Nucleya reflects back on his journey into EDM Music, returning to Weekender Delhi and more

Nucleya, born Udyan Sagar, is a popular brand in the electronic music scene in India. The king of bass music has performed in different cities and countries, but he has a special connection with Delhi that he feels can't break even though he now resides in Goa.

"I'll play in Delhi soon. It will be after a very long time. I don’t even remember when was the last time I played there. Mera aur Delhi ka bohot purana connection hai. I used to stay in Delhi before," he reminisces.

"Delhi is also the place where my career kind of took off. In my early days, I used to play in Raasta in Hauz Khas," recalls the music producer and DJ, whose journey in music started in 1998 when he co-founded Bandish Projekt.

Be it the 1990s or now, he simply loves the Delhi crowd.

"I think it's the energy of the people. It's not that the energy in other cities is less, but it's very specific energy in Delhi. The coolest thing about Delhi crowd is that they give you full liberty to play whatever you want to play," he says.

"You want to play electronic music then you want to switch to old Hindi songs, you can do all those things in Delhi. Creatively, there is so much freedom to explore. It's so beautiful for an artist," he explains.

No wonder why he is eagerly waiting to be the closing act of BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender Delhi City-Takeover on 6 May.

"I am looking forward to playing in Delhi. I am hoping for a big party," he shares with excitement.

He also has a bunch of shows lined up. Most of them are happening in India. There is also one international show in the pipeline.

"I just want to go back to travelling, meeting people and playing in shows. I want to play in festivals, small or big shows or club shows. I am just happy that finally after a long period of time, we are back on track and can do so many shows," says Nucleya, popular for songs such as 'Tamil Fever', 'Let’s Nacho' and 'Laung Gawacha'.

The coronavirus pandemic had put everything on hold, and like other artists Nucleya also kept his fans entertained via virtual shows.

He has again started hopping onto one plane to another to perform in different places, but it's not just shows that's keeping him busy. Last year, he collaborated with Ritviz on the album 'Baaraat' and he is tied up with making new music.

"I would like to finish the rest of the album with Ritviz. I am sitting on a lot of fresh Nucleya music that needs to be released this year which is what I am working on at this point of time," he shares.

He is also reuniting with Avneet Khurmi on an upcoming song.

"I think my oldest collaboration is with Avneet. We made 'Laung Gawacha', 'Aaja' and 'Jind Mahi' together. Now we are trying to work on a new song. Hopefully, if I am able to finish it on time then it will be part of my album. Not that I didn’t enjoy working with the other artists, but with Avneet it's way easier for me. It's like she knows exactly what I am looking for," he says.

He has teamed up with many artists, including Major Lazer, and clearly genres don't restrict him when he picks his collaborators. But when it comes to K-Pop, which is a rage now, he admits he needs to educate himself more about the genre before collaborating with a South Korean pop singer.

"I am not a huge fan of K-Pop. I need to listen to it more to understand what's happening in the K-Pop industry. I need some education there," he says with a laugh.

Looking forward, he wants to have his own music label. "That has been something on my mind for a long time now. I believe I will start with a label. It will not particularly promote EDM artists. It doesn't have to be a DJ or a producer or composer. It could be anyone. Someone who is different, unique and has got an original sound. The person need to have a wide perspective to make new music. I find that interesting," he shares.

Nucleya's music itself is a rare combination of EDM and a variety of Indian music genres.

"I don’t think I am the only one with a unique recipe. I think I was at the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. It's the only reason why things sort of worked out for me," he concludes.