Hriday Gattani or popularly known as Hriday is undoubtedly a versatile singer, as evident from his catalogue of music ranging from soulful Bollywood melodies to intricate independent singles. Starting his career with Arif Ali’s romantic drama Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, in which he sang three songs, composed by the maestro A.R Rahman, the singer was among the last few ones to sing for late Sushant Singh Rajput, for his posthumous film Dil Bechara. Besides playback, Hriday likes to create technical but sonorously pleasing independent melodies like Over You, Sun Re Sajna and has recently released another track titled Saaya, which is a holistic blend of R&B and Hindustani Classical.
In an interview with News18 Showsha, Hriday got candid about his latest song, his musical journey so far, his experience with a legendary composer like AR Rahman, his vision in the coming times and more.
Here are the excerpts:
Tell me something about your new single, Saaya. What does it stand for and what was your journey with it?
Saaya is a song that I think is everybody’s song. It’s a song that you can make your own. It’s a song that you can interpret yourself. It’s open-ended. When I wrote it, I obviously wrote it with a certain meaning, but when I heard it a couple of times, I realised that a Saaya can be anybody. A Saya can be your romantic partner. It can be your father, your mother, your sister, your brother, your puppy or anyone who’s always by your side. I realised that this song, for me, was a self-love song. It was a song about me, myself, being my Saaya and believing in myself and remembering always that in any hardship or any struggle, I’m always there by my side and I’ve got this and I have the experience and I have the know-how to deal with the situation. So, practically just to believe in yourself. This song has been a beautiful journey for me because I feel over the last decade that I have been in this industry, I have learned so much and I’ve been so grateful to have the most amazing experiences with some of the legends of this country and of the world as well. And I’ve had the opportunity to hear so much music and explore so much. I think Saaya is the beacon of that. It’s a beautiful mixture of everything that I’ve learned. Obviously, it has a preachy note to it but it’s not preachy because there are these really fun beats to it. It is not actually trying to tell you to do something but it’s the Saaya speaking to you. So, it’s really light-hearted yet has a deep meaning. It’s groovy yet intense and I think it takes you through a journey of emotions and also it’s anthemic which means you would love to sing along to it. Especially that chorus part, You would love to sing along with it and that’s the entire experience of the song. And that’s something I wanted to create for a very long time and Saaya was that for me. I’ve heard many fusion tracks incorporating elements of Hindustani classical and jazz or other genres but I believe this was the first time when I could hear the shades of classical music in an R&B track.
How did you bring these two elements together?
Honestly, I became a humongous fan of R&B music a couple of years ago. Actually, 5-6 years ago and I started listening to a lot of artists doing some really fun things especially vocally. Hindustani classical is obviously something that I have a soft corner for being from this country and wanting to take that mantle further and not letting this art form be sidelined by the youth just for popular and pop culture reasons. Hindustani music is evergreen. It is always going to be. No one can eradicate it. These two also have certain similarities because R&B music has such beautiful runs. Hindustani classical music is not just about the runs but it’s about trying out new things. It is about exploration, it is about taking a song or taking a note and finding out its journey through the way of a certain feeling. Because every raga is based on a certain feeling, a mode, a time. I have always been inspired by both these things and I have listened to a lot of both the genres. Honestly, I have always been in this space. If you go deep down and listen to any of my music, it has a little bit of R&B and Hindustani. Because my vocal style is that as well when I sing. There was a song called Over You that I released. It’s an English song but I released this around 5 years ago. And that has a lot of R&B, Hindustani classical touches to it also as a vocalist I also feel like I have a humongous western influence towards me because since I was very young, I listened to a lot of my dad’s favourite music which was a lot of the greatest bands from all over the world. And I also did hear classical music and Bollywood music and grew up on artists like Mr A.R. Rahman who have merged these so beautifully, the west and India. So for me, this was a great opportunity to find a space for myself where I felt like as a vocalist, what is different about me and what do I love doing. And then I realized R&B and Hindustani classical is something that I really enjoy. So you will actually hear it a lot in some of my songs and I hope you like it.
