Bangla bands should focus on original composition: Bhoomi's Soumitra Ray

Q. What brought you all together to form the band back in 2000?

A. The passion for creating a new sound, pulse and thoughts.

Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Q. How could you balance the urbanism and rustic flavour in all songs of Bhoomi?

A. It happened very automatically and in an unplanned manner. It turns out just by my writing. Folk has a tilt, either the writing tilts towards it or it becomes an urban-folk. Any English song has the feeling of country music. We neither wanted to make songs heavily dependent on folk nor had an intention to sound like Bangla. We just went with the instruments and eventually were led to the kind of songs we made. It has been very organic.

Q. Were you apprehensive about the audience's response towards a few songs initially?

A. We had ten songs in our first album, Jatra Shuru. All the songs seemed to be the lead songs, quite contrary to what happens in most music albums. All ten songs in that album turned out to be superhits. Each song in that album stood out to be unique in its own way. Even now when we perform on stage, we sing six to seven songs from that album. It has almost become an unspoken rule for us. We can't help it because the audience loves them. So it is also a test of time that we have survived.

Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Q. How does it feel to repeat a particular set of songs on stage to cater to the audience's demand?

A. It's a part of a musician's journey. Even Pink Floyd had said they had to cater to the audience who paid to listen to those songs. Bhoomi has recorded more than 140 songs but we have to stay within those fourteen-fifteen songs, which cover almost the entire time span of our performance. So we have to cater to the audience basically. We try to incorporate a few different songs in between the set playlist to feel refreshed.

Q. You don't rehearse before any show. Is it to strike an organic chemistry on stage?

A. There is no hard-and-fast rule. It's not mandatory to rehearse before every show because we have been singing the same songs all these years. In fact, it feels good to improvise some of the songs on stage. It just happens spontaneously. We even pat on each other if the improvisation strikes with the audience. Improvisation is a part of the game. Repeating old songs is a blessing in disguise. We have no other option because people love to listen to those songs.

Q. Where do Bangla bands stand now in 2024?

A. Bangla band singers will have to rely on their original songs. They can't just bank on songs which have been sung by several others in the past. Bands nowadays do not have the guts to sing their own songs. I have no idea why they lack confidence. Bangla bands have no future until singers perform on their original composition.

Q. How do you see digitisation has impacted the band culture?

A. I think digitisation has helped the band culture. Earlier, the process of recording and marketing was time-consuming. Now, it is uploaded in just a few seconds. So the digital boom has definitely helped bands. Having said that, I am keen to listen to original compositions by Bangla bands. I bluntly refuse to give any advice when people reach out to me for remakes of old songs.

Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Q. What is Bhoomi's future?

A. Very bright because we have the next generation of singers already. Three young girls and my son, who is in drums, will be performing at the anniversary programme this weekend. It has been a great journey and I hope it continues. I don't know how long I will live but I hope to perform till my last breath.

(Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)