Renoo: The newest sensation on Indian music scene

"Don't let anyone steal your dreams, follow your heart, no matter what … obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take eyes off your goal"

Renoo, the newest sensation on the Indian music scene, is making quite a statement with her first Album Yeh Yarana. Her's is an attempt at blending mellifluous voice coupled with a fine mix of Hindustani classical music with ethnic folk and some pop. Renoo is passionate about singing wholesome, soulful and meaningful songs. For her instrumentation, should be good, no synthetic stuff! Only natural sounds is what Renoo believes in and endorses. Here are some excerpts from an Interview, our correspondent, Ashwin had with this ambitious new-comer, who is ready to take the music world by storm.

How did your association with music start?
As a child I started very young only nine years old. My parents were musically inclined though we were not a music family.

Was there any cult figure or idol who served as an inspiration?
At that time, No! Idols came later as I advanced into this field but as a child I enjoyed listening to music, I liked Lata Mangeshkar a lot and used to watch her songs on TV.

You started, with Indian classical music?
Yes I started my music career with Indian classical.

How did the idea of cutting a music album come?
I cut my first Album. The concept started a year ago. But I have been struggling in this field for the last 6 years. It was about 6 years ago that this thing dawned on me that, what I actually wanted to do was music. It was never my main line. Before that I dabbled with other things because music was just a hobby. I had never thought that music will be my profession one day.

So when did you actually decide that music was going to be your career?
6 years ago.

So, at that time did you have this idea of blending jazz, pop and Indian classical or did it come later as you started professionalising yourself?
No! To begin with, I had no such idea as to what my product was going to sound like. But this is exactly me. This is what came out naturally. It wasn't engineered,, that I have to put this much classical into it this much pop and this much rock into it. But this happened. We were just the right team of people who got together and this is the sound that happened.

How did you go about cutting your album 'Yeh Yarana'. You had to make special efforts?
Actually I was brought up in Delhi, so the music composers - three people from the band called Indian Ocean, were good friends. I had done my demo album them containing four songs with before 'Yeh Yarana' and then, I took that demo album to various music companies. So that's how I got to know them basically. I knew them like we were whole bunch of friends who used to hang out with them. You know we were just like friend because of Delhi connection. And then the demo album happened and so I went for the same people for my main music album because I totally believe in their music. I love the music that they do. I mean the music is that they have done in my album is very different from the music that they do as 'Indian Ocean'.

As Indian Ocean they do more instrumental based music, i.e. very less lyrics.
But in 'Yeh Yarana' they do a lot of experimenting with older kind of folk instruments. The old instruments that people have left behind and people are not actually using these days. So they use old age instruments and they put in lyrics in the middle. Just like interspersing. It is very different sort of music that they do, its not lyrics oriented. But I had a very good idea as to what they would come up with if they did the music for me. At different level it would be new sound. You know there was an idea in the mind.

Something new?
Yea that it will be new it will be new sound totally I mean you couldn't have heard anything like this before this album. There will be songs like this after this album because you know copy cats. Although, I dont think my album will set a trend, but then why not.

So you believe you are setting a trend?
I think so. I think its a new sound, Is a totally new sound

Do you think that before you Subha Mudgal has tried to do something of this kinds mixing pop and Indian classical?
Yes

Did she influence your style as any way?
No! She did not influence my music, but I totally like the work that she has done. I don't think she influenced me, or may be you don't know subconsciously how many people influence you. You listen to so many things. Now when you talk about it, may be she did to a certain extent but her kind of stuff-again her back ground and my back ground -of course she is much more senior than me and she has all those extra years of experience, she is a much better classical singer and her classical music is much better than mine, mime is light classical music. She may have influenced me. It is same back ground classical singing power and I am doing the same thing. So the similarly is to bound to happen.

Coming back to influence. I think idol worship also influences work. Tell me which is your favourite artist as far as Indian music is concerned classical or otherwise?
When I listen to classical, I listen a lot of Kishori Amonkar. Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Prabhat Ray and a few more.

And of the latest crop. The new style, new generation?
From among the Indi-pop no one has influenced me but as far as film music is concerned, of course Lata Mangeshkar, but then, who is not influenced by them. But I like older songs, which have a classical bent.

When you approached the record companies for your album, Was there any reluctance on their part initially?
Yes! When I had my demo tape and I went out to people I was told 'very nice zoice, very good very creative but we already have so many artists on our roaster and we don't think we can take any more artists'. But then I went back to U.S. after I got completely dejected here I couldn't find any one here. I did a course in sound in States University. Then, I had to almost leave half way, because I had found sponsors, who were ready to invest enough money in the album. So once that happened, I came back here, contacted the companies and now I was contacting them with a different frame. It was where I was going to be producing my own album. So all the money coming from me so that was a good thing. So it was easier for people to accept the whole thing. So we went to a few music companies and BMG really happened because they believed in me and BMG likes deals like this, where they only duplicate and use their network for distribution.

How was working with the Indian Ocean group like?
It was great. It was fantastic. There wasn't any problem at all. We were like having a big party.

Will you be working together again?
With Indian Ocean Group? Yea, I would love to work with them again.

Do you think it was really very hard for you to get into the scene. So many artists-- in the field?
Oh! yea.

How hard was that?
Hard in the sense that when people want said "You really want to do this now. There is so much competition. Are you ready for it". That way it was really hard to tell them that Yes! I want to do something like this because it was to be a different thing altogether. Itsn't going to be the kind of music that you hear these days. So it won't be as hard as you think it is. So that point was hard convincing people and because I don't belong to the teeny bopper kind of scene I come into the mature class so even that was not a thing.

Did you get disheartened at times?
Initially Yes! When I came around with my demo and people said, no no no.

Was there any point of time when you felt so frustrated that you thought Oh! I will quit and go back to being a housewife or music was the only passion?
If my family wasn't supportive, if my friends were not supportive. I would have zone through that kind of phase but here every body was saying, Yea! You are the queen, you gonna do it, gonna do it. Everything is gonna happen for you. So I didn't lose faith anytime even once.

When is you next album coming?
I don't know? I want to see this album through, may be put a couple of more tracks in this album in the next lot. You know you have the bonus tracks happening. I don't know about the next album. But it will happen, in fact it may happen very soon. I already have something in the pipeline.

You have rendered a mix of Hindustani classical as well as folk and pop, but the current tend is more pop oriented. So when do you think your music will tilt, towards classical or pop?
Towards Hindustani classical eventually but I like the idea of this fusion.
What is pop? Pop is popular music and if any music I do, if I can give that colour of pop as and when it gets popular why not?

Do you think Hindustani has a popular audience in India?
As the classical maestros sing? No! It has a very small audience.

Will that ever influence your thinking that because Hindustani music is not happening, not giving you the level of popularity you want, you should switch over to more popular version of music?
I may come up with a few tracks in pop music because I also sing western but I will never give up classical altogether.

Dont you think in order to reach out to the common masses you somehow loss touch with the real classical?
I don't think so, I think in order to ensure that I am doing this fine, I would do more riyaz and brush it up every day.

How would you describe the music scene in India today. Do you think there is good future for upcoming artists. How will you rate the future of music in the India?
I think the low down in the music has already happened, we are only rising up now, the music is only getting better and better now, even in the film field, so we have total hopes.

Any move to sing playback for movies?
I would love to do play back for movies.

Have you received any offers?
No! Not yet, but it's too early. I am not going to get disheartened.

Your motto?
Just keep concentrating on your goal, get over all obstacles, just stay focussed.

You feel insecure?
No! Not at all, I think insecurity happens later when I am popular, I may feel insecure then.

How do you select your songs, conceptualise yourself or take lyrics from outside?
When it came to this album I did not do any composing, so it was basically the brief, or I didn't even give them (Musicians from Indian Ocean Group) a brief. I knew exactly what they were going to bring, because they knew my voice. I wanted meaningful songs. I need tunes on which very meaningful lyrics can be put. A lot of indigenisation to the songs, I wanted a lot of folk element. Composition was all theirs', the lyrics were given by Sanjeev Sharma. But I want to be able to write, compose and sing my own songs one day.

How has been the response of the people?
Well! It's too early to say anything, I have just started out. I had just one show, one small show at Cross Rroads, and my album has been around for one week all, so it will take time to get response from the audience.

Are you confident that it will be positive?
Yes! I am confident.

How confident are you?
In fact, I am very confident. Even if, it doesn't happen immediately, it will take time to grow on people and I am ready to wait, I have the patience to wait.

There is one thing, People in India are crazy about Western Pop and some Indian artists have also taken cue from this and Indianised it. In that scene, do you really see yourself growing very much in this genre of music i.e. mix of pop, classical and folk?
Yes, I do, I do see myself growing I think if we can take good points from different cultures, put it in our music -- I don't like copying, but if you can be inspired by something and do it your own way and make it available to the masses, you have actually taken something from some place for the masses, who have never listened to it before. And then you are making your own thing. you are giving it out, music is always good. Its never bad.

Are you a private person?
I am not a private person. I am quite open.

Are you reaay to cope with the popularity that will come your way as and when it does?
Right now it looks good to me, but may be when it happens, may be, I will want my peace, I will take it as it comes.

Who inspires you most?
My parents, they got me going in this field, my husband, my friend, inspiration has not come from any one source. all group effort.

How will you describe yourself?
I am still a very, very dry sponge, ready to soak up whatever comes my way. I love to learn I am not a very flamboyant person, pretty down to earth. I like realness, wholeness in people, I don't like synthetic stuff, that applies even to the music as well, on the faces kind of person, who says what he feels, could be out spoken at times, at the same time I am introvert, I never discuss my problem with others.

Any musical messages to the people?
'Yeh Yarana.'

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