 |
| Palash Sen at Science City. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya |
Palash Sen, the livewire of live concerts, was recently in town to perform at Green Concert, held at Science City ahead of the Commonwealth Games. The Euphoria frontman — who wears his mother’s mangalsutra around his neck — told t2 about dhoom-ing through the highs and lows and returning with a new album after a four-year hiatus.
How are you associated with the Commonwealth Games?
I’m doing the Commonwealth anthem . It’s got a Hindi version Dilli meri jaan that will come out in August (25) and an English one in September. Sheilaji (Sheila Dikshit) has recited a couple of lines in the song and it will also be used as Delhi’s official song. There’s a lot of youth spirit that is associated with Euphoria and the Commonwealth Games. We’re doing a lot of shows as a brand ambassador for the youth.
Has all the controversy related to the event affected Euphoria?
It has affected us emotionally. No one wants corruption and it’s bad for the image of the country but nothing that we’d be worried about for the band because we were hired by Sheila Dikshit’s government to do the anthem.
Where have you been for so long?
Been very much around. Just that we haven’t had an album in four years and I don’t do much playback singing although my song in the film Lamhaa has come out. This year we’re coming up with a new album, Euphoria’s fifth.
What can we expect?
There’s always been a bit of everything in Euphoria’s albums — rock, folk, ghazal, classical. That’s our sound. Why change that? New instruments and members will of course bring a slight change in the spectrum. We can’t change our songs or the way we look but what we can do is add new elements to a song with a sarod, flute and new percussion instruments that you also get to see on stage. We’re still in the process of recording it and are looking at a November release.
How has Euphoria evolved?
You’ve heard Euphoria in 1988 and you’re still listening to us now. Listeners have evolved more than we have. We’ve been studying and doing our thing. There’s a certain kind of honesty, sincerity and energy that people associate with us. We’re not much into glam-sham.
But the line-up has changed…
DJ, Ashwini, Prashant, Rakesh are all there but what happened is our guitarist Gary and keyboardist Benny, who were very popular faces, left. Benny and Gary both had babies and when you have family and commitments it’s difficult to travel.
Why introduce female vocals?
It adds a different dimension to the entire sound when they sing back-up vocals and harmonies. We’re gelling beautifully. The two girls, Vaishali Barua and Krutika Muralidharan, are rocking it.
What influences you and your music today?
It’s the feeling of love. That’s the greatest inspiration. Whether it’s for your country, for a friend or a band. Earlier it was more about the girls and heartbreak (laughs). That’s all I used to think about. ‘Oh, I was in love with her in Class V’ and all that but that changes as you marry, have responsibilities. I’ve grown up.
Did you ever think of going solo during these ups and downs?
Euphoria was my brainchild. I’ve always believed in a team working together. Some have left, some have joined and many have stuck on for more than 10 years. I might be the only surviving member but how can I not be with them?
What about playback?
I’m a play-front guy, not playback! To do playback you need to be in Mumbai, in that circle. I keep saying no to such offers. I just love the stage, making people jump to my music. It’s instant gratification. You don’t get that high when you get into a studio. Also, everyone sounds the same in Bollywood. I can’t tell the difference between a Pritam and a Vishal-Shekhar. You don’t hear any ghazal, qawwali or jazz. I have a problem with that.
What is Euphoria’s calendar like?
We have 12 gigs a month and lots of travelling. Lots of composing for corporate songs and anthems. We’ve done a song for the film Mumbai Cutting. It’s a nine-minute song that starts off as a ballad and goes into qawwali, rock and trance. I’ve also acted in the film. And we’ve just done the core soundtrack for a Malayalam film called Best of Luck. We’re open to whatever comes our way but live concerts are what people look forward to from Euphoria. There’s no one who can do a live concert in the country like our band can. We’re flag-bearers of it. Compared to international acts, we are nowhere. Not because of the music but because of production in terms of sound, lights and effects. I’m trying to achieve that; it’s my biggest goal. Later this year we’re doing a seven-city tour of the US.
