“Working with T-Series was an extremely smooth experience” – Vasu Kainth

As an independent artist, Vasu Kainth has been creating original music for quite a while. With ‘Silsile’, his debut EP, he has taken another step forward in his musical journey. What also makes ‘Silsile’ special is the fact that it marks his first collaboration with T-Series.

In this interview, Vasu talks about the process behind putting together his debut EP, working with T-Series, how he creates music, his journey in music, upcoming projects, and more.

All these years, you worked as an independent artist. How was the experience of collaborating with a mainstream label like T-Series?

As independent artists, we often hear that mainstream labels are difficult to work with. When you are a newcomer, you are extremely confused about several things.Working with T-Series was an extremely smooth experience. I felt as if I was working with my friends. It was a big opportunity for me. I feel extremely happy about the fact that India’s biggest music label has released my EP.

Was it easy to make this transition?

There has been no transition actually. I will continue to release music independently. Releasing music independently and working with a label are different experiences. When you are making music independently, you can do whatever you wish to. Sometimes, you make a song and you believe it is good. However, when it comes out, the audience does not like it. When you work with a label, you get feedback on your songs and that helps you create something better.

There are four songs in the EP. Did you decide on a theme first?

No. These four songs were made at different times. There is a song in the EP called ‘Na Jaane De’. It was made a year ago. ‘Dobara’ was made when I was in a flight. One day, when I was listening to these four songs, I thought of putting them all together and releasing them in the form of an EP. These songs are connected to each other and tell a story.

Your mash-ups on Instagram are very popular. What made you opt for this format to create music?

I feel creating mash-ups is a good way to build an audience base quickly. People take a while to connect with original music. A lot of people had suggested that I do mash-ups. I realized I was good at it, so I kept doing it. I have also been making original music for a long time. I like doing both. However, I enjoy the process of creating original music more.

One of the interesting tracks you have made is ‘Mai Kaisa Hu’. The song talks about the creative struggle an artist goes through while creating something. What kind of process do you go through while creating music?

Till a year back, I used to put in a lot of thought behind every song I would make. I wanted people to like my music. However, songs like ‘Mai Kaisa Hu’ were made organically. In songs like these, I have spoken about myself. I was not really thinking how these songs would be received. Now, I create all my songs organically without thinking about the kind of response they will get.

How did you get interested in music?

When I was young, I used to dance very well. My parents had this wish to see me participate in ‘Dance India Dance’. I am from Ludhiana, Punjab. There used to be a temple beside my house in Ludhiana. There was a very young pandit ji in that temple. One day, he came home to meet my grandfather. My grandfather used to write ghazals. The pandit ji told him that he wants to learn music. My dada ji had a friend who used to teach music. One day, he took pandit ji to his friend’s house to learn music. I also went along. When I saw the harmonium at his friend’s place, I was highly amused. He played sa re ga ma pa on the harmonium and I started singing along. After that day, pandit ji did not come for the classes but I continued with the lessons for 8-10 years. The name of my guru ji was Ranjit Singh Rana. Everybody used to call him Rana ji. He was a very close friend of Jagjit Singh ji. That is how my journey in music started. I was probably in the third grade then. I kept learning music till the time I was in the twelfth grade.

What are you doing next?

I would be releasing one more EP soon. It would revolve around the concept of life. It would have four songs, ‘Mai Kaisa Hu’, ‘Zinda’, ‘Uth Ja’ and ‘Khoj’.