Gully Boy fame Ankur Tewari: ‘Musicians are getting lonelier today’

Ankur Tewari

Loneliness can sometimes lead to great works of art. But music and loneliness don't go together, believes Ankur Tewari. "I feel musicians are getting lonelier because they are only interacting with their computers, and working in silence," laments the composer and singer. Bringing musicians together was one of the ideas that led to the creation of City Sessions, his first independent album under Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti's Tiger Baby Records. The album, which released on May 9, features six original tracks by independent artistes Neel Adhikari, Pushan Kripalani (Slight Diversion), and Arijit Datta (Airport).

For Tewari, City Sessions was a means to go back to how music used to be originally created. Think a bunch of people jamming together, each bringing their individuality and skill to the table. "The charm of why we started making music together is getting lost. So, we took the less beaten path of getting singer-songwriters, musicians, film technicians, and music producers together in a room and saying, ‘Now let's make a song together'. We recorded it the old-school way where you start the take and you finish it. Everybody who was making the song was in the same room. There is a joy [to this process]. We used to make music like that in films earlier. But with technology, the disadvantage is that it's pulling people apart," says the Gully Boy (2019) music supervisor.

(Second from left) Ankur Tewari with the team of City Sessions, which is backed by (in white) Zoya Akhtar and (extreme right) Reema Kagti

Creating City Sessions over 10 months made him feel like part of a community again. The album is also Tewari's way to put the spotlight on the art itself at a time when songs are treated as commercial entities. "There is vulgarity in the way we look at movies and music today," states the musician. He makes his case further by saying, "You would find it odd if you were a professional and I asked you, ‘What's your salary?' Or if I rated a restaurant on the basis of how much money it makes and not its food. That's what is happening to the film and music industry - everyone is concerned about the numbers. A weird sense of competition and ruthlessness has come in. We need to all grow together. We need to make better music and better films together."

Having Akhtar and Kagti, who have often thrown their weight behind indie music, by his side has made this easier. The way ahead, he says, is to build this community. "Right now, we are in the process of old-school A&R [artistes and repertoire] where we go to gigs and open mics. I also want to take this across languages."

Our music, our way

The album features six original tracks by independent artistes Neel Adhikari, Slight Diversion, and Airport