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SANSARA

The World is not enough

Yeh dil sun raha hai jo mere dil ki hai sada goes the song by Sansara, the newest girlie group to hit the Indi-pop scene. Like their lyrics of the song, their voices have indeed reached out to the hearts of the people, going by the popularity of the number. And with Biddu, who has composed the music for the album, playing Godfather, Sophia, Shinata and Monica - the Sansara girls - are confident of captivating not just the world but also the Universe...

Everything about Sansara is exotic. The name of course is exotic, their song, composed by Biddu, has an exotic sound to it, then their video too has the exotic look (shot in the exotic locales of Andaman and Nicobar), and the girls with exotic names like Sophia, Shinata and Monica, have been made to look exotic in the video. “That’s how it’s meant to be,” say the trio, “Our name Sansara is a pointer to the fact that our music is rich and wealthy.” Besides expressing richness, what else prompted them to go for the ‘different’ name? “Well, it sounds nice, and is a mix of both East and West. Actually we and Biddu had earlier come up with names like Antra, Veda, and others, but ultimately we decided on Sansara, since our music is all-encompassing and for the whole world. Also the name sounds feminine and since ours is an all-girl pop group, we thought it suited us just fine,” explain the girls.

These Biddu discoveries, are all from UK, have set their eyes on the whole sansar, and not without reason, since they have had solid foundation in music. Shinata, the dusky beauty, who speaks with an accent, has been singing in a choir since she was a child, and has also done musicals on stage. Shinata also provided the backing vocals for Alisha’s Dil Ki Rani. Monica has trained in Indian classical music, while Sophia, who has known Biddu much before the other two, is trained in Western classical music. She did the backing vocals for Shweta Shetty’s Biddu-composed Johnny Joker. Besides, Sophia is also good at wordplay, which explains her writing most of the lyrics in the album.

Having lived in England all their lives, and well-versed in Western music, one wonders why the girls opted to debut with a Hindi album, when they would have been more at home with an English one? “We may be living in England, phir bhi dil hai Hindustani. Like all NRIs we too long for our country, and want to be a part of it. So our debut album is for our country,” the threesome voice in unison, “Also, like many, we are enamoured by Hindi films and songs, which is why decided on cutting a Hindi album. Language wasn’t a problem, because though we speak English with an accent, we have worked hard on our Hindi diction.”

Biddu, who zeroed in on the three girls of Sansara, had earlier picked up Shawna, Shiuli and Kamayani to form the first Indian all-girl pop group Models. But after one album, Models faded into oblivion. Now Biddu’s discovered Sansara. What future does he see for them? “Bright, of course,” says the composer confidently, “The difference between Models and Sansara is that these girls (Sansara) can sing. In case of Models, we went in solely for the look, while with Sansara we have both, the looks and the vocals to match.”

Sansara’s debut album titled Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai has a thought-provoking theme. “The album aims to get the message across that there should be no prejudice against anyone,” says Sophia, “The lyrics too are about love, expectations, future, all the things that youngsters dream of.” Butts in Biddu, “Compositions-wise, you’ll find a lot more variety here as compared to the Models.” Adds Monica, “That means we are right in.”

Biddu became an instant hit when he introduced pop music, disco music to be precise, in India, with the super-hit album Disco Deewane, in which he introduced teen singing sensations Nazia and Zoheb Hassan. Since then the UK-based composer has been regularly encouraging new and promising talent. “Disco Deewane brought the pop scene to India. At that time pop had a lot of innocence. Things have changed drastically, but I have stuck to my style,” says Biddu. And his distinct style and sound comes across in the compositions in Sansara, some of which are potential chartbusters. Says Biddu, “There are nine pop songs in this album, and we have tried out some experiments. But basically it is music for the masses, appealing to all.” Add Sophia, Shinata and Monica, “You also get to hear R&B, techno, there’s something new we’ve got to offer. And Biddu has also done some rapping in the album for the first time.”

Sansara, with all their freshness, do make for an appealing trio. But will they always be together, or do they plan to go their own ways in the far future? “All we know is that three of us makes one, and we three are magic together,” says Sophia. Agrees Biddu, “Yeah, and you get to see three nice faces instead of just one. The more, the merrier.” Shinata adds, “We wouldn’t think of going our separate ways, because once the vibe is lost, you can’t recreate it.” Assures Monica, “Even if we do go our own ways, we can always get back together. I feel the chemistry will be definitely there. Like the Western pop all-girl group TLC. They sing as a trio and also sing individually. Yet when they are together, the chemistry is the same.” The trio though, think unitedly when it comes to their aim. “We’d like to make a difference to as many lives as we can through our music,” they say.

With their debut album making waves, things seem to be looking up for Sansara. Their music company, Universal, is presently working on a deal wherein the three girls will be singing alongwith another Universal artist, Latino sensation Enrique Iglesias. If things work out, this association will be something music-lovers will be looking forward to. The sensuous trio singing with the Latino hunk will surely be ano-ther exotic thing to look forward to. Now, didn’t we say Sansara is all about exotica!

Salma Khatib