In recent times, many notable names from the music industry like Vishal Bhardwaj, Salim – Sulaiman, Amit Trivedi and Arijit Singh have launched their own music labels. Through their independent music label, these artists have been able to create the kind of music they always wanted to without the pressure or restrictions of a commercial music label. ‘Lambiyan Lambiyan Raataan’, the newest song from the label, releases today.
Now, composer Sandesh Shandilya, too, has launched his own music company in the name of Sandesh Shandilya Studios. The music label was launched last month with a devotional song. The composer, who is known for his soulful melodies in films like ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…’, ‘Chameli’, Socha Na Tha’ and ‘Jab We Met’ and non-film albums like ‘I Love You’, ‘Pyar Ke Geet’, ‘Piya Basanti’, ‘Ustad & The Divas’, plans to create songs of varied genres through this label.
How did the thought of launching your own music label come to you?
As a music composer, I have thoroughly enjoyed the process of composing music for films. However, I also wanted to express myself as an artist through a lot of songs which might not have been used in films. Even when I am not working on any project, I keep creating fresh music. I wanted all this music to reach out to the listeners. This was the primary thought behind me starting my own label. When I shared the idea with some of my friends and colleagues, they joined in and supported me in launching Sandesh Shandilya Studios. Having my own music label has given me a lot of creative freedom as a composer.
Atul Churamani’s Turnkey Music & Publishing Pvt. Ltd. is associated with your music label.
Yes, we have partnered with Turnkey Music & Publishing to publish our music worldwide. Apart from supervising the work at Sandesh Shandilya Studios, Atul Churamani is also the mentor for the company. By God’s grace, we have managed to form a good team. We hope we can achieve what we have set out to.
‘Achuyatam Keshavam’ was the first track released by the album.
Yes, we wanted to launch the label with a devotional song. Since we had planned on launching Sandesh Shandilya Studios closer to Janmashtami, we thought of releasing a Krishna bhajan first.
Do you want to release devotional music exclusively?
I always wanted to compose a lot of devotional songs but never got enough opportunities to do so. Through my label, I will definitely be releasing a lot of devotional music. However, we will tapping into several other genres as well. From pop music to classical music, we hope to explore a lot of genres. I want to create and release songs of varied genres through my music label. We will be releasing a bunch of romantic and sufi songs soon.
What is the biggest challenge you faced while setting up your own music label?
It has been a very new experience for me. We are working with different directors who will be shooting music videos. We are also discussing ideas with the marketing team every day. I have been speaking to production controllers, choreographers, technicians and a lot of other people almost every day. Prior to this, I was just a composer. There have been a lot of challenges but it has also been a very exciting journey.
What are your plans this year for your label?
Sandesh Shandilya Studios’ latest release is ‘Lambiyan Lambiyan Raataan’. It has been sung by Swaroop Khan, Shagun Sodhi and Shradha Mishra. It has some beautiful lyrics written by Shakeel Azmi. Our target is to release 25-30 songs every year. Apart from working with established names, we will be collaborating with several new singers, composers and lyricists. I am also working with other music labels. Recently, I recorded a song with Ustad Rashid Khan and Palak Muchhal for DRJ Records. The music video for the song has been shot by Sneha Shetty. I am doing a few other projects with the label as well. Raj Jaiswal, the owner of DRJ Records, has a very good sense of music.