“Working with T-Series has been a great experience” – Samarth Swarup

Samarth Swarup writes, composes, produces and sings his own songs. Samarth, who worked as an independent singer, songwriter and music producer for years, recently signed up with T-Series, one of the biggest music labels in the country. His debut EP ‘Sama’, comprising of four original tracks, was released recently by the music label.

In this interview, Samarth talks about his new EP, process as a musician, joining hands with T-Series, artists he wishes to collaborate with, plans to compose for films and more.

Since the last several years, one largely saw artists releasing singles. It’s good to see trends changing and full-fledged albums like ‘Sama’ getting released.

I feel putting together and releasing an EP at this point of time was very apt for me. I already had a bank of songs with me. I believe in creating ideas and executing them right away. You start working on a composition with a certain amount of intensity. Two days later, when you sit and try to finish the composition, you will not be going through the same kind of emotions. Once an idea hits and the composition takes shape, I record the scratch vocals right away. I have been following this process since the last many years. Through this method, I was able to create a bunch of songs. I got the opportunity to package them as an EP with the help of T-Series. It is important to keep creating new stuff. In the past, I did a lot of singles. This is the first time I have come out with an EP. The process was quite interesting.

Did you have a theme in mind while creating this EP?

Honestly, I did not have any theme in mind. However, there is a sense of coherence in the album. ‘Sama’ has songs based on different moods of love and romance. The songs are set in different sonic spaces. Every song sounds different from the others. ‘Kol Aaja’ has an R&B kind of a sound. ‘Mann Jugnoo’ is in a very interesting sonic space. ‘Lage Na Jiya’ is a song which I wrote for my wife. Last December, we got married and I performed the song on our wedding day. It is earthy and romantic. ‘Dholna’ is a club song with a contemporary sound.

For years, you worked and released your music as an independent artist. In the recent times, you did work with a few labels like Merchant Records and Saavn’s Artist Originals. How was it collaborating with a mainstream label like T-Series?

Working with T-Series has been a great experience. The way T-Series operates aligns with the kind of approach I have for my work. It has been a very pleasant association. I have a couple of other projects lined up with them. My music is a little commercial but is still in the independent space. I like to experiment. I want to compose for films and web shows. T-Series is the right platform for me to do a variety of things.

On 15^th February 2015, you released a cover version of ‘Main Dhoondhne Ko’ (‘Heartless’). That was the first time you uploaded a video on YouTube. Do you think YouTube, as a platform, played an important role in your journey as a musician?

Just like most other musicians working today, my journey began as a cover artist. With time, your art and musical sensibilities evolve. My journey in music started when I was in school. During my college days, I participated in several youth festivals. It has been a very interesting journey. I started uploading covers a while before the Jio revolution happened in India. Once Jio came in, the internet became much more accessible. The supply and consumption of content increased manifold.

When did you discover your passion for music?

Music has been with me since forever. I have been doing music for more than eighteen years now. Around 2007-08, when I was in school, I picked up the guitar. Then, I started singing and producing music. Eventually, I learned how to compose songs. I never had any formal training in music. However, I underwent three months of training in Hindustani classical vocals when I had to represent my college in a particular music competition. I try to learn something new every day. Music is such a vast ocean. It has so many different elements like art, emotions, and storytelling. You never run out of things to learn.

Is there any artist you wish to collaborate with in the near future?

I would love to collaborate with all the artists whose music I heard and loved when I was growing up. A. R. Rahman, Shankar – Ehsaan – Loy, Pritam, Vishal and Sheykhar. A lot of new artists are creating some great music as well. I love Vishal Mishra’s work. I had the opportunity to meet him a while back. It would be an honour to collaborate with him.

What are you doing next?

I have created a bunch of songs which should come out soon. I am also developing some new musical ideas. I plan to drop another EP very soon. I also look forward to doing the music for films and shows.