EXCLUSIVE! ‘Kuch Logon Ko Nahi Pasand Aayega’: Crew’s Music Composers Akshay Raheja-IP Singh On Reimagining Songs ‘Choli Ke Peeche’ And ‘Sona Kitna Sona’
Akshay Raheja and IP Singh sat down with SpotboyE for an exclusive chat and spoke about their journey in the music industry and reimagining famous songs for Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kriti Sanon starrer Crew
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Actresses Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kriti Sanon are currently taking over the internet as the makers of Crew are releasing the songs from the upcoming film. As fans are anticipating the release of the film, the songs are being loved by the audience. Music composers Akshay Raheja and IP Singh sat down with SpotboyE for an exclusive chat and opened up about their journey so far. They spoke about reimagining iconic songs ‘Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai’ and ‘Sona Kitna Sona’ for the film and explained how they don’t tend to practice caution while making songs as a section of listeners will always comment badly on them.
1. Your songs from Crew have been receiving a lot of love from the audience, which one was your favourite track to work on?
Akshay Raheja:
We are doing 3 songs for the album and I think it will be actually difficult to pick because we have put a lot into these tracks. There might be two which are reimagined but they are completely brand new. They have a new flavour attached to it. However, if you have to ask us, our third song called Dar Ba Dar, sung by B Praak and Asees Kaur, is really special and close to us. It is an original and the moment when the song plays in the film is very important. Sonically as well, the whole palette of the film is going in a certain direction when this song comes, like a clutter break-up. It is a slow mellow song that is really close to our hearts.
2. Working with a producer like Rhea Kapoor, how does it feel?
IP Singh:
It was very nice. Rhea is someone who is fully invested in the music of her film. She likes to experiment, that gives her the place to try new stuff and experiment with new stuff. It was amazing working with Rhea.
Akshay Raheja:
When you know it’s a Rhea film, you know that it going to be something out of the box. It going to be hatke, thoda modern, cool and fresh. Just like IP said, she doesn’t shy away from experimenting, she wants to break the norms, the regular sound, and the songs that are currently working. We have known her for quite some time. This was the right moment when she gave us the opportunity to do several songs for her film. It couldn’t have been better with such a big-scale project with such massive and amazing actors all in one frame. Rhea gets involved in everything. From the music, and the styling to the whole package, she has literally sat down with us in the studio cracking parts and working on the songs with us. It was an amazing experience working with her.
3. Can you tell us what was the thought process behind planning the songs for Crew and how did Rhea help you?
Akshay Raheja:
Starting with Dar Ba Dar, which is our original composition, had been with Rhea somewhere around pre-COVID. She has always loved the song and we have been waiting for the right script, the right scene, and the right movie for it to fit. It’s interesting how she called us, with respect to Crew, for that song. She was eager to finish the song and try to put it in perspective to the film. While we were doing that, we got to see a few portions of the film and figured why not give some other songs a shot. That is how we first ended up cracking ‘Sona Kitna Sona Hai,’ which is the third song of the film, a reimagined version. She was like why not crack another situational song? I’m not going to give away the situation as ‘Choli’ is also based on a scene. One thing led to another and that’s how we ended up doing three songs in the movie.
IP Singh:
Personally, I’m really excited about the compositions. I’m really excited about the second remake song in the film. It was great working on the recreations, to reimagine, and present them in a new way, so that they don’t sound like the originals but we tried to maintain the essence and the feel of the original tracks.
4. It is very necessary that songs go hand-in-hand with the plot, rather than seeming like a music video being shoved in the middle of an ongoing plot, please share something about that
Akshay Raheja:
From what I have seen, with respect to this movie, all three songs that we have composed are not like that. All the songs are situational-based, there is no music video, holding hands, joh pehele hota that. All our songs are adding to the situation that is happening. That’s the beauty of this film, where there is an extremely emotional sequence that is when Dar Ba Dar is playing. Sona comes after the first 20-30 minutes of the film, it is the first musical piece you will hear in the whole album. It is very euphoric. You get to know that the tone of the film is now set since it’s a heist film. In plain simple words, all of these songs are montage-based songs. Since Sona and Choli are iconic songs, you end up taking shots, like in the music video released recently, but when played in the movie, it is out and out based on the situation. These songs are basically driving the film ahead.
5. Akshay IP, how was your journey from Delhi to Mumbai?
IP Singh:
The journey was two hours long (chuckles). Life has been kind because Akshay has been doing some other work just like me. We came to Bombay to expand on what we were already doing. What this city taught us was the art of making songs for situations and on-demand, trying to understand what the director-producer wants. Sometimes people say something but they mean something else. So I think that is the art that Bombay has taught us, to decipher and understand what people are feeling and how to incorporate all that in music. Other than that, we are pop people, we have grown up listening to mainstream music, and indie music. So, Bombay was always the right place. But the real reason to come to Bombay was ki yahan rickshawala bhaada sahi leta hai (chuckles).
6. An anecdote you would like to share from your struggling days
IP Singh:
When you are growing up and learning stuff, I feel that I was very tedious when I was young. Judged a lot of music and art, that is something that has changed as we have aged. It is not to judge and take something good from everything that is successful or doing well commercially. You can learn from the people who have worked on it, and the art that has been painted. That is my point of view.