As pleasing as it sounds to the ears, Saaya is a difficult song to arrange. It sounds very technical and intricate in terms of its musicality and melody and that in turn also makes it unique. What were some of the challenges involved with this track?
To be honest, sometimes I feel like it sounds really technical and difficult but it came to us, like it came to me specifically on a journey that I did not even expect. I was literally super inspired at this one point and I was working on Dil Bechara with Rahman Sir in Chennai and I had come back during the lockdown to Bombay where I live. I was working online on the film still but I was so inspired to do something new because I had learned so much while I was there. I just sat on the piano and the main riff of the song which is actually on the piano came to me and it encapsulated me in this eerie feeling that came up with the thought of Saaya and the first line came very organically. So somewhere I feel like this song deserved this sort of a production. It deserved the technicality, it deserved the musicality, it deserved that intricateness and I was just a medium. Because the song has its own destiny and every song has its own destiny and this song was destined to be made this way. Sometimes you are so lucky that you learn something and you can use it in the next moment and I was lucky like that because I had learned so much while I was there with Rahman Sir. Coming back and using some of those tricks and probably using some of those techniques was where this kind of came through. There were of course challenges whereas I always felt like the song was actually longer. There is a six and a half minute version of the song and the thought was how do we cut it short. It’s too long for today’s day and age. So that was one of the challenges because it is such a free flowing melody that it kept flowing for me and ideas kept popping and I didn’t know where to stop. But I think this was the best, the four and a half minutes that we have put out was like the ideal crisp version of it. But I think the challenge was on how to sonically keep it interesting but yet not make it sound alien. And that’s why the strings, the warmth of the strings making you feel like you are at home but yet having synthetic and synthesized elements which were all those keyboards, all the runs you hear in the song and the arpeggiators that you hear in the song. All of these technical things really came together beautifully to create a world that merged really well. And also being a song that suddenly goes into a choral section, comes back into a bass solo with just voice in the center. These were ideas that I just had to, they just came very naturally honestly. It wasn’t like a gimmick that we should do this because this might sound cool.
Another great quality of the song was that although it’s an independent track I can see it being used in a movie for some sequence. It’s indie but also commercial at the same time. So was that thing deliberate or did it happen organically while working on the song?
So that is me to be honest. I am honestly very filmy. And how much ever I deny it or maybe I mean I never deny it to be honest. But how much ever I say otherwise I have loved and grown up on Hindi cinema. I loved every part of it, I mean I am a Shah Rukh fan, I have loved all of his films, I love Ranbir Kapoor, I am a huge fan. So I watch all these movies and for me the cinematic quality of being on that big screen is very high. So when I shut my eyes and I am singing something I am imagining a huge screen. I am imagining how I would look on the huge screen or how the song would look on the huge screen. And I think that is something that just organically happens because I feel like when a song is made it shouldn’t have boundaries, it should transcend boundaries. And luckily I have found that space where you can make a song that sounds independent yet sounds like it can be used in a film. So I am very glad that you feel like that and I am very glad that you pointed that out because it is something that I honestly and genuinely agree with. I feel as well, especially because I am so into both worlds.
When you say that Saaya marks the dawn of a new sound for you, what does it mean by that? Is it a statement about the trajectory that your music will be taking in the coming times or something else?
I think it’s many things. Starting off with of course it is the trajectory that my music will be taking from the sonic point of view. The fact that I will be taking more risks with my music. The fact that I will be making music that I like. And putting out music that I like. Of course I always love all the music that I make. But putting out music that comes first to me. I think the fact that it’s a new dawn from the point of view of the… I will believe in myself as well as a metaphor of Saaya, the song itself. And I feel that even in terms of the writing, I feel like the next few songs that you will hear that will come out of my repertoire will be writing driven. Will be songs that are melody heavy. Will be songs that are fun yet you can listen to intently and intensely. And that’s the intention. And yes, that is why it is a new dawn for me. And also as a human being, I feel just more self-belief. Putting myself out there, taking more risks. And giving independent music the amount of time, value and presence that it deserves in my life.
