When Team Sociobits asked the musical duo Vicky and Tejas what they would be doing if they were not into music, Vicky would have been in Marketing and Tejas would have been into Sports Management. These are not the usual choices of people who have creative minds and sing/compose their hearts out.
In an exclusive interview with Sociobits, Vicky and Tejas walk us through their journey and also share some interesting insights about their life in music.
Team Sociobits: Could you tell me how did you begin your musical journey?
Vicky and Tejas: In 2016, we were a part of a band called ‘Aaravya’. I (Tejas) was pursuing engineering back then and Vicky was playing gigs around. He also completed his MBA later. So, this band was a cover band and we did a few shows around Pune. After a few gigs, I (Tejas) left the band, and shortly after that, the band was resolved. Subsequently, we started our own ‘thing’.
I remember, I randomly sent Vicky four lines that I wrote. Later, he composed it on his phone and sent me a voice note, and we really liked it. So, we met one day, discussed a few more songs, and directly went to record them; releasing them in 2019.
Team Sociobits: Did both of you always want to do something in the world of music?
Tejas: My mom and dad are great singers since college and my dad was part of his college band. So, I also sang when I was in school and because the music was involved, I chose this line. They wanted me to have a backup plan, at least but this is what I wanted to do all along. I joined my college band and later on, I met them too.
Vicky: I have been playing guitar for many years but I never planned to write and compose songs. Once we wrote and composed our initial songs, it clicked in our minds that ‘oh! this is something we can do’. Now, we have reached a comfort level where once we know the topic, we can come up with a song.
Tejas: It has become a pretty fast process for us. Once we did a ‘one word, one day, one song’ challenge. In this, we took one word from the audience and came up with a one-minute song based on it. One of our friends wanted us to write about ‘feet’. We decided “Paayaliah” would be the right name and this is what we came up with:
Team Sociobits: Could you point out any artist that inspires you or someone who you would love to collaborate with?
Both: We can’t name one artist, there are multiple artists. If you look at the indie scene, there is Prateek Kuhad, Ankur Tiwari, Yellow Diaries, The Local Train. Initially, we used to listen to them but our music taste also evolved as we went ahead. We are big fans of Bollywood Music as well. So, to name one, it has to be A.R. Rahman.
Team Sociobits: Would you be looking to get into Bollywood/Hollywood? And what role do social media platforms play in your life (as creators or musicians)?
Both: We would love to! It’s not concrete that we want to only focus on our India stuff but we will be looking for the right opportunity or film to make music.
Platforms like Spotify help us reach out to millions of people from all over the world. It is definitely better than how the scenario was 10 – 15 years ago. Any song can now reach a wider audience but there are pros and cons too. Like every artist has the liberty to do that so the competition also increases.
Team Sociobits: Do you think someday platforms like these could overpower Bollywood or Hollywood?
Both: It has already started but Bollywood is a very big industry to get captured easily. If you see, so much work is being done in the Bollywood Industry and a single artist cannot keep up with that pace. OTT platforms are the middle ground here.
Platforms like Spotify help us reach out to millions of people from all over the world. It is definitely better than how the scenario was 10 – 15 years ago. Any song can now reach a wider audience but there are pros and cons too. Like every artist has the liberty to do that so the competition also increases.
Team Sociobits: As artists, do you think that sometimes you have to compromise on what you like to deliver to the audience the kind of music they like?
Both: That is the case sometimes because we started out with zero expectations. We hit the studios without a plan so there was no pressure or expectations but now that we have around a thousand monthly listeners, we have to cater to their taste as well. It is still very dicey for us. We don’t know whether to stick to a particular genre or explore. Right now, we are only experimenting.
To some extent, this also depends on the producers that we work with because our song could sound similar when we write and compose it on our acoustic guitar but it can sound entirely different when we go to a studio and record it. He might change the song completely and we may have to compromise on some level. We have been very lucky to have worked with great products like Nitin Muralikrishna and Raunak. We also met a producer/friend of ours, Asim. He produced one single and mixed another one for us. Then there’s Bhushan who produced one of our most popular songs “Bheje Ke Tar”. Now we have a great team with Pratik and Zariya (Asim). So, we are planning to release a three-song EP with them.
Team Sociobits: As creators, what are some things that anyone who wants to become a creator should watch out for?
Both: To be honest, we are also struggling. We have not reached the level where we can give other people advice. But, as we are also going through the journey, we think that taking the first step is really important. Once you have taken the first step, part of the battle is won. Our first step was very random but we were sure that we want this recorded no matter what.
Artists like Tejas and Vicky are rightfully using the power of social media and taking it one step at a time in their musical journey. They pointed out correctly that the hardest step for most people is taking the first step.
