Figuring out if you're okay is never as easy it seems. A quick check-in with yourself almost always becomes an entire episode of introspection, navigating through your complex emotions and eventually coming to terms with your own shortcomings.
It's a process and Begum capture it all in their latest album, Are you ok?.
Currently comprising Kartik Pillai, Karan Singh, and Dhruv Bhola, Begum have always traversed around some of life's most difficult moments through music. Against the backdrop of whimsical pop music, the Indian trio—who come from their own individual success as independent artists in India's vibrant music circuit—have been a source of fun tunes that make you think a little deeper.
In their newly released record, which comes five years in the making, Begum aren't looking to uplift their audiences but rather, recognise them and their struggles.
"It's more of a 'don't worry, believe in yourself, shit happens' kinda message. More than words or imparting anything, it's more like an understanding nod. Every song has its own little micro-verse of meaning and sound," said Kartik.
Following the release of Are you ok?, Bandwagon caught up with Begum's Kartik Pillai to talk about the band's beginnings and what it was like working on their latest album.
Hi Begum! How's the year been like for all of you so far?
The year has been alright. Got covid, didn't get covid. Released a bunch of music, haven't released some music as well. We're just happy to be finally releasing these tracks.
Let's start from the beginning, how did each of you get together to form a band?
Well, initially, it was myself and Kshitij, then Karan joined, then Kshitij left, and Tushar Mohan from Nigambodh joined. Then he left for a course in permaculture, so we got Anand Viankara from Smooth Relax, and then he moved back to Kerala, so we asked Dhruv Bhola. Best decision ever. I met Karan through Peter Cat Recording Co. and Bhola I met while recording a session for him and Shantanu Pandit.
The three of you are already prominent names in India's indie music scene, making a name for yourselves as part of Peter Cat Recording Co. Why start a new project as Begum?
I and the original bassist Kshitij had been writing music for several years before I joined PCRC, and we'd always been looking for a drummer, which we found in Karan. Begum's music was always gonna happen regardless.
How would you describe the music that Begum makes? Who are some artists that inspire the band's sound?
It sounds kinda like fantasy, escapist music, whimsical at times, but at the same time, it's quite honest. The source of our sounds is an unintentional smorgasbord of retained and rejected memories. I'm not sure who influences us more or less. I just know it's assembled pieces of random clay that gets a little more shapely every time we play.
What does your usual music-making process look like?
A lot of it is failure, and the good parts are when everyone locks in for like 2-7 minutes, and we end up happy we recorded. It's actually very gratifying when you get those moments.
Congratulations on the release of Are you ok?. Could you tell us more about the record and the vision you had for it?
Are you ok? is kind of a conversation with ourselves. There have been many ups and downs in the past few years, and I think a lot of the themes of songs come from that experience.
The music videos, the art, and the album's name reference the concept of self-reflection and figuring out how to be alright. Whether that be navigating self-doubt, anxiety or just realising that we are on a planet/rock in space and that at every moment, something is happening and someone is experiencing something. We hope you like it.
Is there a song off of the album that you're most excited to share with the world? What is it and why?
We're equally excited about all the songs. I think 'Ten Years Later' might be the only fun one, though. We've put ourselves out there on this album, worked hard on it, and I wouldn't be able to choose just one song.
Having been making music together for over a decade, how do you think you've grown as bandmates and friends throughout the years?
The lines are blurred, bandmate and friend, I guess it always was. At this point, we even live together, and it's not as bad as one would imagine. I think we're more honest and less offended or triggered by stupid things. It's a process, of course, but I think that's fine, it's hard to live with anybody, but this has been fairly easy.
What's the best part of making music together?
That we can tune in, create something and be proud of it. Like I said before, it's an extremely gratifying experience, kind of like surfing a beautiful wave or anything where you have to get in the zone, and beautiful things happen.
What else can we expect from Begum this year?
This year, well, we have another EP we've been working on called Island Romance. We hope to release it soon. It'll be cool. We also want to continue to release multimedia art and more music videos. We're hoping to get more chances to play live and tour the country and beyond.
Listen to Begum's latest album, Are you ok? here.
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