Sona and the Sound of Music

Sona Mohapatra has a degree in Engineering and an MBA in Marketing. She had a plum job as a Brand Manager in a consumer goods company. She quit that to take up singing. That’s not all. At 5’8″, this MTV Style Icon 2006 trained as a classical singer for 10 years. Her debut video Bolo Na  बोलो ना  (Translation: Tell me naa …) made people sit up and take notice. The song was about drifting relationships. She still bristles when someone describes her music as ‘unusual’. She would rather describe it as a “unique sound” and not unusual.  Her debut album “SONA is a blend of contemporary and ethnic sounds with nuances of Romanian gypsy music, R&B, East Indian baul, Flamenco and North Indian folk rhythms.” At a friend’s I heard the album and liked her sound. The song that lingered on for a long time in its aftertaste was अभी नहीं आना Abhi Nahi Aana (rough translation: Don’t come over to meet me yet … ). I must admit I had initially found the lyrics a bit masochistic. I mean here is the video of a woman pining for her lover and yet she is telling him to not visit her. Ummm … why not? Just so that when they meet, it is just that much nicer. The gal just enjoys pining for the lover boy.

The one video I will play for you will be this funky piece called आजा वे  Aaja Ve. It is a funky piece that I love. It has got attitude.

Recently I had a chance to catch up with Sona in a free flowing interview.
Abhijit: After an Engineering degree and an MBA in Marketing is music just a hobby or passion or career?

Sona: Well you don’t choose music, music chooses you. Music is my life and I have a lifetime of learning to do. I took the long road to it but all the stuff that I learnt on the way has been worth it. I hope to make original personal music and reach out to my audience despite the fact that that our country seems to be obsessed with Bollywood culture with limited breathing space for any alternative. The silver lining is that things seem to be changing now. Bands like Kailasa – Kailash, Naresh & Paresh manage to put out their records regularly by cleverly using Kailash Kher’s celebrity status through Bollywood & Reality TV

Abhijit: What was your biggest moment musically speaking – the day you recorded your first album… or the day you saw the album in the store or was it the music video or was it when you recorded with INXS.

Sona: None of the above , if I may say so ! It was the moment I decided to plunge headlong & fulltime into music . No ‘Escape’ buttons et all !

Abhijit: You have been jamming with other artiste abroad as well. How has that impacted your own sound?

Sona: I loved working with INXS because ‘Afterglow’ is an Indian song at heart! It’s so melodramatic and romantically ambitious that I just fell for it the moment I heard it. It was great meeting them & hearing them praise our version of the song so much! Since it was released in the UK & did really well, we were planning more such collaborations but then the band went into hiatus, so no news as of now . With Bowie, it happened through agents, as they were looking for artists who could re-interpret the song, ‘Let’s Dance’, which is a childhood favourite of mine. They loved what we did and it’s supposed to be part of a compilation of remixes of Bowie’s songs. Now all that remains is to actually meet the Thin White Duke himself! I actually dream of jamming with the great voices that walk this earth. I actually have a long fantasy wish list. Angelique Kidjo, Wadali brothers, Aruna Sairam, Tori Amos, Youssou N’ Dour, Cassandra Wilson, Cheb Mami, Richard Bona. The list goes on & on. It’s going to take a lot of riyaaz (practice) !

Abhijit: Are some of these tracks composed by you? If not is there any piece of music that you have composed?

Sona: Yes , I do compose once in a while & a song in my first album Jai Phulo Re has a bit of that ! Having said that , I do believe that one doesn’t neccessarily have to compose to be an artiste. I consider myself a storyteller and hope to be inspired by the vocal greats like Pandit Kumar Gandharva , Nina Simone , Girija Devi , Geeta Dutt , Richard Bona …the list is endless & ‘get closer to the flame’. My blessings include working in a great team with Ram Sampath who has composed my songs in the album & Munna Dhiman who has given words to our ideas in the same.

Abhijit: Who is your favorite Bollywood composer? Does an artiste have to be a playback artiste to get to the mass market in India? Would you rather be singing for the masses or a niche market?

Sona: There are many , Madan Mohan , RD Burman , Vishal Bharadwaj , AR Rahman , Ram Sampath… Jagjit Singh hasn’t needed to be a playback voice to be crowned as the King of Ghazals and seriously mass market at that ! So while it seems to be the easiest way to reach out, mostly cause the infrastructure is built around the same, I don’t think its the only way . We need more live venues for sure and if the government isn’t helping, corporates like yours should !

Abhijit: Have you sung Oriya songs?
Sona: Yes I do. I’m planning an Oriya album for the international market soon. Infact, I had the pleasure of meeting Mira Nair post my Lincoln centre NYC concert this year and she turned out to be half Oriya (from the state of Orissa, India) . She loved my music and infact suggested that I do this project .

Abhijit: You prefer to be described as “unique” rather than be called “unusual” through your music that bridges the ancient and the contemporary. How do you plan to do it?

Sona: My music and my world are about bridging the timeless and the contemporary. I love history, architecture and am fascinated by how things age. I love the fact that all classical singers reach their artistic peak post their 40′s. I want my music to get better with time, but I also want to enjoy the moment. That contradiction is who I am..

Abhijit: As a trained Marketing professional, how did you go about marketing the brand called Sona?

Sona: Haven’t figured that one yet. It is difficult trying to soak yourself in music and also see yourself as a product /brand at the same time. I do understand the importance of it though and hope to find partners and collaborators to do so! On my part , I believe in being ‘consistent’ in what I do and say and hope that it builds towards a single & strong “brand ‘

Abhijit: Your musical idols – tell me about lesser known music that you recommend for the readers. Specific albums and bands that you want us to listen to.

Sona: I’ve always been inclined towards earthy, rootsy music. Give me the Blues any day! I feel the same way about Indian music. Our folk music has all the ingredients that are vital to pop music – great stories, beautiful melodies & funky grooves.Vocally, my biggest inspirations are Girija Devi, Pt. Kumar Gandharva, Begum Akhtar , Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Nina Simone, Tori Amos & Geeta Dutt . Bands like Ojos De Brujos , Tinariven inspire me .

Abhijit: Besides singing and music, what keeps you busy?

Sona: Lots . I am a partner /producer in a music production house called THE MINT. I love travelling and am a keen student of history , culture & therefore a voracious reader & film buff too. I usually watch world cinema. There’s actually very little free time in a day but since its filled with things I love, there’s little to complain about !

Abhijit: What are you reading currently?

Sona: I read only non-fiction. Currently reading a book by a favourite author of mine , Pankaj Mishra , called Temptations of the West . I’m simultaneously reading a book called “An Intimate History of Humanity” by Theodore Zeldin

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