Agaaze Interview
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: Hey- firstly, thank you guys for giving me this opportunity for an interview, it truly means a lot to me!
My musical history started before I even learned how to play any instruments. Both my parents come from a musical background, and when I was a toddler, my dad (a jazz drummer) played in a fusion band with his friends. There was one recording of a folk/jazz/South Indian mashup that they all arranged, and my mom would play it for me in the car every day after daycare. The song was cool, but I was fascinated the most by the acoustic guitar feature. I started begging my mom to enroll me in guitar lessons, and after pestering her for over two years, she finally gave in. It wasn’t just a phase. I started learning classical guitar at age six and would go on to win numerous awards in both classical and jazz guitar, as well as learn how to play trumpet and sing South Indian Carnatic vocals. I started composing and releasing my own music under “Agaaze” in late 2020, and I haven’t looked back since.
Q: What inspired you to make For You? The name resonates with me and points to the way a lot of people feel these days.
A: Great intuition from you guys on the review, as “Cinnamon Paradise” is the centerpiece of the album, and the song that commenced the journey of For You. The idea for “Cinnamon Paradise” originated from a crush I had on a girl. However, over time, the main concept of the album would start melding together emotions originating not only from relationships, but also passions, livelihoods, and most importantly, oneself. This culminated into the world of love that we now know as For You.
The coolest part about this album is that I have a couple different interpretations in mind, as well as stories that I relate to, when listening back to the music. Ultimately though, this album was made For You, and the open-endedness of all the compositions allow you to piece together the puzzle in whatever way you’d like.
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes on the album?
A: The biggest theme on this album is the constant tug-of-war between fulfilling your desires versus being grateful for what you have in the moment. I love everything about my music - from the compositions and lyricism to the production and engineering. I also want to keep improving every single aspect of my music, while also trying to make it a financially viable career. Can you be happy every day knowing that you are giving life your best shot by simply trying, or do you need external validation to prove to yourself that you’re making the right decisions? guess the answer is for both You and Me to figure out. But it’s chill because we’ll do it together.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: It’s vast, but if I could only pick one thing to focus on, I would say that meditation holds the key to my creative insight. All my music is derived purely from me - every thought, every intuition, and every emotion I have compiles the recipe for my projects. I want my music to keep growing and evolving, so the best way for that to occur is for me to grow as a person. By allowing myself a minimum of five to ten minutes per day to meditate and contemplate the fluidity of the voices that float through my mind, I can understand myself better and channel that into understanding my art better. The more I can understand (or even conclude that sometimes I’ll never have the answers), the freer I become creatively.
Q: What was your recording process like? And has it changed over the years? Would you explain some of the tools you use?
A: I’ve been making and recording music for a little over two years, and I do most of the work on my own. My first ever song, “Set Me Free,” was recorded, produced and mixed using stock plug-ins/sounds on Logic Pro, and one audio interface that I used to record guitar and vocals. I have a lot more equipment these days, but I still record either in my basement at home, or in my college dorm room. The most important tool I use to create music is curiosity. I’m simply a kid enamored by pushing different buttons, and experimenting in unique ways, to try and create soundscapes that seem familiar to us, yet also distant.
Q: How do you usually go about writing lyrics?
A: One important take-away I’ve found, over the course of writing two albums so far, is the importance of handwriting lyrics (as opposed to typing them on your computer/phone). I started handwriting lyrics when creating For You, as I wanted to write almost all the lyrics and story of the album before making the music. I found that putting pencil to paper allowed me to resonate with each word on a much deeper level, and really connect with the storytelling more. I still jot down notes and ideas in my phone all the time, but when it’s time to write the full-fledged song, it’s a must to break open my notebook.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: When it comes to life, the only thing I can be certain of is the uncertainty of it all. My art is going to be expressed through many different forms throughout the course of my life. Who is Agaaze? Will we ever know? Will I ever know? All I can assure you of is that it’ll be worth your time to join me on this collective experience. You may not like every station that the train stops at, but at the end of the day, you will appreciate the journey.
