The Symphony of Saudade

Chapter 7

I was readying my first independent violin EP titled The Commoners for a release on 12.08.2019. The pieces in the EP were Morning Glory, When The Twine Meets, Mirror Images, and Rhyme. It was a Carnatic fusion album on which I collaborated with a pianist, a guitarist, a Veena player, and other musical artists for the accompaniment and the interludes. Each song fell into a different genre viz., R&B, jazz, rock, and folk. Though the album was in the making since 2017, I got to release it only in 2019. The journey I went through in making it possible was unimaginable. I had to leave no stone unturned to release the EP on various streaming platforms. I could write a book about the entire process so that other indie musicians would learn from it.

Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter helped me a lot in spreading the word about my EP. Yes, I created an account on Twitter too at Isabella's insistence. As I was creating posts and tagging my musician group in the posts, many people started showing interest. Though they weren't that much into instrumentals, some melomaniacs loved to listen to elite music and they texted me to keep them updated about the release.

On the morning of the 9th, I updated my WhatsApp status with these words –

Three days to go for the release of The Commoners 🎻

Many of my friends replied with 'hearts'. I didn't expect Faneel to view my status, but I had this wee bit of hope that he would view and reply to it. My apprehension was that he hadn't viewed many of my statuses in the past. I assumed that he wasn't much of a Status-kinda person. But another thought also pricked my mind – that he might not be interested in me and that's why he wasn't viewing my status.

One hour later, I found a message from Faneel. Hurray! I thought and opened it. But he had just forwarded an old SOP for one of the insurance policies. I wanted it a week back, but couldn't get hold of it. Somehow, he has moved mountains to find it and send it to me. Though I felt happy with his actions, I was still disappointed that he hadn't viewed my status. So, I threw the phone on my bed and started to get ready to go to the office.

Another hour later, I was in the steam engine. Since I got a bit late, I missed the last bus. As I was scrolling through my Instagram newsfeed, a WhatsApp message notification popped up. It was from Faneel. I opened it, my hands trembling with excitement. There it was! His reply to my status.

Faneel – Wow! I am eager to listen to this EP. I'll be one of the first listeners. 😊

Me – Thank you so much! It means a lot. You know, I am releasing a special CD edition to gift to a few people who I am close to. I'll give you one of them.

Faneel – Hey, don't waste it, madam. You can give it to someone else, right?

Me – No, I feel like giving it to you too. I don't know whether you have a CD player but you can at least have it as a keepsake.

Faneel – Thanks a lot! I am feeling so honoured now.

Me – Pleasure is mine. By the way, who is your favourite singer-songwriter?

Faneel – I am a huge Post Malone and the Westlife band fan. Then recently Jaymes Young, though he has released only one album. I love the Backstreet Boys too. The female singers I love are Beyoncé, Adele, and Lana Del Ray. I am not that much into listening to Indian music, though I am a fan of A.R.Rahman's Hindi songs. I think he is the only one doing justice to Bollywood music by composing out-of-the-box songs.

Me – OMG, I love A.R.Rahman too. But I love his Tamil songs more than his Hindi ones. I am not a fanatic of his music, though. I treat all musicians equally. Each one becomes a Mozart at least with one of their compositions. If I have to say about International musicians, I love Taylor Swift and Madonna. Recently, I discovered Coldplay as you already know about it.