CMU Approved

Approved: Sarathy Korwar

By | Published on Tuesday 14 May 2019

Sarathy Korwar

Newly signed to The Leaf Label, Sarathy Korwar is set to release his second album ‘More Arriving’ – the follow-up to 2016’s ‘Day To Day’ – on 26 Jul. Mixing jazz, hip hop, traditional Indian music, poetry and more, the album delves into the experience of being Indian in the UK today.

“This is a modern brown record”, says Korwar. “The kind of record that a contemporary Indian living in the UK for the past ten years would make. This is what Indian music sounds like to me right now, and that means incorporating multiple brown voices. If anyone has a problem with that, they should be questioning what they think Indian music should be”.

“[The title] ‘More Arriving’ comes from the scaremongering around Brexit”, he goes on. “It’s a tongue-in-cheek play on the fact that there are more people coming and you’ll have to deal with it! I want the idea of brown pride to come through. My voice is one amongst a thousand, but this record is a snapshot of something much greater than myself. It’s the chance to send a message”.

Two tracks from the album are available right now. On ‘Pravasis’, writer Deepak Unnikrishnan breaks down the definition of the word ‘immigrant’. Meanwhile, on new single ‘Mumbay’, rapper MC Mawali examines the complicated history of Mumbai.

“The song talks of the two personalities of the same city – with often contrasting, conflicting views and a common thread of struggle and pride that bind the two together”, says Korwar of the new track.

“It is about being trapped between two oppressive forces of power and narrative”, he adds. “Namely, colonialism – Bombay being the British name for the city – and the current rising right-wing Hindu nationalism – in 1995 the city was renamed Mumbai after sustained lobbying by Shiv Sena, a right wing Hindu nationalist political party. [The song then considers] navigating a third path that does not subscribe to either ideology”.

“Hence the name ‘Mumbay'”, he goes on. “The song talks about growing up and learning to navigate the streets and bustle of city life and ultimately going beyond the name of a city. As MC Mawali puts it, ‘Mumbai or Bombay, it doesn’t matter to me, call it what you want, you’re still from the street””.

As well as being an ambitious and exciting document of right now, Korwar has delivered some great music that will keep the record’s message afloat for plenty of time to come.

Watch the video for ‘Mumbay’ here:

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