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: Hey- firstly, thank you guys for giving me this opportunity for an interview, it truly means a lot to me!
My musical history started before I even learned how to play any instruments. Both my parents come from a musical background, and when I was a toddler, my dad (a jazz drummer) played in a fusion band with his friends. There was one recording of a folk/jazz/South Indian mashup that they all arranged, and my mom would play it for me in the car every day after daycare. The song was cool, but I was fascinated the most by the acoustic guitar feature. I started begging my mom to enroll me in guitar lessons, and after pestering her for over two years, she finally gave in. It wasn’t just a phase. I started learning classical guitar at age six and would go on to win numerous awards in both classical and jazz guitar, as well as learn how to play trumpet and sing South Indian Carnatic vocals. I started composing and releasing my own music under “Agaaze” in late 2020, and I haven’t looked back since.
Q: What inspired you to make For You? The name resonates with me and points to the way a lot of people feel these days.
A: Great intuition from you guys on the review, as “Cinnamon Paradise” is the centerpiece of the album, and the song that commenced the journey of For You. The idea for “Cinnamon Paradise” originated from a crush I had on a girl. However, over time, the main concept of the album would start melding together emotions originating not only from relationships, but also passions, livelihoods, and most importantly, oneself. This culminated into the world of love that we now know as For You.
The coolest part about this album is that I have a couple different interpretations in mind, as well as stories that I relate to, when listening back to the music. Ultimately though, this album was made For You, and the open-endedness of all the compositions allow you to piece together the puzzle in whatever way you’d like.
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes on the album?
A: The biggest theme on this album is the constant tug-of-war between fulfilling your desires versus being grateful for what you have in the moment. I love everything about my music - from the compositions and lyricism to the production and engineering. I also want to keep improving every single aspect of my music, while also trying to make it a financially viable career. Can you be happy every day knowing that you are giving life your best shot by simply trying, or do you need external validation to prove to yourself that you’re making the right decisions? guess the answer is for both You and Me to figure out. But it’s chill because we’ll do it together.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: It’s vast, but if I could only pick one thing to focus on, I would say that meditation holds the key to my creative insight. All my music is derived purely from me - every thought, every intuition, and every emotion I have compiles the recipe for my projects. I want my music to keep growing and evolving, so the best way for that to occur is for me to grow as a person. By allowing myself a minimum of five to ten minutes per day to meditate and contemplate the fluidity of the voices that float through my mind, I can understand myself better and channel that into understanding my art better. The more I can understand (or even conclude that sometimes I’ll never have the answers), the freer I become creatively.
Q: What was your recording process like? And has it changed over the years? Would you explain some of the tools you use?
A: I’ve been making and recording music for a little over two years, and I do most of the work on my own. My first ever song, “Set Me Free,” was recorded, produced and mixed using stock plug-ins/sounds on Logic Pro, and one audio interface that I used to record guitar and vocals. I have a lot more equipment these days, but I still record either in my basement at home, or in my college dorm room. The most important tool I use to create music is curiosity. I’m simply a kid enamored by pushing different buttons, and experimenting in unique ways, to try and create soundscapes that seem familiar to us, yet also distant.
Q: How do you usually go about writing lyrics?
A: One important take-away I’ve found, over the course of writing two albums so far, is the importance of handwriting lyrics (as opposed to typing them on your computer/phone). I started handwriting lyrics when creating For You, as I wanted to write almost all the lyrics and story of the album before making the music. I found that putting pencil to paper allowed me to resonate with each word on a much deeper level, and really connect with the storytelling more. I still jot down notes and ideas in my phone all the time, but when it’s time to write the full-fledged song, it’s a must to break open my notebook.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: When it comes to life, the only thing I can be certain of is the uncertainty of it all. My art is going to be expressed through many different forms throughout the course of my life. Who is Agaaze? Will we ever know? Will I ever know? All I can assure you of is that it’ll be worth your time to join me on this collective experience. You may not like every station that the train stops at, but at the end of the day, you will appreciate the journey.