Always cheerful, jovial and hilariously funny, Tejas Shankar of Lagori is not your average frontman. From making wisecracks on stage, to delivering interactive performances and striking a genuine, strong chord with fans, the young man is known as much for his personality as his music. Having won the city over with his soul stirring vocals with his folk fusion band, Shankar is all set to venture into the Kannada rap genre with Amma, a collaboration with rapper Gubbi.
“I was actually approached by Karthik Sundar Gubbi, better known as Gubbi, to work with him on a song. It’s a theme that’s really close to my heart so I thought I’d give it a shot,” begins Shankar, adding, “His body of work is also quite impressive and I thought it would be nice to change things a bit”.
Dedicated to mothers all around the world, the song speaks about, in Shankar’s words ‘their unconditional love and the role they play, right from birth.’ Explaining the significance of the theme in his own life, he shares how it was his mum who has been his strength and support through the years. “People who know me, know how attached I am to my mum. She’s been my mother, father, best friend and has single-handedly gotten me to where I am today,” he shares.
Playing up Gubbi’s signature poetic rap, Shankar’s soulful vocals rendered in a ballad style brings the song together. Shot in and around Bengaluru by Bharath P and Ganesh, it’s been composed by Amit Anand. “It’s was great working with Tejas on this one and I hope to have more collaborations with him in the future,” says Gubbi.
With a busy schedule that has him crisscrossing the country almost every week, the little time that he gets he says is precious. “I love being on the road, but when I do get a few hours in the city I make sure I go watch other gigs, catch up on movies I’ve missed and rewatch old favourites,” reveals Shankar. While he’s currently busy wrapping up Amma, he lets us in on a little secret. “Lagori is actually working on a song with a huge artiste and we don’t want to reveal who it is yet. But it will be out in April,” he says, signing off.
