A sitar player and composer based in the UK, she is the daughter of the legendary Ravi Shankar, a task difficult in itself. She gave a public performce at the age of 13; and has since been known as an accomplished sitar artist. Now, she is all energised with her laest album, Breathing Under Water, released by Saregama. Anoushka Shankar in candid conversation with radioandmusic.com’s Aaishwari Chouhan.
Excerpts:
Apart from all the appreciation, you also have two Grammy nominations and you are the first Indian to perform at the Grammy awards.
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These awards can’t really judge you as an artiste. It of course feels great to win a particular award, but it may not necessarily make me feel I am the best. That is not the purpose of winning. If it really justifies you as a person, as an artist and justifies your inner self then you are a true winner. This is the way I judge myself. And I find the whole concept of getting a nomination at Grammy and someone winning the award, really very lame.
Does it help to have an edge over others by having an easy start in life courtesy a famous dad?
It depends on what you consider easy. The question itself is opinionated, implying that you have an edge – so it’s easy for you. But there constantly has been a watch before I play a note or make a music piece. And on a commercial level, people say that you have an opportunity to play good music because of your father but I have to work really hard to become a perfectionist with whatever I do. And when you work hard to get something, the moment you get it – you own it! But what gives me ultimate satisfaction as an artist is when people remember me playing and tell me, that your concert was good or you were brilliant at a certain concert. And then arises the question – was it a genuine compliment or was it because of my father? But, then I have my father in me…
Do you have musical issues with your father or do you simply pick up whatever you learn from him?
He is a master in this field and as a student, I have learnt from him truly. But I make music my way – it’s original! But yeah, you will notice that I have picked up my father’s way of playing a sitar that’s because I have learnt playing a sitar under him. I would say it’s a combination because he is very much a part of me biologically, but I have my own way of composing music too.
You support animal rights and PETA. How about supporting anti-piracy as well?
I think I can step out and speak about it to create a difference. Piracy all by itself sounds very vague and huge; it is also very difficult to convince a person to pay for the music that he can get for free. As in, just at one click, a person can download the entire album of an artist having the sound quality more or less at par with the original CD that is sold out which is priced substantially much. So, I believe this issue has to be tackled in a different way – a way wherein people understand the whole issue and it is presented by putting it in their favour.
How was it to work with Karsh Kale on Breathing Under Water?
It talks about our story together and a lot of things about us too. We would travel all around the world but made sure that whatever little time we got, we would spend it on making this happen. I’ve never had this type if intense musical experience with anyone, other than my father. One of the greatest aspects of creating this album, for me, was giving unabashedly full reign to my creative desires, pushing and being pushed far outside my comfort level, and working with people whose talents complemented my own to the point that I was able to give the best of myself as a producer, writer and instrumentalist.
How easy was the composition of this album?
There were two ways that we composed for the most part, some songs came from an acoustic space, coming up with the melody and then orchestrating around it. And there were a few pieces like ‘Slither’ and ‘PD7,’ which we started creating and programming on the computer first, and layered on top of later.
You’ve also written songs for this album. How did that come about?
I have always been predominantly recognised as an instrumentalist and a little as a vocalist. This time, I have also composed and produced the album. I liked the whole flow and excitement of it. I enjoy a lot of things than just playing; like writing songs in English. While composing instrumentals, I kind of have always been very expressive and now, I tried to be the same through words for this album.
How do you make different sounds work together for an album like Breathing Under Water?
Being an Indian musician in the world we live in right now, when there’s the amount of fusion and crossover music that’s being made, it’s a challenge to find a genuine and sincere way of making these different sounds work together.
Would you want to compose for Bollywood?
For some, Bollywood is the ultimate destination. It’s not the same for me. I want to make quality music and not genre-based music. I am very curious to write songs for the films and I would love to do so, but once again it should be justified to my creative side; only then would I accept being a musician in Bollywood.
What’s your take on remixes?
I believe, the artists should be given the rights to let or not allow their music from being remixed. It is an individual’s perspective, some of them wouldn’t like to hear their music being remixed and some would find it good.
Apart from music, which other creative field are you interested in?
On the creative side, writing is something that I enjoy because apart from music, this is the way I express myself and I like it. And as a hobby, dancing is my favourite creative activity.
How has traveling made a difference to your music?
I have been traveling with my dad since the age of seven. Although I never performed that early, but I have seen the world right form that age and it made a huge difference to my sense of composing music. Also, I have lived in three different continents, so even that leaves an impact on my music. Any art form or culture has influenced my music a lot and all of this, due to traveling to various places.
What are you plans for the future?
All through winters I am in India every year. Apart from that, I am traveling a lot in the next one year for concerts with my dad, solo concerts and other performances, some of it being a part of the Anoushka Shankar project. So basically I will be touring a lot for one year and you can expect my next album only after two years.
Where do you think the music scenario is heading to?
A lot of innovation and originality is seen in the music scenario in the last one year itself. But one just can’t predict it because everything is so nebulous. But my sense is that music is now trying to get out of its borders and the young musicians are playing a major role in doing so. But I am very optimistic about the way it is progressing and I am sure, we will see a lot of good stuff in the future too. But the commercial scene can be way different from the creative perspective that I am talking about.
How about an album with your sister – Norah Jones? That would be simply do so well…
I wouldn’t do an album just because it will sell like hot-cakes. But I can’t speak much about the future; I and Norah haven’t discussed this yet. We are from completely different musical backgrounds but if something really comes across that is genuine enough to be compiled into an album, then we surely will work together. In fact, for Breathing Under Water we worked on a track together and it was really nice to work with her. But right now, the possibilities of the two of us working together on an album are low.
