“Work hard and stop looking for help” – In conversation with Tienas

Mumbai based MC, Tanmay Saxena aka Bobby Boucher aka tienasmusicfrom Azadi Records, dropped his debut album O on the 27th of June. The album comes a year after the release of his debut mixtape. The album explores a diverse range of sounds, from songs about the cyclones in Mumbai to songs inspired by the everyday musings of life, the album leads the listener to an open-ended journey.

1.Where did your journey with music begin?

Ans: I was born into a family of music, my mother is a singer and all of my maternal uncles are also musicians be it instrumentalists or singers. My first memories of singing were that I kept singing Hindi songs a lot which got me into a lot of trouble. It’s just that I was singing the whole time Hindi songs back then and that got me in trouble. I never had a stutter while singing, so my teachers thought I was a fraud.

2. How did Azadi Records happen? How does it feel like to part of the crew?

Ans: I got to know Mo in 2016. In 2017 I told I was going to release music on YouTube every week with my band FTS. We reconnected again then and I eventually got signed. This process has been extremely encouraging. I turned more positive towards the overall dynamics of the otherwise complex music industry. I also understand how the industry and consumers work better.

3. What goes on in your songwriting process?

Ans: It is a pretty normal process. Half the time I make music, the other half I fail at making music.The process is and will always be the same: Get an idea, put it to work and share.

4. Who are your biggest music influences?

Ans: My biggest influences are Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem.

5. What inspires you to write? / What do you usually write about?

Ans: When I go out and observe people and things around me, I try to imagine stories about them that I finally incorporate into my writing. So I guess my surroundings inspire me to write. There is no specific topic that I usually write about. If I feel like writing a song on a scooter, I write a song about a scooter.

6. Do you have any favorite lyricists/poets/writers/philosophers?

Ans: Bob Dylan, Jim Morrisson, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Kendrick Lamar

7.What’s been your favourite part of the making of this album?

Ans: The main idea behind making this album was for me to enjoy the process and for me to be able to make music that I myself find catchy. I thoroughly enjoyed this because I do believe all the songs are really catchy. If I don’t have fun with a song, I’ll put it aside and work on something else that’s fun and enjoyable for me.

8. What was working with Prabh Deep, Sez on the beat and Seedhe Maut like?

Ans: These artists brought what they do best to the table and of course we had a lot of fun making these songs even though most of it was done on e-mail. I learnt endurance, how to get the audience excited and stuff because till last year I feel like I did a lot of weird stuff on stage. I still do those things but I have learnt how to interact with the audience better.

9. There’s a big transition from your 2017 song ‘Franklin D’ to your latest album O. What would you attribute this growth to?

Ans: I still make songs like Franklin D. I am not an artist who follows or makes music for a specific genre. I make whatever I want to make.. If I make rap today, I might make a Rock n Roll song tomorrow.

10. How do you feel about India’s current music scene?

Ans: I feel neutral towards the current music scene in India. I love artists like Lifafa and love whatthey are doing!

11. Any advice for budding musicians?

Ans: Work hard and stop looking for help because only you can help yourself in the end.