' cap of doing it all on her own. The Score Magazine referred to the single as "rock and roll wearing a disguise", and nothing can be more apt. Nambiar, similar to Bullu, focused on an element while revisiting a sound of the past. The song isn't entirely in-your-face but one cannot ignore the obvious models of the 70s and 80s that inspired 'Two Lost Souls' and Nambiar's recent efforts. Another reason why the current evolution of singer-songwriter is motivating to notice comes down to the emphasis on other factors that define the 'life' of a song, and the guitar solo (special shoutout to Abhishek Lal) towards the middle does the job for the singer-songwriter.

Listen to Two Lost Souls: