There are many pains that Dr Sai Om Mishra might not have experienced, but he has felt them all the same. Working as the on-duty doctor in the nephrology department of AMRI Hospitals in Khandagiri was tough. So after a gruelling shift, he would return home and pour his heart into his music. "As a child, I have done theatre, dance and music, but it is the latter that has stuck with me through all the ups and downs. So just like people pray for hope, I make music for hope," says the 28-year-old.
Crosswords was his first EP of six songs which Sai released in June 2020. It was recorded in 18 days flat with the help of his friend, mix master and co-producer Anupam Panda in Bengaluru. "It was an alternative rock English album, a genre that is now obscure in the light of EDM, pop and other genres of music. To increase my audience base, I wanted to appeal to them," says the self-taught singer and songwriter. That's how he came to release his single Pillowfight in November 2020. It's about someone who is addicted to the concept of love rather than love itself. "I learnt to play instruments like the keyboard and guitar on my own, but songwriting is a completely different ballgame. So I read, listen and understand the emotional quotient of things," says the fan of poet Mirza Ghalib.
Currently, the Bhubaneswar-based artist is working on his first full-length album and we wanted the deets. "This time, it's not fictional. It is based on true stories. All the nine songs will be based on true feelings that I have felt or experienced," says the youngster who started recording last week and expects it to be released by June this year. Simultaneously, he is preparing for his PG exams. The videos also, he promises, will be special, just like the Pillowfights video, for which they travelled to Sambalpur.
As the new album will have elements of pop and are inspired by mainstream music of artists like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran and more, Sai hopes that with this album, more people will tune into his music. Mind you, he doesn't seek fame or recognition, he only craves to be heard. "I just want a chance," says the doctor who pursued his MBBS from Hi-Tech Medical College & Hospital, Bhubaneswar.
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Apart from preparing for PG exams and recording songs, Sai is also consulting with patients at home. "My father is a doctor, so it is by looking at him that I developed a sense of service. But since I started playing the keyboard, music has also gained sway over my heart," says the musician who has been a part of bands like Cannablitz and Monologue before going solo. Is that why he goes by the name Kaafir (which in Arabic means non-believer) as he chose to tread the musical path by himself? "Actually, not only do I like the beautiful word but I like to make music on peace, love and the universal cosmic energy which is God for me," he says and concludes.
The biggies who shared his clip:
- Queen: It was musician late Freddie Mercury's birthday and the band started FreddieMeter to test who can sing like Freddie. Sai posted his clip on IG and tagged them and they shared his post
- Devraj Sanyal, MD & CEO, India & South Asia, Universal Music Group: The same clip was shared by Sanyal who soon became a guide and mentor for Sai in a very big way
