Musician Shubh Saran’s new body of work—a full length album—‘inglish’ is as illustrative of his creative approach as it is of his background. Throughout his life, having to assimilate into different cul- tures has been a common theme for Saran and inglish reflects that progression and evolution. Growing up, he has spent time living around the world in places like New Delhi, Dhaka, Cairo, Geneva, Toronto, Boston and lastly New York City, which he calls home now. He started studying in Canada but then soon moved to Boston to pursue music at Berklee.
The album in focus was the culmination of a creative process that began soon after the COVID-19 lockdown, when Saran returned to the States after briefly touring his then-new EP ‘Becoming’, in the United States and India. It was during this time that Saran quickly began writing and recording demos for what would ultimately transform into ‘inglish’. Apart from a first of recording and creating in isolation, Shubh has also explored a fresh musical territory. He has incorporated predominant Indian and Middle Eastern instruments, for the first time, laced with sounds from modern jazz, neo-soul and rock with classical and contemporary Indian music.
To know more about his life, journey in music and the new album, Platform converses with Shubh.
What is your earliest memory of music?
My parents are big music fans, so they had music on at home and during long car rides. My mom grew up on bands like the Beatles and Queen so we heard a lot of that growing up. My brother started playing the piano when I was six or seven and would practice religiously till he went off to college. Because of him, I started piano lessons with the same teachers and would spend a lot of time watching and listening to my brother practice at home. The obsession began when I began writing my own music on the guitar. Once I started recording little songs on my computer, I was hooked.
You’re currently based out of New York but roots trace back to India. Can you tell us a little about your dual identity?
Living between the US and India has been really rewarding as a musician. Being able to perform, in both countries with musicians in multiple music scenes, has helped me grow immensely. I’ve been able to learn from some great people from all over the world. On the other hand, you’re often left feeling like you don’t perfectly belong in either place. In the US, I feel very Indian and in India, I feel very American. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been code-switching my English, my accent and generally my whole identity.
This is your second full-length album, how do you think you have evolved from the last?
From a songwriting perspective, I’ve enjoyed trimming the fat in my compositions, getting rid of unnecessary com- plexity. I haven’t simplified things per se, rather I’ve been able to come to the point a lot quicker. From a production aspect, one of the biggest differences is that because this album was written during the pandemic, I wrote the music in isolation of live per- formances, letting myself be inspired by sounds we can’t exactly replicate outside of the studio. Thematically, the storytelling is much more personal on this record. I’ve always wanted to write about my identity but I’ve never known where and how to begin. On this album, I feel much more comfortable exploring those ideas.
‘inglish’ is being said to be a departure from your previous work, a new music territory. What inspired you to do that?
In 2020, while everything was locked down and there was so much unrest, I think we as musicians had to figure out what we really wanted to say in our work. I didn’t feel great about posting general photos or clips or releasing music that didn’t speak to our current reality in some way. I got the sense that there was a larger global reckoning with identity and purpose, so considering that, I began writing music about things that were personal to me. It began in March 2020, with simply having more time to read and research the topics I was thinking about and ended with an album that had a strong thematic through line.
How would you describe your music sensibility to someone who is new to your music?
I’d like for my music to feel cinematic and visual. There’s a great deal of layers in the production and hopefully that density translates into a feeling of depth. I’m a fan of so many genres and a master of none, that I hope people who have oppos- ing tastes in music can find something to relate with in my songs.
Describe ‘inglish’ in your own words.
‘Inglish’, a portmanteau for Indian English, is a metaphor for how I relate with my Indianness in and outside of India. Indian English as a language and what it represents is so self-contradictory, something that feels foreign to India and at the same time is uniquely Indian, full of influence from Indian mother tongues and Indian idioms. Within India it comes with connotations of Western-ness and privilege, while outside of India it feels ‘too Indian’. It’s extremely complex, layered and problematic but also somehow sums up how I feel about my own identity.
Managing changes in culture and lan- guage has been a repeat experience for you. Where are you now in your head? I’d like to think that I’m more comfortable in my own skin now. When you grow up moving around, surrounded by people who have similar lives, finding a place to ‘settle down’ later in life feels strange. For a long time, I’d feel frustrated that I didn’t seem to truly belong anywhere but there’s an acceptance now that maybe I’ll always live a little on the outside. Having an outsider’s perspective is unique and as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to embrace that position.
Did the last year affect the album in anyway?
Yes absolutely. This album would be completely different had last year been just another year. I was away from my regular studio set up for a few months during the early part of the pandemic, so the writing process felt different. But writing also became the largest part of my day and I was able to dedicate much more time to my own music than I would have done in the past. A lot of the album was also recorded remotely by the musicians in their respective homes, which is a completely different process than having a bunch of people make something together in the same studio.
What do you want the audience to take away from ‘inglish’?
I want people to look inwards, think about the way they see themselves and the biases they hold about their own identities. I wanted to challenge what it means to be Indian or what it means to be American, trying to make the point that neither of these labels is defined as just one thing. That within these larger umbrellas lie so many exceptions and contradictions. That you can’t really represent anything more than just yourself.
Text Hansika Lohani Mehtani
Date 02-02-2022