Interestingly, you have been mentored by A.R. Rahman sir and I can see certain glimpses of his style in Saya. How much of an influence was him and his music in the context of your latest track?
So much. I mean, I owe my entire musical career to him in a way. Because he has been such a brilliant mentor. He has been such a kind heart towards me. Has always taken me in and helped me, guided me, shown me the way. And also supported me on my journey. I play him all my songs. He has heard Saaya as well. And he always gives me really constructive criticism. And that has been super helpful for me throughout. Because it has only helped me grow. With Saaya, definitely, yes, there is a lot of Rahman sir in it. Because, like I said, I was inspired while I was working with him. So I am sure there have been techniques and certain vibrations that have been picked up from that space and brought into the song.
While many people might identify you with this Dil Bechara song, you made your Bollywood music debut with Lekar Ham Diwala Dil back in 2014. So what can you recall about that experience in collaborating with the Maestro?
That’s so true. My debut song was Tu Shining and Maloom from the film Lekaram Diwala Dil back in 2014. I feel like the experience was uncanny. I was at KM Music College in Chennai, that is Rahman sir’s school. I was studying there for a year. And while I was studying there for a year, I had the opportunity of going and just hanging around in the studio. I told sir that, sir, I will be a fly on the wall. I promise you, I won’t bug anybody, bother anybody. But I will just be around. I just want to watch. I just want to see what I can learn from here. And if necessary, I will bring people coffee. It’s fine. I don’t mind it. And he was kind enough to say, yeah, yeah, sure, man. He liked, I think he probably liked my energy. And he said, yeah, yeah, sure. You can hang around. So I sat there. I used to go to college in the day and obviously at night I used to sit at the studio. In the evenings I used to sit at the studio till late at night. And watch people work, people mixing, people producing,
people recording etc. And then slowly gradually, sir saw me sitting there like so often. So he just used to call me in and say, hey, can you help with this? You know, there’s some Hindi lyric, you know, can you help me write it down? And can you help check the diction or this and that? So then I just got like small vocal supervision work. Someone’s recording. Can you make sure I want it in this vibe? Let’s see what you can do with it, etc. Recording chorus, picking stuff up, etc. And then my first song that I actually got to work on actively was a song called Jagao Mere Des from the Coke Studio album where I did some vocal supervision. I also, was somebody who helped. I recorded the scratch of the song as well. I helped on the lyrics with The Prasoon Joshi, sir, just, you know, getting, organizing everything, putting the tune together, etc. that sir obviously came up with. And that was an exciting experience. And then, that just led on to me being around at the studio for these kind of purposes. I started singing a lot of scratches at the studio. And that led to one day he just said, you want to try this song called You’re Shining Like a Diamond. And I said, I’d love to, sir. I mean, you know, of course. And at that point, it was just the tune. Amitabh sir was supposed to write the lyrics and then we jammed. I mean, he gave me the lyrics and we came up with the, I recorded the first version of the song. And as luck would have it, the director and producer, the lyricist of the song, they were there that day and they heard it and they loved it. And then two songs happened in Lekar Hum Diwana Dil. So, I feel like it was something where it was meant to be. But yet, it was so unreal because sometimes you don’t know where something is going to lead and like parishram ka phal meetha hota hote hain, they say, right? Like, that’s literally what I want to say. I’m not getting the right words for it. But I feel like, yeah, that one year that I spent there and, maybe worked after hours really helped me getting that opportunity. And I’m just glad that they loved what I’ve brought to the song and they were willing to back me up as someone who was a new singer, where they could have taken any voice that had already been in the scene. Collaborating with the maestro himself, I think that’s incredible. So much fun working with him as always. There’s so much to learn. Like I said, in this entire process, he always threw me in the deep end of things to try and learn. It was always like, hey, can you try this? And I was like, yeah, I don’t know. But yes, I will. I’ll try it. And he knew somewhere that, probably I had the capacity to try it and that’s how I grew and that’s how anybody should teach someone, I feel. So, such a brilliant experience.
