Ankur Tewari is more than a singer-songwriter; the musician seeks to express through authenticity

From touring with his band to working on his album, supervising for films as well as his new record label, Ankur Tewari dons many hats– all of which is fuelled by his love for music

Calling Ankur Tewari a singer, songwriter and music supervisor barely scratches the surface of what the musician actually does. When not touring with his ensemble Ankur and The Ghalat Family or working on his solo projects, he can be seen championing the cause of indie artists, like he has shown through recent films such as Gully Boy and Gehraiyaan. Though Tewari, of his own admission, doesn’t differentiate between the blurred lines of “mainstream” and “indie,” authenticity is what moves him. His approach towards music is simple–“if it moves my soul and body, I like it.”

While he is currently working on the much-anticipated soundtrack for The Archies, you’d be wrong to think that Tewari is a man who is consumed by only one thing. In the pipeline are many interesting projects such as his upcoming album and a new record label that he has started with Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti. Tewari wants to create “a ripple in the pond” with his work and takes it one day at a time. In a chat with The Established, he gives us a peek into his mind:

From scoring music to supervising sound for films, you wear a lot of hats. How do you approach each one?

It’s pretty much because I am musically inclined, love music and expressing through it. Sometimes I end up making music, while other times I supervise the correct people to make it. Since I also screenwrite, it helps me analyse a script in an interesting way. Reading and understanding the script enables me to communicate with musicians in a language they understand. So I would say it’s approaching each role as an expression of music, even if it seems like I am doing too many different things.

It is interesting to see how you have always worked with newer, lesser-known names and then made them more accessible to mainstream audiences. How do you go about discovering newer names?

Maybe you are right in saying “lesser-known” artists–I am a lesser-known name and continue to be one. I like the idea of working with people I identify with, and I’m curious when it comes to music. I listen to a lot of music from different genres, producers, writers and artists. I usually engage in a lot of conversation with artists regularly–whether you meet them at a gig or you like somebody’s work online; I don’t hesitate before approaching them. Discovering music is one of my passions. Even if I am meeting someone who does not make music, I am always curious about what kind of music they are listening to or what’s engaging them. For me, if the music is moving my body and soul then I am into it. I don’t care if the music is mainstream or lesser-known or indie. In the industry, there is no single sound that works. I think one thing that is working universally is authenticity, whether it’s mainstream or independent. If you see the charts, it’s a healthy mix of regional music, independent, classical and film music. It’s very interesting to see what is working, and one thing that is common to them all is that they have some kind of soul and authenticity.

You have also worked with OTT platforms and the AI-enabled platform, Snafu. Do you think these work towards democratising music?

It’s very interesting how OTT platforms utilise music. There is more scope of fusing music. Legally speaking, the licensing scene has become more diverse because of that. The economics and the way the money is running is slightly different. Earlier, you would partly use the money you got from labels to produce the songs but now, OTT platforms give you the money to make the project.

When it comes to technology, it’s good to move with the times. However, I wouldn’t embrace everything in its entirety. I would like to see how it can enhance my life and how my life can fit into it. While I won’t remain ignorant to new technology, I will try it out to see what it does for me. For example, I will not stop going to gigs to discover new artists but if Spotify suggests a new artist, I will also listen to them.

Most recently, Beyoncé had to apologise for a part of a song in her new album. When it comes to writing and making music in 2022, how do you walk the tightrope between being sensitive yet creative?

As an artist, I consider myself completely flawed and so as an individual. I think for every artist, that’s where the art comes from. I feel that instead of being afraid, one has to be open. For example, what Beyoncé did is amazing. She didn’t know and now she does. She has the technology to back it and therefore can replace the portion of the lyrics, unlike how it was earlier. We are all learning and none of us are perfect. It’s great if we are open to the idea of learning, changing and evolving. I see it as a positive that there are people who are sensitive and are expressing themselves. It can always be a part of the learning curve.

You have always also been vocal about how you feel about certain socio-political issues. As an artist, do you worry about alienating a section of your listeners or is that expression integral to your craft?

I don’t do that as an artist but as a human being. I take pride in expressing what I feel. I might be wrong sometimes and I am open to that. We do live in times when people can react very aggressively, and I am aware of that. But at the same time, I would express myself because what’s the point of hiding under a rock? I would express my opinion and I have always been that person. Even in school, I was the person who would always raise his hand in class and speak to the teacher. So that’s my personality.

Apart from The Archies, what else can we look forward to?

Work is on for The Archies and apart from that, I have started a label with Zoya (Akhtar) and Reema (Kagti) called Tiger Baby Records. We are starting to work on some interesting music for it and we want to tell authentic stories through music, to create a ripple in the pond. I have finished my album and that should be coming out soon. I have done some interesting collaborations too. I don’t know what’s coming out first but living in a big city makes sense to me if I keep myself busy and I end up doing multiple things, which take their own time to come out organically.

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