Bjorn Surrao’s proficiency at age 24 is an indication that a lot of indie artists in Chennai, from bassist Sajith Satya to Harsha Iyer, have started quite young.
Bjorn, for his part, started writing music eight years ago, with an acoustic guitar as his only guide. He says, “There is so much material that’s in store, I’m being patient, fine-tuning and polishing every song that I compose. It’s also a great satisfaction to finally release these songs, and, hopefully, it brightens the listener’s day.”
Bjorn has, in addition to his band, been working in Kollywood, with the likes of Anirudh.
He says it’s a rather new avenue, and is open to making more music for films, language or genre no bar.
“Keeping this in mind, I worked on various short film and documentary scores through the years. So, a friend of mine, whom I had worked with before, referred me to a filmmaker to compose music for my first Tamil feature film, Naalu Peruku Nalladhuna Edhuvum Thappilla . I was super stoked, excited and, at the same time, unsure of what to expect. However, things worked out. The title song of the film, ‘Kullanari Koottam’, which was sung by Anirudh Ravichander, got great reviews from the audience and very positive responses from the Tamil film industry.”
He adds, “At the moment, I’m working on a new-age duet love song with singers Shakthisree Gopalan and Suchith Suresan, which will release this November.”
In the meantime, he’s received a welcoming response for his latest solo project, Bjorn Surrao & The Bronx, with his debut single ‘Walls’. “I’ve got very positive responses from everyone — family, friends, fans and music lovers. The connection with the song and the music is strong. My intention for the song is to ease listeners, lift their spirits and give them a sense of positivity.”
The song ‘Walls’ was born when Bjorn was going through what he describes as a rough patch, and found self-belief. “I sat down with my guitar in front of a rather large mirror one night. The song talks about my perspectives on life’s journey and how we as a society need to keep trying new things and never look back,” he says.
Bjorn is working on four songs, including ‘Walls’, to be a part of his debut EP, Stories from a Bottle . The title seems explanatory enough, but Bjorn gives us the details, “All of the tracks narrate different incidents and thoughts. There’s a song which I had written in Kodaikanal titled ‘Hilltop’, which talks about the place in all its beauty. Another song called ‘Pinch’ was something I’d written eight years ago; I finished recording it just yesterday!”
The Bronx will be Bjorn’s supporting band of musicians who will take these songs live at their performances.
He describes it as acoustic folk music with traditional Indian folk elements. Of course, the project just adds to Bjorn’s increasing list, where Franks Got the Funk is referred to as “the first child”.
Bjorn explains, “Most of the music of the band was written and composed by Shashank Vijay, the drummer and I. We love working, experimenting and collaborating with artists in the studio and make releases as soon as we finish them.”
Their next single, titled ‘Sunset Boulevard’, will be out later this month.