How would you describe your musical journey between 2014 and 2023? And what were some of the career-defining moments in your life? And at the same time, some of the struggles that moulded you into the singer you are today?
This is a beautiful question, you know, because I think the last part of the question is the right part. I mean, it’s the most pivotal part of the question. My experience and my journey after 2014 was very different because after Lekar Ham Diwana Dil the film on paper was incredible because, you know, it was launching Raj Kapoor’s grandson. There was Karan Johar involved in the film. There was Arif Ali, who is Imtiaz Ali’s brother. There was a big production house. There was Rahman Sir. There was Saif Ali Khan producing the film. So, I think great names are attached to it and I only hoped for it to do extremely well and hopefully give me a catapult in my career. But unfortunately, the film didn’t do that well. And unfortunately, because of that also, the music didn’t really pick up. Even though certain people, whoever has heard the songs, loved the songs because it is a great album and it is, again, masterpiece from Rahman Sir. All the songs. But because of that, I kind got a humongous shock because I was under the belief that I had made it. But when I came back to Mumbai, my phone didn’t ring for a few years and nothing happened. I was sitting there just wondering what next. So, there were a few years that went by like this and that’s, I think, been the most career-defining moment of my life. Because that made me realize that, if I had probably gotten that instant success with my first song, maybe I wouldn’t have worked so hard to make all of this. And I would have gotten complacent right in the beginning or maybe I wouldn’t have learned all that I have learned today. And I wouldn’t have become the musician I am today. So, I feel like the entire journey from then to now has been incredible.
Well, I have never said no to an opportunity. I have done musicals as a lead where I played Jimmy in Disco Dancer in London for Saregama. I did a musical that happened in 2018, I think, or 2017 called Balle Balle where I was again playing the lead. And we danced, sang, performed live on stage. Apart from that, I started doing concerts with Rahman Sir and individually where I would perform. I did a Marathi film that I composed for three songs and had some really, really kind people sing for me like Shankar Mahadevan Sir himself sang a song for me. And I think each of these experiences brought me closer to the artist I wanted to be and the artist I want to be still, you know. And the fact is that I think I prefer like a slow growth than a growth where you don’t know where to go further. Because right now the sky is the limit for me and I have realized that. And also I have realized that don’t run behind success, run behind excellence, because at the end of the day I want to learn more. I want to grow as a musician. I 101% believe that there is someone out there who is always going to be better than you. And the idea is to be better than yourself, not to be better than them.
Your songs in Dil Bechara were a befitting tribute to the late Sushant Singh Rajput who’s there chocked the entire country. What does it mean to you to be the last of the singers to sing for him?
This is such a befitting question, because I feel like somewhere along the lines, that entire phase of 2020 was really hard for every artist. Because there was so much, there was so much unsureness, there was so much conjecture about what’s going to happen next. Are we ever going to be able to go out there and perform live? Are we ever going to be able to connect with our art at a at a very personal level? How is it going to be? What’s the world going to be like? Forget just our art. And I think that song was fated to just be at that point of time because I was going through a lot of tough times in my life as well at that point of time for some personal reasons And when I sang that song way before obviously Sushant sir passed away, I had put my heart into it with so much grief that I was going through. But also love, right, because I wanted to overcome that grief. I think that I’m just glad and so happy that we can remember one of the greatest artists of our time, Sushant sir, with a song that I sang. Because I want people to learn from him, of his excellence, the amount he strived for perfection, the amount he loved art and science and how knowledgeable he was, how funny he was, how incredible on screen he was, how beautiful a heart he had. And those are the things I want people to remember and I think Main Tumhara is the beacon of that. It makes you kind of remember that wherever you are, as long as you truly love, everything is going to be alright.
