Teenasai Balamu: Indie mood for music!

What does music mean to you? 
To me, music means being truthful — it’s about being honest to myself. 

Musicians you admire?
 One of them has to be AR Rahman. I also look upto musicians like Adele, Ed Sheeran (for his writing style) and The Lumineers.

The kind of music do you make? 
I’m mainly an indie folk singer-songwriter. When I play covers, I try and explore an alternative side to pop music. I like indie and also like mainstream pop, so I try to find a middle ground between them. I’d like to collaborate with new people in electronic music as well.

Most memorable incident as a singer?
I did a gig a month ago where I played solo — opening for a band called Ryan and the Undercovers. I was finishing my set with a cover of Uptown Funk and after my first chorus, the whole band got onto the stage and accompanied me on the song. It was really nice to have that experience.

Pick one song as a pick-up line?
A song to pick up someone would be something really ridiculous and funny like the very classic Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye.

How did you get into making music?
I’ve been playing and learning for a while. I started doing it seriously last March when I uploaded a YouTube video, which was a cover of Riptide. Thanks to that video, I started getting gigs. 

An artiste you’d like to collaborate with and why? 
Ed Sheeran. I was watching a video on him recently, and felt like working with him. I love the way he writes his songs — I can actually feel his music and relate to it.

A song that you’d never delete from your playlist?
I usually have phases with songs. Right now, I can’t get enough of Capsize by Frenship and Emily Warren. 

What kind of music do you intend to make?
I’d like to make pop music, but the definition of pop varies with every song I listen to. So, in my case, I’d like to make something that I can identify with, somewhere in between alternative and indie.

What inspires you?
When I write a song, my inspiration comes from the experiences I’ve had. It doesn’t mean that the meaning of it holds forever. I could write something today, but it wouldn’t mean the same tomorrow. If I wrote something, it probably meant something to me at that point of time.