OUR INTERVIEW WITH KALBAISAKHI AND SHREYAA FOR THEIR NEW RELEASE “EBB & FLOW”

1.Tell us about your new song? And what’s the story behind it?

We started working together as bandmates in 2019, and have since worked on a couple of original compositions. Back in February, Ebb & Flow started as a house instrumental which Vibhu made over a few days. Later, Shreya sent some phone-recorded takes, trying to preserve the ambient aesthetic around the track. Those were the first and last takes and got finalized after getting processed and mixed by Vibhu, and at that moment we realized this track is going to be something.

Ebb & Flow was experimental in every sense of the word. House was a genre Vibhu had never produced before, and for Shreya, it was a step up from slower tempo genres like R&B and lo-fi as well. Both of us tried everything we could while preserving the emotional palette of the song.

2.What makes your music unique? And how would you describe it?

Both of us have very different music tastes, which causes us to always try something new while creating together. This ranges from downtempo styles like hip-hop and r&b, to house and rock. And we believe we both match each other’s expectations quite well. Whether it be Shreya’s intricate embellishments in her vocal performance or Vibhu’s attention to detail and contrast in his instrumentals. We believe in what sounds good to us, and don’t let any genre or style limit us, as is evident in our track. For Vibhu, he always tries to keep the aesthetic around his instrumentals consistent, while meshing genres like trap, hip-hop, lo-fi and house together to create unique sonics.

For Shreya, she stays true to the style, while adding intricate embellishments, which differentiates her voice from the others. She has found a voice that works well in all genres and moods. Always trying something new; all our projects are very different from each other,

3.Which is the best moment in your musical career that you’re most proud of?

 For Vibhu, it would have to be the release of his debut solo instrumental EP — Tunnels, which was released in December 2020. It is his magnum opus, one that was conceptualized and produced over 3-months in lockdown. It is quite experimental in nature, and each track tells its own unique story. The EP has received wide acclaim and has been playlisted internationally by Spotify as well. Apart from that, Ebb & Flow remains to be the most ambitious, experimental, and unique piece of music Vibhu and Shreya have worked on, one to be proud of.

4.How do you balance your music with other obligations — family, friends or work?

– Being part of a hectic b-school lifestyle, it was tough to prioritize time efficiently at times. Combine that with the horrific second wave of Covid-19 in India, times really became stressful. Despite that, we have gotten better at finding common times to work on our compositions. We try to keep calm and focused, clarity of thought is quite important in the kind of music we are trying to make. At the end of the day, if something gives us that rush, we try to work towards it actively. We also always keep each other in the loop by sharing music and any ideas we might have. We both have a supportive and nurturing circle of friends and family, along with our loving music society Dhwani.

5.What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?

Create what makes you happy/brings you peace & calm Never stop creating, and create not for others but for yourself. Worrying about external opinions is beneficial only to an extent. Try to not let it get to your head because a listener’s word after listening to your music for 30 seconds cannot always be right for something you spent weeks on. As long as your music makes you happy or brings you peace, it’s all you!

6.If you had one message to give to your fans, what would it be?

– Firstly, stream our track if you haven’t already. It is truly music we are proud of, and we hope you find the same comfort and joy we have in making this. For the future, stay tuned for more of our music. We are working on multiple projects in hip-hop, lo-fi, r&b, and more house. Our sound is ever-evolving and we’re excited to share it with the world.

7.What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects?

Yes, we actually have 4–5 projects together apart from our individual projects. We hope to release more music in the near future, and hopefully a lot more this year itself Shreya is working on her own projects, and since it’s a formative stage for her as an artist, she has lots to explore. For Vibhu, while helping Shreya sculpt her sound, he is working with various artists on various styles, along with some solo projects.