#wfh: A collective expression of art, created from home

If there are any silver linings to the ongoing situation, it is seeing several artistes come up with various innovations and experiments in their respective field of work. Almost every other day, we have artistes, especially in the field of music, ready to showcase their work to the world. The time has only been right to try out something new, as listeners, too, are in the mood to give in to their novelties.
Carnatic vocalist Rithvik Raja along with Vittal Rangan (violin), Sumesh Narayanan (mridangam), Shweta Prachande (Bharatanatyam dancer), MT Aditya Srinivasan (sound) and Susha (visual artist) have come with an album titled #wfh. The album is aptly titled as all the six artistes from different disciplines created this work of art during the lockdown. “It is unnatural for a Carnatic musician to be at home, recording. We are always out, performing in various sabhas or on tours. What happens at home is practice and not work. #wfh is a collective art expression of music, dance, sound and art that transcends the usual,” begins Rithvik Raja.
The idea was conceptualised in April, says the musician. “When was the last time one heard a Carnatic album? Getting people to pay for a Carnatic album doesn’t happen these days. We wanted to reinvent that reel. Everything looks uncertain now, and we have done enough ‘live’ concerts for free. We wanted to do something that’s financially sustainable. For long, we have taken it for granted that people are not going to buy albums. But we wanted to change that and recorded this album,” says Rithvik.
Rithvik says that the album has 11 pieces of music. “We didn’t want to classify it as songs as they are pieces of music. We have an exploration of a raga and even solo pieces — where it’s just the voice, or violin or mridangam solos. It was enriching to work on this album as we wouldn’t have explored this idea otherwise,” he says.
The team had basic recording equipment at home and recorded the music. He says, “There is a certain image and flavour to Carnatic albums, but we are 30-year-old artistes, so the aesthetics are different. This is a digital album and we have one song with a visual — a Bharatanatyam representation by Shweta. There was no monetary investment as everything was done digitally. Whatever money we make, we will split it equally.”
But recording for the album was quite a challenge. “We have always been in the comfort of the stage, sharing the vibe with other musicians. Here, I had to sing wearing a pair of headphones. Initially, it was tough, but I got used to it over time,” says the musician, adding that the response for the album has been good. “I think this is the best time to try out something now. We are keen to work on a lot more,” he signs off.