Ever since Dil Bechara, we haven’t seen you venture into playback music scene much. What’s the reason behind that? And whether you are at a juncture when you have to prioritize between independent music and commercial music?
To be very honest, ever since Dil Bechara, like I said, because of the lockdown, I started getting into independent music so heavily because I was very, very sure that I wanted to make my own music and I had to prioritize, especially with time as well. And therefore, making those trips and venturing and being out there to get a film song was something that wasn’t prioritized at my end, but always happy to sing for films, always have been someone who loves the idea of being on the big screen and singing for films that become iconic. That’s so beautiful. But yeah, right now, I think there’s a time that I’ve chosen that this is the path I want to take and that’s the path that I’m really enjoying.
What are some of the most problems plaguing the commercial music industry? What are some of the changes that you have noticed are detrimental to its structure?
So I think the commercial music industry, which is I think the entire music industry, because at the end of the day, it’s a business, right? You have to make money to survive and be able to do music the next day. And I think what right now has become a little bit of a detrimental value to the scene is the idea of formulas, knowing that just because this has worked once, it’s going to work again. That kind of limits creativity, you know, you can’t just keep making the same film again, like that you can’t keep making the same song again. Because there is so much more, you know, there are every artist that I know is so talented and has such a unique story to tell. And every filmmaker has such a unique story to tell that I feel like the art form should also be unique, and it should also add to people’s lives with some value. Whereas that’s something that’s changing, now already. Another problem is, and I don’t think it’s a problem, but I think it’s something that we should take as an evolution, is that because now films are shifting to the OTT platforms, and there are fewer films releasing in theaters, the amount of songs have reduced in films, and therefore the opportunities for film music have become lesser. Earlier you used to have seven, eight songs in a film, and now there are sometimes three songs in a film, unless it’s a really big film and then there are like eight songs in a film. But what that has done is also opened up the world towards independent music, because now you have to kind of go out there and hear an independent track. But what’s happening is, you want to hear more genres and more unique music out there, even in the independent scene, and slowly gradually that’s happening. And I think that is a change that is needed for today radio stations, for all media houses, for your OTT platforms, which they’re already doing. Pick up independent artists, give them a platform to use their music, sync their music into their films, sync their music into their CDs, and if your film is different, why not have a different song in it? Have a song that is from a genre that you wouldn’t expect or something. So I think those are the kind of changes that will be beautiful and that will change the structure of music completely,
because everybody will have a space to shine.
Will you be exploring collaborations for your upcoming singles? If yes, with whom would you like to collaborate with? And what should one expect from your upcoming singles?
There are a ton of collaborations coming up. I want to keep some of them a secret, but I’m going to tell you like some of the dream collaborations that I have that I want to do for sure. One is definitely Vishal Dadlani, sir. I want him to sing a song for me once, and we collaborate on a track and release it independently. And then there is Shilpa Rao. We are actually working on something and hopefully that will come out soon. And then there are some fantastic musicians that I’ve collaborated with. There’s Asad Khan, who plays the sitar, who’s on one of my tracks. There is Darshan Doshi and Keba Jeremiah, who’s played on two of my tracks. I mean, Darshan on one and Keba is played on two of my tracks. And they are fantastic musicians. Darshan is a drummer and Keba is a fantastic guitarist who’s played with the legends. I have a lovely set of lyricists who worked on some of the songs. There’s Deepak Yadav and Shivangi Tiwari who worked on some of my songs. So, looking forward to all this music that’s upcoming. And then there are some more names that I’m going to keep secret right now. Maybe like after two, three songs release, we’ll chat about that. Thank you so much.
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