Has Udyan Sagar — better known by his stage name, Nucleya — been on a sabbatical? We had last heard the electronic music producer on Raja Baja in 2016 and the odd single and film tracks in between, so fans were clearly excited to experience his work again: according to reports, over 25,000 people turned up for the debut show of his album tour, Tota Myna , in Mumbai last month.
Ask him what he was doing for the two years since his last album, and he says, “Nothing but music,” adding that he takes a long time to work on songs, often at the cost of touring.
South central
In Chennai as part of his six-city tour (which will head to Kochi and Jaipur later this month), he says that since he does not play too often in the South, every gig here is “extra-special”. This affinity for the South extends to his music — in earlier interviews, he has mentioned his love for Ilaiyaraaja’s songs, and a desire to meet the maestro, if not work with him.
As for this album, Nucleya sees every song on it as a standalone. Yet he admits that the bass-heavy, EDM influenced version of love songs this year ended up being an underlying theme. The name itself is a reference to “inseparable lovebirds”, as his mother referred to him and his wife Smriti when they were younger.
Working together
Another key to the album is the artists he has worked with. Long-time collaborator Avneet Kurmi features on it, as does Shruti Haasan, who was the only artiste he worked with in person. “She was so fast — it surprised me to a great extent! She came into the studio, and we recorded everything within 45 minutes,” he recalls.
All the other tracks were put together over Skype. “One thing I learned from this was that you cannot have your own schedule. Soltan, who worked on multiple songs, is based in the Middle East. The time difference, compounded by his preference for working late, forced me to stay awake well past my 9 pm bedtime,” he says, giving us a surprising insight into his habits.
Although a number of his songs feature quite high on the Apple Music hits playlists, Nucleya remains unaffected by this, seeing it as just another platform. “In fact, nothing really bothers or influences me. Music goes out on different platforms. The idea is to be able to reach as many people as possible.” His current plan post-tour is simple: to “go into deep sleep again”.
The Sunburn Arena scene in Chennai, however, shows no signs of slowing down. Organiser K Jagadish of Global Sound, says, “From 2,500, the audience is now well over 12,000. This time, we have DJ Ray from Mumbai opening for Nucleya.” There will also be a carnival vibe, with several food and beverage stalls to go with the entertainment.
Sunburn Arena with Nucleya takes place on December 9, from 4 pm onwards, at VGP Golden Beach Resort. Tickets from ₹500 to ₹1,500 on in.bookmyshow.com.
