Akash Vincent

Akash Vincent is a singer-songwriter from New Delhi who recently released his EP called 'Polaris', We at Musicmandir loved the album and asked him a few questions about touring, his favourite venue, and his music videos.
 
The album is available for download on his website.
 
1. Hey Akash, can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind this EP?
 
There wasn't a thematic inspiration for the EP as a whole when I started writing it. Once completed I realised that the kind of phase I was going through at that point was about staying true to certain principles in life and letting them guide the way, which is where the title Polaris came from.
 
2. Can you give us a sneak peek into your songwriting process?
 
I make it a point to sit down with the guitar as often as possible. In the case of songs like 'Free', 'Troublesome', 'Circles', most of the lyrics and the music came to me at the same time. I begin by playing a chord or a note, if it takes me somewhere then I follow that through as far as possible, filling in the words, melody and chords, at the same time.Once that stream of thoughts and emotions is over, I run back over and make minor changes. In the case of 'Who I Am', 'Anyway' and most of the songs on 'Postcards', I had the motif and most of the other musical ideas ready before I began writing the lyrics.
 
4. What are your current favourite Indian artists?
 
At this point, my absolute favourite is 'Blackstratblues'. I'm also a new fan of the band 'Blu' in Delhi.
 
5. Would you prefer playing for a big crowd or small audiences?
 
 
I haven't yet had the experience of playing to a big crowd so I can't say at this point. But if I compare playing with my band at a place like The Piano Man Jazz Club, to playing solo in a small room, I prefer the former because I get to present the songs the way I imagined them. All the songs were written with band arrangements in mind. 
 
6. We've heard so much about 'The Piano Man Jazz Club' but never had the chance to interview someone who has played there. Can you tell us a little about your experience playing there? 
 
As a musician, my experience there has always been great. What makes The Piano Man Jazz Club special to musicians is that they feel like they're taken care of. Arjun (the owner) or the rest of the team is there every night to host the show. Payments are on time, the terms are clarified beforehand. You're made to feel welcomed by the team right from the soundcheck until the time you leave. Although what sets the place apart is the culture they're trying to inculcate, of getting the audience to be more receptive towards the music. The team came up with the idea of a 'silent song', which is one song chosen by the artists in their setlist during which the club puts its services on hold and the audience is requested to put their conversations on hold so that the artist can have absolute silence. And when it happens, it's the most unusual thing to witness in a bar. When they had started doing this, there was resistance from many customers. But now it's reached a point where the audience is there for that experience.
 
7. Any future plans?
 
I'll be visiting Bombay for three weeks in March, to explore the independent music scene there. The goal for this year is to write for my next album, to play to as many people as possible, and as always, to get better at my craft.
 
8. Lastly, we watched some of your music videos and wanted to know what the concept behind the video 'Free' was?
 
I worked with Anubhav Singh, who's a young, multi-faceted, extremely supportive and hard-working filmmaker that I found on YouTube. Regarding the concept, the lyrics tell most of it, and the rest I'd like to leave to the viewer's interpretation.
 
Watch the video here
 

 

Please download and listen to Akash Vincent's album which is available for free download at this link
 
Thanks for reading.