“It is a very good time to create and release music independently” – Shruti Pathak

2023 proved to be quite an eventful year for Shruti Pathak. Apart from releasing a bunch of singles as a singer, she made her debut as a composer with the song ‘Udd Udd’ from the Ratna Pathak Shah – Dia Mirza – Fatima Sana Shaikh – Sanjana Sanghi starrer ‘Dhak Dhak’. In the film, she also sang another song (‘Farzi Duniya’) composed by Rishi Dutta and written by Kundan Vidyarthi. Recently, Shruti lent her voice to ‘Karmawali’, a single composed by Anmol Daniel and written by Youngveer. After a fruitful 2023, the singer – composer – lyricist looks forward to an even more fulfilling year with 2024.

‘Karmawali’ is reminiscent of the many Punjabi folk songs we have heard in the past.

Yes! I have had a very strong connection with the music and culture of Punjab. When Anmol Daniel made me listen to the tune he had composed, I really liked it. Soon, Youngveer came on board and wrote the lyrics. Once the song was created, we were sure that it would do well and become an anthem for every bride-to-be.

A portion of the song is based on the popular Punjabi wedding folk song ‘Chitta’. It has been reinterpreted by various composers and used in several films in the past. In the recent times, the tune was used in ‘Animal’ (‘Saari Duniya Jala Denge’) as well.

Yes, it is a very popular Punjabi boli. Youngveer wrote fresh lyrics around the tune. The original folk song has a very strong melody and I guess that’s the reason so many composers have got attracted to it. Jagjit Singh ji and Chitra Singh ji used to sing it in their shows frequently. ‘Karmawali’ is an original song and a bit of the folk tune is used to add a folksy touch to the track.

The song has been released by Indie Music Label which has been promoting a lot of independent artists.

Yes, the label is focused on creating and promoting independent music. For decades, we did not have independent music on the forefront. Now, it’s good to see many labels supporting independent artists and producing non-film music. Indie Music has an association with Warner Music and together, they have been releasing a lot of good non-film music. It is a very good time to create and release music independently.

Your discography largely consists of original tracks. However, you have lent your voice to a few recreated tracks as well like ‘Soniye Dil Nayi’ ‘(Baaghi 3’). What are your thoughts on recreations?

Whenever you overdo something, it loses its charm. These days, you see some films having six songs and out of those, five are recreations of older songs. Earlier, one or two such songs would come in a year and because of that, there was a certain novelty attached to them. Now, there are too many of them. I am not in favour of recreations and I think the audience has also got bored of them. Our country has so much talent. We can create new songs that can work well with the audience. One can recreate songs once in a while for nostalgic value.

Though you are from Gujarat, you forayed into Gujarati film music much later in your career. Your song ‘Haiyaa’ from the Gujarati film ‘Hellaro’ became a huge hit. Last year, your song ‘Patan Na Patrani’ from ‘Nayika Devi: The Warrior Queen’ was well-appreciated as well.

In the initial part of my career, most people didn’t know that I was from Gujarat. Because of that, I didn’t get too many offers from the Gujarati film and music industry. With ‘Haiyaa’, things changed. Though I had sung a few Gujarati songs earlier, the song became a huge hit and forged a strong bond with the industry there. ‘Haiyaa’ arrived at an important juncture in the film and received a lot of appreciation from the audience. ‘Nayika Devi: The Warrior Queen’ was a very powerful film and I am glad that I could lend my voice to ‘Patan Na Patrani’.

This year, you embarked upon a new journey as a film composer with ‘Dhak Dhak’.

‘Udd Udd’ from ‘Dhak Dhak’ would always be a special song for me as it is the first song which I composed for a film. ‘Dhak Dhak’ was a film with a very strong message and that made the experience of being a part of it all the more special. Next year, some of my film songs will come out. I also hope to do a lot of work as a composer. I will be churning out a lot of original music as an independent artist as well.