San Francisco-based Indian vocalist Devika Chawla's music transcends all borders. Quite literally. She has produced two albums with Pakistani musician Zohaib Kazi without ever having met him and will be singing for a Pakistani film, “Josh”. Recently, her YouTube channel hit a million views, making her a singing sensation on the Internet. For someone who loved singing as a child while growing up in Delhi and gave up a promising engineering career in the Silicon Valley, she is definitely on a song at present. Ahead of an India tour, Devika Chawla talks about her passion and what drives it.
You have collaborated with Pakistani music producer Zohaib Kazi twice and both the times, you haven't met each other. How easy or difficult was it to create music without having met even once?
Not having met wasn't a problem; it was just the time zone differences and schedules that made it harder to talk as often as we would have if we were in the same place. We used Skype to create a virtual environment, so it felt as though we were in the same place. We invested a lot of time in sharing ideas and concepts and getting to the point where we could openly communicate with and critique each other.
What is “Naraaz Mausam”, your new album, all about?
“Naraaz Mausam” is a new age South Asian lounge track. This track is my second remote collaboration with Zohaib Kazi from Coke Studio Pakistan. My goal was to create something beautiful, meaningful and catchy at the same time. Beautiful lyrics have been woven into a composition that meanders through different shades of Hindustani classical ragas. The overall production is extremely modern. However, my vocals and Rahat Ali's flute give it the undeniable South Asian essence. The music, rhythm and vocals collectively create very interesting transitions and a range of emotions in the song.
You will be singing for “Josh”, a Pakistani film. How significant is this move for you?
“Josh”, made by California-based filmmaker Iram Parveen, is a story of five young Pakistanis in modern day Karachi who embark on a thrilling journey to discover the power of the individual and inspire a movement of change. The subject matter and the social message of the movie make it a very compelling project for me. I will be working on two tracks in the movie.
The music is being produced by Shahi Hasan — one of Pakistan's most talented music producers and member of Vital Signs, the legendary Pakistani pop band. Having worked with me in the past, Shahi thought my voice and style would be a perfect fit for these tracks. It's truly a very exciting opportunity for me — Indian musicians performing on Pakistani projects are unprecedented.
Today, a song/video getting a million hits on YouTube is a sign of success. Shouldn't a song/video be rated by music critics before it's declared a hit?
A song getting a million hits over a short period of time could be driven by a number of factors: a catchy melody; ridiculous lyrics; hot models in the music video; a song on a powerful controversial topic that is in the news, or just a beautiful song that strikes an emotional cord. So, all you can confidently say is that the song was noticed. While critics love complexities of composition and depth of lyrics, regular audiences enjoy the simplicity and recall value, and the ability to sing along. I would be ecstatic if one of the musicians I respect critiqued my song and told me it was great. However, having crossed one million views on my YouTube channel over the course of time also feels great because it means that I was able to get my music heard one million times, and that is a significant milestone for me, for an artist, there is immense pleasure in getting one's music heard.
What kind of music are you influenced by?
My earliest influences include Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Kishore Kumar, Pandit Jasraj, Abba, Boney M. My move to the US exposed me to western sound and modern instrumentation/production, more so than I had been in India. I met new musicians and producers and started enjoying fusing different styles to create more unique and interesting music. I started listening to a diverse set of musicians including Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, U2, Gloria Estefan, Alanis Morisette, Sade and many others.
