If you’re a frequenter of Spotify playlists, it’s hard that you might not have come across Anuv Jain’s work. With his streaming numbers blowing up on Spotify and Youtube alike (multiple tracks having crossed a million streams/views) Anuv Jain has been one of the strongest forces of indie pop rising in the independent music industry. With a discography containing of just 4 singles, Anuv Jain has cemented his place as one of the fastest growing indie pop artists in the country. We got in touch him to know about his musical journey. Read the full interview below.
Q.1 Where are you from? What do your parents do? Are they into music too?
I’m from Ludhiana, Punjab. My dad was a business man but he passed away a few years ago and my mom is a homemaker. I come from a business family. We make corrugated cartons. Technically my mom isn’t into music. I mean she doesn’t sing or play any instrument but she loves music especially indie music. She keeps on discovering new artists and sharing them with me.
Q.2 Tell us about your childhood. How did you get involved into making music?
I’ve been singing since I was a kid. I’ve always had a lot of those “beta guests ko gana ga ke sunao” moments haha. My parents were always very supportive and proud of the fact that I could sing. But I started playing the guitar a little later when I was in the 9th grade. There was this band that had come to school and I loved the way the guitarist performed. I came back home and told my mom that I wanted to learn how to play the instrument. I think within a week she enrolled me in a guitar class and things just took off from there.
Q.3 How did your debut release come about?
So my debut release was this song called “Baarishein”. I recorded it when I was in my third year of college. If you hear the song you’ll realise that there aren’t any instruments in the song apart from a set of basic keys and a bit of shaker. It’s because the song is incomplete. I actually had another “complete” version of the song with proper music but I loved the minimalistic vibe of this track and went ahead with the stripped down version and surprisingly it worked.
Q.4 What is your music all about?
My music is about me and the things that I’ve experienced. Everything that I have written till now is something that I have gone through or something that I’ve felt for someone. I want to tell tiny relatable stories through my work.
Q.5 What is your music making process like?
Think of a cool idea, think that you’re a genius for coming up with this concept, actually start working on the idea, think its trash, get frustrated, finally a decent breakthrough, repeat. Haha! On a serious note, I focus a lot on the lyrics and for me that’s the most important part of the song. I usually sit with my mom whenever I’m writing so everything that goes on the song is heard and approved by her. She’s a good judge of these things.
Q.6 Which Indian bands/artists do you admire?
The Local Train, A.R. Rehman, Prateek Kuhad, F16s, Parvaaz