Akshay Raheja:
Initially, when I moved to Bombay, it used to hurt a lot when I used to face rejections. How come? Why? How? People used to not give any reasons while rejecting our work since you are brand new in the city. After a point of time you end up meeting people from the same industry and the same line, then you figure that it happens. Aapka sound, aapke song kahin na kahin accept hoga, it’s just maybe it wasn’t meant for this situation, this artist, this director, this film. It’s not that you have a bad product. You have to be at it constantly. Now, we have become immune to it as we know that if not one person, then someone else will like it. Aisa nahi hai ki kaam achha nahi hai. The rejection used to bother me earlier. Dheere dheere ab samaj aaya ki it’s fine, gaane ko apni jagah mil jaayegi.
There was also another perspective that we were told about was that since directors and producers are putting a lot into the film, you have to follow what they want. Agar unko kuch nahi pasand aaya toh uska ek reason hoga. There are a lot of people behind the song, a lot of money that is being put in, so you have to be sure that they will want a good product. It will have to fit the bill in terms of the brief. This helped me in not taking the rejections on my heart.
IP Singh:
Bombay is a city of options. You always have to present options and you have to be ready with multiple options since you are doing work for other people. So rather than thinking if someone will like your creation or not, create 4 songs instead, which helps you increase your probability of them liking something more than the other.
Akshay Raheja:
This is why we are so grateful to Rhea, as she is very transparent. Unhone bataya hua hai ki unhe gaane chahiye. She has told you that she needs 3 more songs and you know that she is talking to other music composers and directors, it’s all very open. So whoever delivers first and better compositions their probability goes up. Also, when we are making 3-4 compositions, what we don’t realise in the back of our minds is that we are also making and increasing our song bank. Which is a great exercise.
7. In the past few years, the audience has heard many reimagined and remade songs, that often receive mixed reactions, what caution do you follow so that your songs manage to create a space of their own?
IP Singh:
We aren’t cautious at all. Both of us are very introverted people but when it comes to our music, we are absolutely and unabashedly unapologetic of everything we do. We don’t try to pretend to be someone or make music that is working with the audience. We have absolute confidence in the music that we are making. Just by the honesty that we are putting in. the lack of pretense makes even the simpler things sound really big. We don’t think that if the listeners don’t like our music then they will criticise us. Whatever you create, kuch logon ko nahi pasand aayega. Sabko same cheez pasand aayegi toh baaki artists ko kon sunega? Instead of being cautious, we were excited. We only wanted to make sure that we maintained the essence of the original songs and gave the reimagined versions their twists. Most of the lyrics written for Choli are new, it’s also a new tune. I never felt any pressure or felt cautious about what we were doing.
8. How has it been working with each other?
IP Singh:
Akshay and I share a bond that cannot be created or manufactured. When you start creating music with him, it just happens. The feedback that we give each other, try to make the other better in a respectful yet very ambitious way. When one of us is not happy with something, the other understands and we work together to make it better. We try everything, make a lot of music when we are together. Agar hum 3 ghanta baithe hai, toh hum 3 gaane bana rahe hai. We have that sort of chemistry and we are thankful for it.
Akshay Raheja:
I like working with IP. We have been friends since 2008. There is that comfort, just like he said, there is just something so magical when were are in the same room. We don’t hang out otherwise (chuckles) we only meet when we are working. Jabhi koi ek idea start karta hai, toh woh flow hota reheta hai. We have that connection, where every time we sit something or the other comes out that is so beautiful and we go back home happy. That is good a feeling to have.
9. An artist you would really like to work with next
Akshay Raheja:
We are all in favour of collaboration. That is the future, it really adds up. Bahut seekhne ko milta hai. For example, in Crew, it’s our debut feature film and we got the opportunity to work with Diljit Dosanjh. It can’t get better, in terms of artists that you look up to and want to work with. We have B Praak too. Within 2 days, back-to-back, we got to record with these guys, there is also Asees Kaur. So, from day one we have started on a good note, humein mil raha hai aise logon ke saath kaam karne ke liye.
IP Singh:
We would definitely like to collaborate with international artists, someone from outside of the country.
Akshay Raheja:
We also plan on releasing our own music, independently. That is where the actual collaboration will start happening. Right now we have to collaborate on a film and cater to a brief, we have to keep certain elements in mind. We are really excited to release our own music after we are done with Crew.
10. Can you tell us something about your upcoming projects?
Akshay Raheja:
There are a couple of feature films lined up. I don’t think we can reveal the names yet, but we do have projects that are coming on Amazon Prime. We also do a lot of fashion music. We also collaborate with designers. This was our second collaboration with Kareena Kapoor Khan. A couple of months back, we worked on the song ‘Raanjhan Aaya’ with Masaba Gupta. We also do live fashion music, and we have collaborated with Kunal Rawal for the same. We just did a show with Ranbir. That is something that will happen now, in the next couple of months.
11. A message to your fans
IP Singh:
Our message to our fans is ki maze karo, pyaar ki baatein karo, achhi baatein karo, ek dusre ka khayal rakho aur humari album ko pyaar dete raho. Take it easy, there is a lot of tension in our lives so keep a positive attitude toward it and spread love and joy.
Akshay Raheja: This is the beautiful part, that we are not forcing them to listen to our music, but it’s just that spread love and be happy. Gaane to aate rahengey, I’m sure it will create an impact on their life, one way or another.
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