Monica Dogra teams up with Malaysian pop star Resh

Monica Dogra joins Malaysian pop star Resh to bring out a fresh version of his hit track, ‘Trouble’

Perfect fit: Resh says he and Monica discovered they we were on the same wavelength

For almost a decade, Monica Dogra’s musical world has revolved around a cutting-edge and heady mix of alternative sounds and electronica. Shaai’r + Func, a duo formed by her and Randolph Correia, has had a cult following for many years now.

About a week ago, Dogra was invited to collaborate with the popular Malaysian artiste, Resh, on a purely pop song. After a few Google searches and Skype calls, she decided to join him on a fresh version of his hit ‘Trouble’, and then a music video, directed by Resh, was shot in Mumbai.

Dogra says, “Devraj Sanyal, my co-judge on the TV show

The Stage , suggested I listen to this artiste who was killing it in Southeast Asia.” Dogra says she was deeply interested in bridging the musical gap between the two countries. Resh, on the other hand, says “I was introduced to Monica by our record label, Universal Music, and felt our profiles and sound would be a perfect fit. We discovered we were on the same wavelength.”

Interestingly, the Malaysian singer has his roots in Kerala, as his name Hiresh Haridas suggests. For years, he took the name Reshmonu, before shortening it to its current avatar. Both artistes were new to each other’s music, but once they interacted, they started checking out older material.

The duo’s basic influences were different too. Resh, who has opened for Black Eyed Peas, Pussycat Dolls and Alicia Keys, grew up on classic pop and rhythm ’n’ blues (R&B). He cites legendary singers such as Marvin Gaye, Harry Belafonte, Bob Marley, Brian McKnight and Luther Vandross as his biggest inspirations. Dogra was more into post-1990s’ artistes such as Ani Difranco, Fiona Apple and A.R. Rahman.

Written by Resh, ‘Trouble’ is originally a song from his latest EP

Who Am I , which has been produced by Jim Beamz of Sunset Entertainment. “I came on board to bring my own style and interpretation,” says Dogra about her contribution to the song. “I recorded it at Ribbit studios in Bandra, and would Skype with Resh before and after. It all happened quite quickly.”

As soon as Dogra would record her parts, she would send them to Resh in Malaysia. “I then focused on producing the rest of the track by incorporating her vocals in to bring that extra touch of magic,” says Resh.

For Dogra, the adaptation process was just to experiment with a pure pop sound. “It was something I have never done before, and I had fun,” she says. “I think I learn something new about myself through these collaborations.” In fact, she had to work on adapting to Resh’s style. “Her style is more spoken words while mine is more R&B-influenced,” says Resh. “Since ‘Trouble’ is very R&B-centric, Monica did a great job adapting.”

And when the time came to make the video — explained as a performance-oriented film — its premise was to cover the love affair of two people who may not be so good for each other. To promote the song and video, a regional push has been planned across several Asian countries.

Having acted in films such as Dhobi Ghat , Fireflies , David , The Spectacular Jihad , Haaye Dil and Relapse , Dogra is also keen on working on off-beat and niche projects. Simultaneously, she is concentrating on releasing some solo material. “Randolph released a solo EP too. At the moment, Shaai’r + Func is taking a breather, the way all good things need time to rest.”

The new collaboration may just take her musical path in a new direction.

Watch ‘Trouble’ on YouTube

The author is a freelance music writer