The spirit of Christmas

Pop and rock band, The Other People, is all set to release their first single, Christmas is here on November 28. Vocalist Zarir Warden talks about the single and the band’s upcoming album

The Mumbai-based band, The Other People, has come a long way since it was formed in 2004. The six-member team comprising Zarir Warden (Vocals), Samuel Berlie (rhythm guitarist/back up vocalist), Garth D’Mello (keyboardist/back up vocalist), Gavin Cason (lead guitarist/back up vocalist), Loy Henriques (bass guitarist) and Joshua Vaz (drummer and percussionist) has performed at the Great Indian Oktoberfest in Bengaluru, The Barn festival in Goa and Channel V India Festival among others, this year. Although it is well-known as a pop and rock band, the tracks are also influenced by other genres such as rock, blues, soft rock and rock and roll. Excerpts from the interview with Warden:

(L to R): Samuel Berlie, Zarir Warden, Joshua Vaz, Gavin Cason, Garth D’Mello and Loy Henriques

Q. How did you come up with the new single, Christmas is Here?
A. We plan to launch our album, Dreamers Believers Lovers, early next year and ahead of the launch, we wanted to release a single our listeners could relate to. Christmas is celebrated around the world and we thought this is the right time to release Christmas is Here as our first single. We hope everyone around the world will be open to listening to something that is new, different and yet, relatable.

Q. Your tracks are influenced by various genres. Are these influences clear in Christmas is here as well?
A. For the single, we collaborated with a Mumbai-based choir, The Salvation Singers. Our respective styles give the single a soft rock, mixed with haunting gospel, feel. It has a simple, happy and Christmas-y vibe to it, and captures the excitement that builds up in the days leading up to the festival.

Q. Tell us a bit about Dreamers Believers Lovers. Why the title?
A. The title is inspired by the lyrics of the next song that we plan to release, called Dancing for the world. The song sends out the message that to make something happen, you’ve got to believe in your dream and love who you are. The album can be described as modern pop/soft rock. There are a few ballads, along with our own renditions of a few cover songs, a Christmas song and some dance tracks.

Q. Audiences’ demands have changed over the years. How have you kept up with the times?
A. It’s very important that we, as musicians, keep things fresh. No two shows are ever the same. The biggest challenge for us is that we get crowds between ages 18 – 70 at all our shows. So we aim to keep everyone happy by playing a mix of tracks spanning over the last 50 years, from various genres.

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