A still from the song "Besura". (Photo: Benny Dayal/YouTube)Singer Benny Dayal and composer Raajeev Bhalla recently released two songs titled “Jee Le” and “Besura” on YouTube. While “Jee Le” talks about staying positive and living every moment, “Besura” revolves around the functioning of the music industry in India. The song has been written by Benny who, on YouTube, described it as his “frustration as to how musicians feel after learning and training in classical music for so many years and yet don’t receive any recognition for their hard work, sincerity and diligence.”
During an Instagram LIVE with indianexpress.com, Benny and Raajeev spoke about the recent trends in the Indian music industry.
In today’s time, we see artistes creating a lot more singles than before. Do you see that as a welcome change?
Benny: It should have happened a long back. We all became musicians and somewhere dreamed to sing in films, have hit songs and a successful career but it is equally important to dream of making your own music. Creating music on your own brings out a unique identity.
How did “Besura” happen?
Benny: We all did not learn music to become a star and get followers. Today, look at the pattern, most of the views are going to songs which are non-musical. So unrehearsed and unprepared. Stuff like that on YouTube gets views and followers because it is so bad that people are sharing it. The content does not have quality. On the contrary, someone who is working hard gets nothing. “Besura” is not just about singing but also the situation because some people are putting everything into their craft and it is being killed because of the number games.
At the end of the day, it depends on people’s interest. People ask me, “Sir, why so many remakes?” But they only go and dance to it. So, I don’t know what to say.
Raajeev: You will get your answer if you go and check out the top 10 trending tracks on YouTube. The weird fact is that these people pump their views and then later, celebrate the same. And believe it or not, the youngsters are so fed up because of this trend because they don’t know it is a strategy. Many feel it is a merit to cross a certain number of views. They use it as a parameter to judge their own track. Some also get depressed because of this. Today, quality doesn’t matter, quantity does.
What changes do you want to see in the music industry?
Raajeev: When you have a big name attached to the film or the song, you are expected to compose as per their popularity, which should change. The race of getting views, followers should end. Also, don’t judge an artiste by the number of followers on social media.
How has music changed over the years?
Raajeev: Earlier, music had more soul. From the marketing aspect, sometimes we approach a label and they reject a song stating that it is good for a niche market but they want something that goes into everyone’s playlist. Even if you put out a song on YouTube, to amplify its reach, you have to pay. So, an artiste has to make a song and spend money but no one knows how to earn. This is the struggle.
Benny: Earlier, there was an effort to put out good music but now, the effort is to garner more numbers, which is kind of hurtful.
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