“Exploring a new genre in cinema is always exciting for a composer” – Joi Barua

Joi Barua is known for his powerful performances on stage. Despite being busy with live shows and touring with his band, Joi makes time to work on film music. In the past, Joi has composed songs for films like ‘Laila Majnu’ (2018), ‘Thai Massage’ (2022), and ‘Who Bhi Din The’ (2024). ‘A Stranger By The Hill’, a film he recently composed the music for, released in the theatres last week. The film has two original songs composed by Joi and Ipson Lal Barua. The two of them have also put together the background score for the film.

In this interview, Joi talks about his experience of creating the soundtrack for a thriller for the first time, doing a recording session at Abbey Road Studios, upcoming projects and more.

You have jointly put together the score for the film with Ipson Lal Baruah.

Yes! We had to do the entire soundtrack for the film. Ipson came over to Mumbai and we decided to work on it together. While we were working on the soundtrack, we got familiarized with the situations in which the songs could be used. Munindr (Kumar) had already shot the film. There were two places where these songs could be placed. When Ipson and I were working on the soundtrack, everything flowed together. It was not like we worked on the songs and the background score separately. I called Ipson over to work with me on the soundtrack. This kind of film required a different bent of mind.

This is the first time you have done the background score for a film.

Yes, that’s right! I like creating songs. However, I really enjoyed the process of doing the background score for the film. It took us three months to put together the entire soundtrack.

You have worked on films with different themes and subjects. This is the first time you have worked on a thriller as a composer.

Yes, exploring a new genre in cinema is always exciting for a composer. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of working on the film. I had not worked on this kind of film before. I love the hills. I think the milieu helped in bringing a sense of freshness to the compositions.

The album has two songs, ‘Silvatein’ and ‘Main Hoon Tera’. You have sung both of them.

I sang the scratch versions. They felt my voice suited the songs well and decided to retain it. The songs have been written very well. While Ipson has written ‘Silvatein’, Vishwadeep Zeest has written ‘Main Hoon Tera’.

What are you doing next?

I will be signing a new film soon. I have always been very passionate about our environment. I am working on a project on those lines. I recently had a recording session at Abbey Road Studio. It was a part of my project with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.