A different side: Singer Shalmali Kholgade on turning composer for her independent project

Shalmali Kholgade at previous performances

Most composers and musicians place the value of melody and rhythm over lyrics. For singer-composer Shalmali Kholgade words are key. The 32-year-old's new seven-track album, 2X Side B has a groovy, up-tempo rhythm driving a storyline that marks a shift in her compositional style.

The album that was released on October 31 is a follow-up to her earlier release, 2X Side A, which arrived in 2021. Also composed and produced during the lockdown, the second album has a more intense focus on the theme of love and its nuances. It is a journey that Kholgade is enjoying. "I have realised that my high is actually coming up with music."

It is a learning process though, unearthed through personal experiences and observations. "I have always sought inspiration from personal experience. Most lyrics in the album come from visuals I have witnessed," she says. These include the visual love of Chills, the sharp, rhythmic comments of Garden variety hater and the fun Locomoco and Enough of you.

While both albums were born out of songs half-written back in 2020, Kholgade says the second album is a compilation that came together through the course of the production. "We felt that there could be a clear demarcation in the emotional arc of the songs. We thought 2X Side A was easy-listening melodic music, while the latter could be up-tempo groovy music." Production, she points out, is everything in album creation.

Through this all, runs a deep love for storytelling through lyrics. Describing herself as a songwriter first, she says, "The composition always follows the lyrics. I feel that the song needs to tell a story. I need to hear, not melodically but lyrically, the story I am trying to say." Her freeform verse writing also reveals her many influences. "The lyric writing has a structure, but not a conventional structure; quite like Doja Cat," she adds.

But did the storytelling influence the compositional style and music, we ask? Kholgade disagrees. There was no plan to limit the style to a unifying structure, she remarks. "Some songs like Chills evolved so much that they are remarkably different from their demo, while others retained their style," she says. The cohesiveness was a result of the organic work over the course of the album with guitarist Roland Fernandes, ZIA (keys) and producer Sunny MR.

But in addition to the compositional experience, the lockdown albums also brought the Mumbai-based singer songwriter new collaborators. The voices of Vasundhara Vee and Ranj - two of her favourites - grace the album. She describes the collaboration as one that united melody, harmony and writing. "For instance, in Garden variety hater, Vasundhara tapped into a line and altered it to create a better effect. Now, she is a brilliant writer herself, so it made sense to understand and keep those alterations in," she elaborates.

The singer-songwriter is now looking forward to more collaboration. She already has a few songs marked down for the coming year, but confesses that it will take some time. "It might not be an album, but single releases perhaps," she reveals.

As for the independent music genre, Kholgade seems excited. "I enjoy this process. The rush I get from creating music, writing a song - whether I sing or not - is more exciting for me."

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