Udyan Sagar alias Nucleya has been quite busy the past month: touring cities across India and UAE, he has treated fans with the much-awaited Live India Tour organised by Laqshya Event Capital. The Indian EDM sensation has been on a roll for the past few years, with his music finding a special place in the hearts of young India. He started with Bandish
Projekt, along with Mayur Narvekar and Mehir Nath Chopra in 1998. But decided to diverge into independent music in 2007, where he built a new identity as Nucleya. The DJ, who had a concert in Mumbai yesterday, speaks to FPJ about being back on the stage after the pandemic.
Excerpts from the interview:
How does it feel to be back on stage after the pandemic?
It feels really good. A little frightening, but also exciting at the same time, because I was at home for around two and a half years. However, that time was also amazing. I discovered myself and made a lot of music that is now lined up for release. It feels good to be back on stage.
Your latest EP, Baaraat, was a collaboration with Ritviz, how was it working with him?
The experience was quite good. He’s one of the most amazing songwriters that I have come across. His songwriting skills are incredible. Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish the EP... But the four songs that are out are some of the best work that I have done with another collaborator.
The title track for Baaraat was a hit on Reels, do you think the success of music, specifically Indie music, depends on it going viral today?
I don’t know. I don’t understand the whole social media game that well. If the music is not good, it will not work. It’ll be short-lived. I don’t gauge the success of music based on how it’s performing online. That’s my opinion.
How has your creative process evolved over the years?
One of the most important reasons why I collaborate is because every creative person has his/her way of making music. Their creative processes are different. When you collaborate with someone, you get a glimpse into their world, how they make music... Ever since I’ve started collaborating, creativeness, has increased.
Your debut album, Bass Rani, was released seven years ago. If you were to release it today, would you do it any differently?
Maybe in the way that we release the album, perhaps. I mean it’s an interesting question. I don’t know what I will do now differently. One thing that I have to make sure of is to keep myself emotionally and creatively in the right zone. When Bass Rani was released, I was at the top of my creative and emotional game. The struggle ever since has been to figure out if I can stay in that zone.
Bass Rani was launched during Ganpati visarjan on the streets of Mumbai, possibly nothing more Bombaiya than that...
For Indie musicians, it is difficult to make the music go beyond the space that we have, the largest chunk of the space is reserved for mainstream music. We always have to find ways to be able to take our music beyond that. This was one of those things that helped us reach a larger audience. It was something that I wanted to do for a time.
You have worked with Major Lazer, the American DJ trio, on Jadi Buti in 2020, how was the experience?
It was smooth. I was only talking to Diplo from Major Lazer. He’s an amazing guy. I remember the album was ready... This was the last song idea that I had. The song was meant for a movie and then last-minute changes happened. I wanted feedback from Diplo about the song idea that I had and he liked it. So we worked on it and it became a part of their album. It is also going to be featured in a French movie, which I’m kicked about.
Jaldi Aao was the perfect desi tribute from Indian fans to the global hit series Money Heist. How did you manage to create the original tune and idea intact?
I wouldn’t want to take the full credit for it. There was a bigger team in place that contributed to the track. And, that’s the reason why this whole track became what it is. It was amazing to work with them and especially with the production team, the guys who made the video and Jugaad motion picture and yeah it was a great experience!
What can your fans look forward to in the coming months?
I have a lot of music which I need to release fairly soon. I would say I have at least two albums worth of music in place, not fully complete though. This is new music and different from my older work. I need to be 100 per cent sure about the music. I make music for the selfish reason of making my soul happy first. I've given myself a deadline of year-end to finish everything. There are some good collaborators on board and good video ideas as well. So, once everything is ready, we'll start putting it out.
