A song as a souvenir

At the beginning of this year, Shruti Pathak took a resolution. And unlike other times where she may not have stuck to them, the singer is more than happy to be going at it. “Although I do travel for work-related commitments, I have not been able to take a holiday for a long time. So I decided that I will travel a lot this year,” she says. And while she did stick to her promise, by visiting places like Punjab, Japan and the Kennedy Space Center in Orlando in the past few months, she has also come back with a song from each of these places, which she plans to release in the days to come. “Now, every time I go for a trip, I want to come back with a song. I want the song to be a memory of my trip,” she says. She tells us more about her plans...

Was it a spur-of-the-moment decision or did you go with a plan to come up with a song inspired by the places you visit?

Honestly, there was no plan. My only plan was to travel a lot this year. When I took a road trip to Punjab in February, it gave me so much time to myself. Also, the vibe was so different. I felt there was music in the air.

Tell us about the song inspired by Punjab.

Personally, I love the music and language of Punjab. The song, Haaneya, was the first of the songs I composed and will release it sometime later this month. Folk meets a little funk in the song. It’s a road trip kind of a song. It has the essence of folk and the depth of love and a beautiful melody. It came to me at a time when my heart was happy with the travel, and that’s why it’s so special.

What about the other two songs?

The song inspired by my visit to Japan is quite different. I have used a bit of Japanese instrumentation, but not much as I want to keep the Indian essence in it. When I went to visit the Kennedy Space Center, I was inspired to see the work Indian astronauts have done, especially the women astronauts like Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams. I was overwhelmed to see that and so, the song is about that and how our country has come a progressed a long way. I will release these as singles after the Punjab song. People bring back food and clothes as souvenirs from their trips. For me, it’s music that’s important and that’s what I want to bring back.

Any place you would like to go?

I have been planning to go to Russia but there are no concrete plans as of now. I also want to visit Cuba. Another place where I really want to go is London. It’s really strange that while I have gone to some of the most unheard of places in the world, I have never been to London! I’m planning to there next year and come back with not just one, but a lot of songs!