MUMBAI: Singer-songwriters and producers Aman Sagar and Shivam Sengupta were roommates at Berklee College of Music, but it has taken them years to collaborate on a song. Their latest release, the quirkily named ‘Dil Tedha’ on Molfa Music is a bubbly production, inspired by tropes of modern romance – situationships, infatuations and unrequited love. The song also showcases each artist’s penchant for groove and the unusual.
Listening to ‘Dil Tedha’ also explains why Aman – who has produced the Kumaoni folk tale inspired ‘Sonchadi’ on Coke Studio Bharat – is a two-time winner of Beat Battle, hosted by world-renowned hip-hop producer, Kenny Beats. The winner of the first-ever AR Rahman scholarship at Berklee, Aman is a dexterous producer, and a confident artist, unafraid to experiment.
Shivam, winner of a Filmfare Award for his work alongside another Berklee graduate Anuj Danait in an OTT series – Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein – is the perfect foil to Aman in the contemporary pop track that was written during the pandemic, and in their respective bedrooms in Nainital and Brooklyn over WhatsApp.
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“This song has been inspired by the countless instances of infatuation and the great pop tunes that played in my head in all those instances in my life,” shares Aman, adding, “But what makes the song really special is despite being roommates at Berklee, this is the first song that Shivam and I worked on together, so putting it out after all these years is quite a good nostalgic feeling. Though we both think the other person’s parts in the song are catchier.”
Shivam shares Aman’s opinion, and explains why they make a good team. “We both seem to have an unabashed approach to music production and songwriting which I think really stands out when we work together,” he says. “Aman also writes the catchiest choruses and I tend to write super weird esoteric parts, so the blend of those writing styles really grabs one’s ear and sticks to it,” Shivam says of the song he describes as “Charlie Puth meets Ali Sethi with a lot (perhaps too much) of Aman Sagar and Shivam Sengupta thrown in there.”
This is Aman’s first release on Molfa Music, a new label that was born out of a desire to push Indian pop onto the global stage, and is slated to release more songs on the label later this year.
“We want to tell relatable stories through the music we put out on Molfa, and reflect the evolving social dynamics around us,” says Dheer Momaya, co-CEO Molfa Music. “‘Dil Tedha’ is a celebration of the ‘mematic’ layers in contemporary romances, where Aman and Shivam are trying to make sense of the mysteries and excitement of modern relationships,” he adds.
The creative powerhouse behind projects like Chhello Show, India’s entry for Oscars 2022, and music videos like Prateek Kuhad’s ‘cold/mess’, ‘Doobey’ and ‘Gehrayiaan’, Jugaad Motion Pictures bring their clutter-breaking approach and filmmaking expertise to music, and are focused on creating I-pop (Indian pop) as a global genre with releases from talents like Raman Sharma, gini, KIDSHOT and JAFA, and now Aman Sagar.
“Aman is talent personified. The first time I heard him shred a guitar I was totally mesmerised,” gushes Dheer.
‘Dil Tedha’ will release on June 14 and will be available across all streaming platforms.
Listen to ‘Dil Tedha’ – releasing on Molfa Music on June 14 – here
