Having released his song Tere Bina Main, Leslee Lewis slams today’s generation of singer-songwriters who rely on backstories to make their tracks popular. He also opened up about the timelessness of his songs
Leslee Lewis. Pics/AFP, Youtube, Instagram
A composer, singer, and producer across independent and film music, Leslee Lewis has been wearing many hats for over three decades. And he is no mood to rest. A few weeks ago, he released Tere Bina Main, a romantic song with a contemporary, loud rock sound, which completed his album, Phir Se Rock and Roll. In a chat with mid-day, Lewis talks about his latest creation and his grouse with the current lot of songwriters.
Excerpts from the interview.
After decades of music-making, do you still feel nervous before a song’s release or are you habituated to it?
No! If it becomes a habit, I won’t release [songs] because then it’s boring. Artistes are childlike. They want to show you, almost as if saying, ‘See, I did this!’
What was the thought behind Tere Bina Main?
You find so many people in long-distance relationships now. When you both are in the same city, it’s fun. But if your partner gets transferred elsewhere, he says, ‘I love you, but how do you expect that love to continue when you are not with me?’ This song talks about the practical issues of being in a long-distance relationship. We wouldn’t talk about such things 10 years ago. But today’s generation asks these questions.
Your music, in that sense, has always reflected the mood of the youth.
I’m blessed because what you’re saying is true. I am the same guy who did Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja [remix] with Asha Bhosle; I am the guy who started indie pop with Paree Hoon Main and Yaaron, who started Colonial Cousins [with Hariharan]. I believe music is a frequency. When I did Paree Hoon Main, today’s parents were the youth then. They resonated with those frequencies. Today, their kids are resonating with these frequencies. Both [age groups] are my fans. What I am bringing with my music is positivity and hope.
There’s also timelessness to your music. Even today, when students are leaving colleges, Yaaron is played.
There is certain quality to the creation of these songs. That’s why they have lasted. They weren’t put together for the sake of it. Not just the old songs, even Tere Bina Main or my album Phir Se Rock and Roll [have that quality]. From the writing to the compositions, it’s quite complicated, but it’s simplified for the outside world.
Now, with social media, a lot of indie musicians are able to put their music out and earn recognition. How do you view this evolution?
In India, singer-songwriters have become a fad. They [tell] the audience, ‘Look, I went through a bad time. So, I wrote this.’ Don’t tell me stories. Just sing the song. If the song has a story in it, it will connect with the listener. If you can’t connect [naturally] and I have to tell you a story about what happened in my life and why I wrote this song, it’s odd. People should get drawn to the song. As an artiste, you first need to have songs that connect with the audience.
Lewis’s gems of the 1990s
‘Meri Neend’ (A Band of Boys)
‘Sa Ni Dha Pa’ (Colonial Cousins)
‘Paree Hoon Main’(Suneeta Rao)
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