Rebellion is a value associated with music and denim. Both have counter culture associations. Some might argue it isn’t today but independent music is a rebellion against the oppressive wheel of commercial film music that churns out products much like units of a factory. Numero Uno, one of India’s first indigenous denim brands, is digging into that thought process with a new campaign Den I’M and Unboxing Artists. They stress on the I’M in Denim, which reads as ‘Then I Am’.

 
The first artist among the unboxed four is Delhite Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, who is termed as a classical and jazz vocalist. The Berkelee College of Music alumnus, who has four singles till date – Yatra, I Will Wait, Shams and Natshukashii - defies being labeled. Why is there classification of musicians according to genres? Music is music, an honest expression of artists. She says, “Genres belong to a library. And I’m like no other. If you are still thinking going out of the box is daring – DEN I’M!”

Singer songwriter Saby Singh, the second artist, drills in the independence of Sanjeeta’s statement. Born and brought up in Kashmir, he learnt the tabla and harmonium besides classical singing from a very early age but got hooked to rock. Today, he is an honest artist based in Chandigarh who is not afraid to open himself up to listeners. He stands by doing what he wants to and not cater to pop trends. “If being an open book for my art is stupid, DEN I’M,” are Saby’s thoughts.

Another singer-songwriter with crazy percussive guitar skills, Dhruv Visavanath, has been picked by Numero Uno to join the ranks. From his debut EP Chronicles (2011), Dhruv has come a long way to release two albums – Orion (2015) and The Lost Cause (2018). “If ?estioning my art to create a legacy was crazy, DEN I’M,” says the man who has taken his unique brand of music to various corners of the country as well as abroad.

The 4th artist follows in Dhruv’s tradition – percussive fingerstyle guitarist who writes songs too. With a lone 6-song record Urood released last year, Samar Mehdi from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, has a fresh perspective on what lyf means to him. He refuses to bow to time and its innumerable passing phases and just play guitar because it means the world to him.

Celebrating that rebellious and independent spirit, Numero Uno encourages you to believe the message ‘I am Who I Am, Unapologetically’. And by unboxing these real artists, they have unapologetically taken a stand to stand by real music.

Watch the Unboxing Artists videos below: