One of The most Promising Music Composer of The Bengali Music Industry- Nabarun Bose

“Passion alone can’t drive you to do something, you must also be committed to it.” Nabarun Bose gets close and candid with us while delineating his work experience in the Bengali Music Industry as of now. Starting from being the Keyboardist at the “The Anupam Roy Band”, to composing his own music for the critically acclaimed film “Rainbow Jelly”, and other web series like “Kaali” , he has also been an integral part of “The Prophesor”, “Enolaton” and  has come a long way.

         

As to whether he always thought of pursuing music as his profession, he said that he always wanted to do something performance oriented. He enrolled himself in co-curricular activities like theatre and music and also learnt playing the Sitar in the very initial stage of his life at the will of his mother to which he didn’t pay much heed as a child. ‘I grew up in a home that had an aura of music, my mother being an Indian Classical vocalist and my father savouring all kinds of music, the environment had thus been the initiator”, said Nabarun.  However in standard 9-10 he developed a taste for Western Music and started learning to play the keyboard at his own keenness. He never knew music was his forte and would go to the extent of become his career option until he matured and developed a palate for the same in the later years of the school life.

Nabarun added that his family had been the foremost influence in driving him towards where he is now, “barite gaan er chorcha toh chhiloi”, says he with a smile. He also recognised the dedication his mother has towards classical music as he believes that passion alone can’t drive you to do something, you must also be committed to it. Also when he began to listen to bands like The Beatles, Eagles, Sting and the Police, moving to the contemporary Coldplay, John Mayer, Jason Mraz and progressive Rock bands like Dream Theatre, Porcupine Tree and the list would go on and on. Also being born in the 90s, Fossils, Cactus, Lakkhichhara, Chandrabindu did a major in inspiring to get him into this scene. “I continue to get inspired from Films and books that act as a determining factor in my music making process which I like to envision and imagine and propagate the same to my students. It is important to feed oneself intellectually to produce something that has depth”, said my interviewee.

When asked, “What did it feel like starting out as a member of “The Anupam Roy Band” and transcending towards being an independent music composer?

He replied, ‘Before being a part of Anupam Da’s band, I was also a member of a hindi pop rock band called “The Colours” which also produced an album known as “Naya Din” of its own which also played in the radio but it disbanded itself after working for a period for 2-3years.  During that time span I heard “Amake Amar Moton Thakte Dao” and it was after this song that Anupam Da himself called me, acquiring the contact from my key-board teacher Souvik da, expressing his willingness to form a band because he was getting a lot of offers for shows. It was then when we started to jam and the songs like “faka frame”, “ekbar bol”, “ekhon onek raat” first rang in our ears while jamming and eventually became popular through albums and films. Earlier we were just a band that was meant to perform for shows after which Anupam da would fly to Bangalore again,  but when he shifted to Kolkata to make music full time, we started recording songs and albums together and it shaped into a full time band. The experience was enthralling as it was an exciting journey, the crowd which previously never knew the lyrics of these songs, would now hum while the band was performing, so it has been a steady rise. Now the fact that I would do independent music was known to me because I always had the intention of composing different kinds of music. The Anupam Roy band would produce music that caters to a wide range of audience but I do have “Enolaton” which is a psychedelic bleak rock band and “The Prophesor” which is rap metal band and renders me an option to discover and experience working on varied sounds and explore a different genre of music that The Anupam Roy band wouldn’t produce given its particular niche audience and their expectations from it. When I’m independently working, I also wish to venture into other categories for enhancing my own experience.

When asked about his experience working for “Rainbow Jelly”, he said, “Rainbow Jelly is a very special film for me, because it is a completely different kind of film, where I have got the opportunity to experiment with sounds while composing Ghoton’s  theme music, like combining the sounds of water dripping, kitchen utensils banging against one another  and the like. I wanted to go back to that phase of my life when innocence and wonder dominated my mind while being curious about discovering something unknown as it was to reflect Ghoton’s perspective, a child who finds awe in everything before knowing the logic behind it. So it was quite a trial and error process that went onto be critically acclaimed for which I’m very thankful and working with Soukarya was a blessing as always! ( Smiles)

Nabarun goes onto talk about the difference between working in the commercial and independent scene and the major challenge being, getting one’s work approved. While venturing into the commercial zone, one has to let go of their personal preferences and prejudices, otherwise that product is not meant for being sold commercially. “It’s made for the mass, because at the end of the day, the term commercial means it’s for the audience being catered to. The individual is not the sole project but just a part of it, being remunerated to produce something that will appeal to the taste of a wide range of audience. Hence, while preparing a background score for a film I always keep in mind that it must not outdo the content of the film, rather aid it. It is necessary to create a balance while producing a piece, keeping into account one’s own taste for the sense of satisfaction for an artist as well as not forgetting to consider what the audience want and getting the work thus, approved.”

Apart from Music, Nabarun’s other engagements include his immense and invariable love for books and films. He mentions about his playful time with his German Shepherd and the bursts into laughter while describing the marvellous tricks taught to him. “I love to travel as well, but we anyhow have to go to places for various shows that we do not need to treat it separately but I definitely make it a point to try my best and take a break and go out for a vacation.” , says the aspiring music composer. He is a foodie, Biryani being his constant. USA street food, Thai cuisine along with the Hilsa and the beef of Dhaka are luscious mouth watering items to quench his appetite.  

Emotional as he is, Nabarun feels, “it’s very important to be in love to constantly stay positive and motivated towards everything you do. Nothing comes easy to someone, one needs to dig through to fetch light at the end of the tunnel. Frustrations and depressions are a part of the never ending journey, because after reaching a destination, another journey begins from thereon. So, whatever comes, one must move ahead it, past it and strive for progress in situations where one has felt led down and been piled with emotional baggages.”

Lastly to the question “whether being a creative professional, do you think you are at your creative best as yet?”, he answers “It is difficult to answer this. Once we embark onto creating something while its fresh and new, it seems amazing to us. The consecutive day it feels okayish and later on after listening to the same tune again and again, the ears get tired of it and reply, ‘it could have been better’.  

On this note, he concluded by saying that every work that he has done as of now is precious to him and he can’t really distinguish as to which is better. “However a product performs in the market is a completely different issue but since all are my babies I can’t really say which one is the best. Probably ten years down the line if I listen to these songs again after a time span, I might end up realising that I might have been at the apex of my creative potential then” (Smiles)

With his generosity and rising creative energy, he has been able to create a ground for himself in the Bengali music industry and is well evident from the lovely experiences shared by his co-workers.

Being on stage with him is very high energy. He helps make the performance dynamic. - Deep Phoenix(free lancer/Guitarist)

We share a lot much in common starting it from Leela Majumdar to Batman. We spend hours to discuss some background score and talk more about some political or Sci Fi ideas. We both are bit fussy about perfection so improvisation keeps on happening. As a co artist I completely trust him. He happens  but one of the closest friends I have from this film industry. - Soukarya  Ghosal. (film-maker)

Nabarun is a great guy to work with. We are very good friends and working with him is  always fun. - Anupam Roy( singer/ Music composer)

“Passion alone can’t drive you to do something, you must also be committed to it.” Nabarun Bose gets close and candid with us while delineating his work experience in the Bengali Music Industry as of now. Starting from being the Keyboardist at the “The Anupam Roy Band”, to composing his own music for the critically acclaimed film “Rainbow Jelly”, and other web series like “Kaali” , he has also been an integral part of “The Prophesor”, “Enolaton” and  has come a long way.

         

As to whether he always thought of pursuing music as his profession, he said that he always wanted to do something performance oriented. He enrolled himself in co-curricular activities like theatre and music and also learnt playing the Sitar in the very initial stage of his life at the will of his mother to which he didn’t pay much heed as a child. ‘I grew up in a home that had an aura of music, my mother being an Indian Classical vocalist and my father savouring all kinds of music, the environment had thus been the initiator”, said Nabarun.  However in standard 9-10 he developed a taste for Western Music and started learning to play the keyboard at his own keenness. He never knew music was his forte and would go to the extent of become his career option until he matured and developed a palate for the same in the later years of the school life.

Nabarun added that his family had been the foremost influence in driving him towards where he is now, “barite gaan er chorcha toh chhiloi”, says he with a smile. He also recognised the dedication his mother has towards classical music as he believes that passion alone can’t drive you to do something, you must also be committed to it. Also when he began to listen to bands like The Beatles, Eagles, Sting and the Police, moving to the contemporary Coldplay, John Mayer, Jason Mraz and progressive Rock bands like Dream Theatre, Porcupine Tree and the list would go on and on. Also being born in the 90s, Fossils, Cactus, Lakkhichhara, Chandrabindu did a major in inspiring to get him into this scene. “I continue to get inspired from Films and books that act as a determining factor in my music making process which I like to envision and imagine and propagate the same to my students. It is important to feed oneself intellectually to produce something that has depth”, said my interviewee.

When asked, “What did it feel like starting out as a member of “The Anupam Roy Band” and transcending towards being an independent music composer?

He replied, ‘Before being a part of Anupam Da’s band, I was also a member of a hindi pop rock band called “The Colours” which also produced an album known as “Naya Din” of its own which also played in the radio but it disbanded itself after working for a period for 2-3years.  During that time span I heard “Amake Amar Moton Thakte Dao” and it was after this song that Anupam Da himself called me, acquiring the contact from my key-board teacher Souvik da, expressing his willingness to form a band because he was getting a lot of offers for shows. It was then when we started to jam and the songs like “faka frame”, “ekbar bol”, “ekhon onek raat” first rang in our ears while jamming and eventually became popular through albums and films. Earlier we were just a band that was meant to perform for shows after which Anupam da would fly to Bangalore again,  but when he shifted to Kolkata to make music full time, we started recording songs and albums together and it shaped into a full time band. The experience was enthralling as it was an exciting journey, the crowd which previously never knew the lyrics of these songs, would now hum while the band was performing, so it has been a steady rise. Now the fact that I would do independent music was known to me because I always had the intention of composing different kinds of music. The Anupam Roy band would produce music that caters to a wide range of audience but I do have “Enolaton” which is a psychedelic bleak rock band and “The Prophesor” which is rap metal band and renders me an option to discover and experience working on varied sounds and explore a different genre of music that The Anupam Roy band wouldn’t produce given its particular niche audience and their expectations from it. When I’m independently working, I also wish to venture into other categories for enhancing my own experience.

When asked about his experience working for “Rainbow Jelly”, he said, “Rainbow Jelly is a very special film for me, because it is a completely different kind of film, where I have got the opportunity to experiment with sounds while composing Ghoton’s  theme music, like combining the sounds of water dripping, kitchen utensils banging against one another  and the like. I wanted to go back to that phase of my life when innocence and wonder dominated my mind while being curious about discovering something unknown as it was to reflect Ghoton’s perspective, a child who finds awe in everything before knowing the logic behind it. So it was quite a trial and error process that went onto be critically acclaimed for which I’m very thankful and working with Soukarya was a blessing as always! ( Smiles)

Nabarun goes onto talk about the difference between working in the commercial and independent scene and the major challenge being, getting one’s work approved. While venturing into the commercial zone, one has to let go of their personal preferences and prejudices, otherwise that product is not meant for being sold commercially. “It’s made for the mass, because at the end of the day, the term commercial means it’s for the audience being catered to. The individual is not the sole project but just a part of it, being remunerated to produce something that will appeal to the taste of a wide range of audience. Hence, while preparing a background score for a film I always keep in mind that it must not outdo the content of the film, rather aid it. It is necessary to create a balance while producing a piece, keeping into account one’s own taste for the sense of satisfaction for an artist as well as not forgetting to consider what the audience want and getting the work thus, approved.”

Apart from Music, Nabarun’s other engagements include his immense and invariable love for books and films. He mentions about his playful time with his German Shepherd and the bursts into laughter while describing the marvellous tricks taught to him. “I love to travel as well, but we anyhow have to go to places for various shows that we do not need to treat it separately but I definitely make it a point to try my best and take a break and go out for a vacation.” , says the aspiring music composer. He is a foodie, Biryani being his constant. USA street food, Thai cuisine along with the Hilsa and the beef of Dhaka are luscious mouth watering items to quench his appetite.  

Emotional as he is, Nabarun feels, “it’s very important to be in love to constantly stay positive and motivated towards everything you do. Nothing comes easy to someone, one needs to dig through to fetch light at the end of the tunnel. Frustrations and depressions are a part of the never ending journey, because after reaching a destination, another journey begins from thereon. So, whatever comes, one must move ahead it, past it and strive for progress in situations where one has felt led down and been piled with emotional baggages.”

Lastly to the question “whether being a creative professional, do you think you are at your creative best as yet?”, he answers “It is difficult to answer this. Once we embark onto creating something while its fresh and new, it seems amazing to us. The consecutive day it feels okayish and later on after listening to the same tune again and again, the ears get tired of it and reply, ‘it could have been better’.  

On this note, he concluded by saying that every work that he has done as of now is precious to him and he can’t really distinguish as to which is better. “However a product performs in the market is a completely different issue but since all are my babies I can’t really say which one is the best. Probably ten years down the line if I listen to these songs again after a time span, I might end up realising that I might have been at the apex of my creative potential then” (Smiles)

With his generosity and rising creative energy, he has been able to create a ground for himself in the Bengali music industry and is well evident from the lovely experiences shared by his co-workers.

Being on stage with him is very high energy. He helps make the performance dynamic. - Deep Phoenix(free lancer/Guitarist)

We share a lot much in common starting it from Leela Majumdar to Batman. We spend hours to discuss some background score and talk more about some political or Sci Fi ideas. We both are bit fussy about perfection so improvisation keeps on happening. As a co artist I completely trust him. He happens  but one of the closest friends I have from this film industry. - Soukarya  Ghosal. (film-maker)

Nabarun is a great guy to work with. We are very good friends and working with him is  always fun. - Anupam Roy( singer/ Music composer)

Interviewed and Edited by

Subhangi Ray