"I was drowning in the ocean
Fading through the dark
And I know that you've been dreaming
That we have gone so far..."
When you read these lines, or when you listen to it in the form of a unique melody, it might make you feel a tad hopeless, but as they say 'you haven't lost anything because memories are forever'. "This song is about love, hope and falling apart. Sometimes, life puts us in a pickle with no choice. Some nights, the memories of that special someone are so strong that it blurs the shallow reasons for falling apart. The ocean is a metaphor for the vivid landscape which our mind paints in the canvas of our hearts. It's dark but still, it's beautiful. Drowning in it gives us an immense amount of rush and pleasure, yet we have to accept that this is not the reality, and things have changed. Though, the waves of hopes never stay still," explains Pratham Bhatia, a 22-year-old singer/songwriter based in Mumbai, whose debut single called Away From (from which the above lines are taken) released just before Corona became a catchphrase.
Pratham, a mechanical engineer, hailing from Chandigarh originally, has always been a musician at heart. Music is what keeps him going. His debut single has a twist — it merges Hindustani Classical with electronic dance music. A combo I personally haven't experienced prior to this. Pratham is the songwriter and the singer for his single, but he has also collaborated with Sanchit, his friend, who has produced and composed the music for Away From. "This song is a mix of the EDM genre in which we've added a Hindustani Classical touch as well. It is about travel, the ocean, falling apart, love and hope," adds the musician.
Pratham's love for music can be traced back to his childhood when his parents first put him into a Hindustani Classical music school. However, his grandfather, who used to play the humble instrument harmonium and still continues his rewaaz (practice singing regularly) is his inspiration. "I have formal training in playing the piano and guitar. I have been playing the harmonium too since I was four-year-old. Earlier, I was more into Hindustani classical, but later when I grew up and then shifted to Mumbai I liked electronic dance music, hip-hop, and rock too. This song is like an experiment where I merged both," he says.
Pratham shifted to Mumbai in June last year to study sound engineering after he finished his BTech in Mechanical back in a college in Chandigarh. "I also perform at small scale gigs here and I have been writing quite a few songs in Hindi and English," he adds. The young musician has written at least four to five songs till now, out of which three are in English and one is in Hindi.
He tells us how he goes about writing and composing his music. "I like to write my music, not in enclosed spaces but outdoors. For Away From, I first got the music from Sanchit and then I merged it. I went to Marine Drive and then wrote it. My Hindi song called Yeh Dil, which I wrote a year ago, I had first recorded the music and then wrote the lyrics. There's no perfect place or time or even a set procedure to write or compose that I follow, but it comes to me naturally and I go with the flow," explains Pratham.
As for his future plans, Pratham is working towards cutting an EP and is planning to release it by September this year. "I am writing quite a lot of songs. Also, creating more contacts through my gigs here so I can upscale my music career. I was quite sure after the 2nd year that I won't carry on with engineering. Music is what I want to do with my life," he concludes.
