She makes the world dance to her tunes and has fans all over the globe. Despite being one of the most popular DJs around, DJ Paroma Chatterjee has a certain warmth which is almost palpable the first time you speak to her. Here is an excerpt.
A disc jockey or a DJ has to master the art of mixing. A lot of people do not understand this and do not treat DJs as serious musicians. Would you agree to that?
Absolutely. Let alone understanding what mixing is all about, a lot of people do not think of DJing as a serious profession. That notion has become stronger with software coming in and making life easier for everyone. A lot of people know that software makes it very easy for people to go about mixing things on the console and edit tracks. Even though software makes things easy, but if you want to become a DJ, you must always learn everything from scratch. You must learn to mix tracks on the hardware, that is, the console. Working on a software would then be easy as you know about your craft. There are several good softwares like Traktor Pro, Serato and Rekordbox which are easily available. If you do not know the actual art of mixing and equalising, you will not be able to work properly. Even when softwares were not there, the layman would think “arre, yeh kya kar raha hai? Ek gaane ke baad dusra gaana hi toh bajaana hai”. I did a 4-5 month course of DJing and after that, it took me a year to learn the ropes of the profession. Right now, you have a lot of DJs and most of them are untrained. I have a lot of respect for them but some of them still do not know what DJing is all about. They make a playlist from home and they do not even mix songs live or interact with the crowd.
What kind of training does one need to go through to become a DJ?
There are a lot of institutes in India and abroad where they teach DJing but it would be a nice thing if these institutes actually focus more on spreading knowledge rather than asking the students to pay fees and promising to get them jobs or some work in the industry. The moment students step out of these institutes, they realise they are on their own and there is no guidance or help at all. Lately, I see very few people undergoing any sort of training. One of the biggest reasons behind this is the emergence and subsequent popularity of softwares. A friend can tell you verbally how to mix a song on a software and fifteen minutes later, you are a DJ. In such a scenario, talent, focus and dedication takes a backseat.
You were an air hostess. You dabbled in different professions as well. What prompted you to get into music?
Even before I became an air-hostess, I was very independent and wanted to live life on my own terms. At that point of time, I was well-spoken enough to handle hospitality. Thus, I chose it to be my first profession. I was into client servicing and retail for a brief period of time as well. Since I was just twenty-three when I became a DJ and was yet to finish my education, I did not know much about this profession and how to go about things. One does not hear about DJs working for a company. You are on your own and have to work on different projects from time to time. I always had this independent streak in me. I did not want to work under someone and wanted to make my own decisions. I was really passionate about music and wanted to excel it in some way or the other. I had age on my side and there was a lot of enthusiasm and energy within me. I was attracted to DJing as a profession. I did not just want to be a DJ but wanted to make a brand out of my name as well. It has been years since I have been working as a DJ and things have shaped up pretty well for me.
You had a troubled childhood. Did music, in any way, help you to deal with the issues you were going through as a child?
Yes, music definitely worked as a healing factor for me during that phase of my life. Negative energies would go out of my mind while listening to music. I did not have a lot of friends when I was a child. The thing is that it can get very difficult if you are going through a rough phase and you do not have a confidante who you can speak to. Music has been an integral part of my life ever since I was a child. Every time I used to listen to music, it would ease my stress out and make me a more positive person. I started meeting a lot of DJs from a very young age. Also, my job as an air-hostess helped me travel to several places and meet different kind of people. Between the age of 16 and 22, I went through a phase of transition. Everybody connects to music on an emotional level. You do not hear anybody say ‘oh! I do not enjoy music’. Everybody loves music. Even while you are driving, you are listening to music. Every human being is connected to music in some way or the other.
What is the biggest challenge you face as a DJ in India?
India is actually progressing in a lot of ways and music is also evolving in a big way. Playing at a show abroad is not a challenging experience but there is always a sense of nervousness before the show starts. It takes me a moment to calm myself down. You are playing in a foreign land and you are not sure about people’s taste in music over there. Having said that, after playing a couple of tracks, the nervousness goes away. I feel more comfortable playing in India as I have a better understanding of people’s taste here.
What are the kind of things you keep in mind when you play at a particular venue?
Before I perform for an event, I ask them about the kind of music they would prefer listening to. My name is mostly associated with Bollywood and commercial music but I can play other genres as well. I can play EDM, hip-hop, retro etc. Actually, it all depends on the client and what they are looking for. Of course, if they ask for something which I am not comfortable playing, I will not give it a shot. For instance, if somebody asks me to play dandiya music at a navratri festival, I am not sure if I will be able to do justice to it.
What kind of music do you like listening to?
What I like listening to is in sharp contrast to my profile of being a DJ. When you are playing in night clubs or college festivals, you are playing upbeat numbers. But when I am not playing, I prefer listening to softer and mellow music. I love listening to lounge music. English retro is one of my favourite genres.
Would you like to compose music for a film?
Of course, I would love to compose music for a film. That is the reason why I am learning to play the piano. There has been a break but I am planning to get back into it very soon. Piano is considered to be one of the best instruments to compose music on. It teaches you the basics of notes and chords. It would be very exciting to create my own tunes.
What’s next?
I did a show in Doha recently and will be playing in Dubai very soon. I have a lot of gigs coming up. I will be doing a five city tour in Australia. I will also be playing in the main cities in the US very soon.