MUMBAI: Singer-songwriter Shibani Kashyap can’t get enough of good retro rock, pop and jazz songs to get her going. One of the country’s female performers Kashyap says although her playlist has a host of contemporary and esoteric music, it is retro music that she turns back to.
Speaking with Radioandmusic.com, Kashyap said, “I can’t get away from jazz and rock- Phil Collins, Sting and Tori Amos to Steely Dan. I listen a lot to jazz fusion. I like Amy Winehouse and amongst the new ones, artists like Adele. I listen to Michael Bubble twice a day.”.
While rock and jazz might be her favourite music genres, Kashyap is also deeply influenced by fusion music- the type created by ex- Genesis Peter Gabriel on his Real World Music project (and label). Also included in her musical ‘mentors’ list are Michael Brook and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
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“I like to write songs about issues and feel-oriented material. Sometimes the songs are celebratory, sometimes melancholy. I don’t mind taking up a project for a film if it falls into my genre of music that I play. For example, for Bollywood film ‘Mai Aur Mr Right’- I had to compose a song about an unspoken relationship and its break up. The couple hadn’t defined their relationship and it was a sad goodbye song. So it’s not about whether a song is in a major or minor key,” she added.
Since taking up music as a profession from the mid 90s’, Kashyap has seen a lot of changes. Not only have styles, tastes and content changed, technology and marketing strategies too have evolved.
She stated, “Technology has taken over as far as recording goes. I can play, sing and record a song in an hour. But as far as live show goes, though technology has brought in many changes, I still take about an hour and a half in sound checks. Another technology that I use is the Yamaha silent guitar. (A silent guitar is a type of guitar with a solid or chambered body that converts the vibration of the strings into electric current using a piezoelectric pickup. The body of the guitar does not amplify the vibration of the strings into audible sound. Thanks to this, musicians can practice with headphones without disturbing people around them, or obtain an acoustic tone under heavy amplification without feedback.). It is based on a new technology that enhances the sound and it’s easy to take on the road.”
Although not one to dwell in the past, there are still things Kashyap would not mind going back in time too.
“At school (Delhi Public School- Mathura Road), I was always into retro music- Beatles, ABBA, BoneyM, Tina Charles and have (always) been fond of 70s’ and 80s’ music. One thing I wouldn’t mind trying out again is dying my hair. I used to dye my hair dark blue which blended with my black hair. I would do it again but I can’t find the shade anymore,” she expressed.
