All these years his soulful lyrics have touched us deeply. Lyricist Kunaal Vermaa has turned composer with the single Tu Yaad Aya. What makes the song extra special is the fact that Adnan Sami has sung the soulful track.
The lyricist says that collaborating with Adnan was a big deal for him. “He is an extraordinary musician because he uses live instruments, which I had never used in my career so far. The process of working with live musicians was a learning experience. For a lyricist to work with such a talented musician is a big thing,” says Kunaal, admitting that he had doubts whether he could work on the track because technically he isn’t very strong. “I hadn’t worked on such a big scale. So many instrumentalists were playing together; it was a different experience,” he adds.
Kunaal further says that when Adnan explains someone the rhythm, his body moves accordingly. “His entire body keeps moving in a beautiful rhythm. I was also amazed by his piano skills,” says Kunaal.
Live music used to be an important part of the film industry till three decades back but today music is created with the help of technology. “That’s happening because people want to save money and therefore there is no budget for live musicians. Even if we did not get the required support, I was ready to spend my own savings for this special song,” says Kunaal adding, “All this while, people have been appreciating my lyrics, now they are showing the same kind of love for my music. I have taken a step forward.”
The lyricist, who is known for songs like Humraah, Tum Hi Aana and others, says that he makes a wholehearted effort not to compromises on his work. “That said, at times, we feel that we have written a great track but if the requirement of the composer and the director is different, we have to make a few changes. Those things keep happening because the director’s vision is different and the music company has different ideas,” he explains.
The composer, who recently wrote three tracks for Malang, is known for writing soft and romantic tracks. Ask him if writing a particular genre puts a label on one’s creativity and he says, “I believe that if you specialise writing a certain style of songs, people will approach you for that. I started writing sad numbers, which worked and I was offered to write those kind of songs. But now I am also writing peppy numbers and happy songs. However, my image is such that if people want sad numbers, they approach me.”
He adds that he doesn’t have fun writing party numbers because he isn’t a party animal. “I do not have fun going to the pub. I am not a party person. Also, people will never remember you for your party numbers. I do it because I have to do it but I try to keep myself away from writing such tracks,” says Kunaal.
So what inspires him to write such soulful numbers? “Sometimes, I am given the situation and I have to write the song. But a lot of it comes from my own experiences, the life that I have lived because I have met many beautiful people and have had great experiences. There are some people with whom I have been through both good and bad times, which are quite memorable. I connect with those emotions. I think myself to be the hero of the song and write the song thinking of the situation,” he says.
While many read to grow, Kunaal believes that not reading anyone or anything also helps. “You then write from your own experience,” he says.
The music industry is seeing a lot of young talent because of which, one can listen to different styles of music, tracks and different experiments. “The young musicians are divided as they come from different backgrounds. The city musicians are more inclined towards international music, while the ones from small towns are into Indian tracks. They bring with them different styles,” says Kunaal.
