Music
A Chat with Ranjini Jose about Eka – THE BAND
FWD Life has a chat with singer Ranjini Jose about Eka – THE BAND
Text and images : Nikhil Wilson
As I walked into the big green and beautiful OG’s tharavadu, making my way to the band’s jamming room by listening to the sound of the drum and the guitar. As I walked into the jamming room, I saw the team that would be performing at JTPAC on November 11 and I made a mental note that I should not miss the debut show of Eka – THE BAND because they sound awesome. The five-member band, which has playback singer Ranjini Jose as the lead vocalist, welcomed me and introduced me to the team. As I was getting ready to, they played one of their tracks and that made things more interesting.
After having a small chat with the team, Ranjini and I headed out to have a conversation about the band and their music. I learned that it was not just a spur of the moment that lead to Eka – THE BAND, it was years of passion and dedication and love for music bands that lead Ranjini here with Eka – THE BAND. “It was hard for me to start a band of my own after I got into the field of playback singing. I always wanted to be a part of a band and I always try to never miss out opportunities where I can get to be a part of a band. Eka – THE BAND has been a dream project of mine and we are excited more than ever as the day of debut show is near”, says Ranjini.
The set-list for our debut show includes songs from different types of genres – from Michael Jackson to Ghazals. The full song list includes my favourites tracks and I can’t pick out just a single one,” says Ranjini when asked about her favourite track from the set list. Ranjini, who is a spiritual believer, believes in the mantra ‘Ekam Evam Advitheyam’, which means there is no duality and there is only God, and that’s how the band was named Eka – THE BAND.
The band is currently into doing covers as they claim to be in no competition with any bands in the music scene and they love to experiment with new styles and genres because “only when you experiment you get results”. The band has Ralfin Stephen on the keyboard, Ashwin Aryan on the lead guitar, Samuel Jacob on the bass guitar, and Akhil Babu on the drums . “There will be some own compositions from the band, but it will have to wait as the band is just in their initial stage and we are in no rush and these jamming sessions make us feel we are doing great. The band will be in total sync with each other after the first few shows because every song and every stage helps us grow to create a stronger and healthy bond among the bandmates”, says Ranjini.
The band will be seen performing their hearts out at JTPAC on November 11, Saturday.
Music
Introducing Hanumankind, Kerala’s Boundary-Breaking Rapper
Have you ever envisioned a rapper from Kerala taking off similar pranks for a viral music video on the internet? That’s exactly what HanuMankind’s “Big Dawgs” has accomplished, racking up over 17 million views on YouTube and holding the 43rd position in the worldwide top music video chart right now.
“Pushing culture baby, got that product you can’t measure,” is the official slogan of the “Big Dawgs.” Rapper HanuMankind, who was born in Kerala, wrote, sang, and performed the song that launched desi hip-hop on a worldwide scale. This newest Instagram success is causing social media influencers, music reviewers, and fans worldwide to go crazy.
The newest mega song, “Big Dawg” featuring Kalmi, is causing quite a stir among hip-hop fans worldwide. Texas is where Sooraj Cherukat, better known by his stage as HanuMankind, spent his formative years. He created the ideal combination of desi and global components in the ‘Big Dawg’ music video by incorporating sounds with a Texas flavour.
‘Big Dawg’ is a raw video with a South American flavour, shot in Ponnani, Kerala, a coastal district. It has a desi swagger and an explosive punk vibe that is hard-hitting due to its South Indian location. It is Instagram-worthy thanks to its intense drumbeats, gritty graphics, heart-pounding moments, and deft editing.
With songs like “Rush Hour,” “Genghis,” and “Go To Sleep,” HanuMankind is becoming one of the most prominent names in popular hip-hop. ‘Big Dawgs’ has now catapulted him to an unparalleled level as an industry innovator.
Bijoy Shetty is the director of “Big Dawgs,” and Kalmi of Brown Crew Productions is supporting the film. The main rider, Sulthan Sheikh, Moor Saleem, Muhammad Shadab Ansari, and Kashish Sheikh all perform the tricks.
Entertainment
Ashwin Bhaskar I Making Waves In The K-pop Universe
The limelight is nothing new to the 27 year old Singer-Songwriter Malappuram native, Ashwin Bhaskar who went crazy viral last year for his insane dialogue remix – Perfect Ok. He is back and is making waves in the world acclaimed K-pop music universe as well.
Ashwin has released a cover collaboration of the Korean hit single Tattoo with the original singer herself – AleXa and is racking up raging views. The music video currently Trending #24 on YouTube Music is a huge shoutout to all the K-pop die hard fans right here in Kerala and we couldn’t be prouder!
Watch it here:
Checkout his music on Spotify and his latest single Story In A Nutshell.
Music
The Upcoming and Released Album Calendar
It’s nearly impossible to keep up of everything that’s coming out each year, with more music being released every year. The options are seemingly unlimited, ranging from pop to hip-hop to alternative to K-pop to country, not to mention vinyl, re-releases, and collectible editions.
Check out these upcoming and released Albums-
Sept 3-
Drake, Certified Lover boy
Sept 10-
Diana Rose, Thank You
September 17-
Daughtery, Dearly Beloved
September 24-
Diddy, Off the grid Vol 1
October 1 –
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet, Love for sale
October 8-
Lala Lala, I Want the Door to Open
Words by: Malavika Venugopalan
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