Making of 'Not.A.Song', the Earth vs Human Song

(Post co-written with Dr Taarini)

The song (my 3rd release) came out on June 21, 2020. For the lyrics and vocals on this one, i collaborated with the very talented Dr Taarini Sharma, a dentist by profession. Her father, Col. Dr Rajesh Sharma, who knew about me and my passion for music, was keen that we should connect.

The three of us (that’s Taarini’s father and ourselves), wanted to create something different, something from our hearts, from our soul. The man who made us meet however, embarked on his heavenly journey this March (just at the beginning of the outbreak of the pandemic in India), and it changed Taarini’s life forever. She used to tell me “For others it may seem that we have entered a dark tunnel due the virus, but for me, it seems my heart itself is in a lockdown!. But then, I feel my father made the two of us meet, so that the light of music shows me the way out!”

Everything had come to a standstill and it was a time for immense introspection and self-reflection, because Covid 19 gave us time to do so. Nobody was running that rat race anymore and everyone were confined to their houses, a place we had almost forgotten to consider a home.

And with that, the two of us began discussing what this whole pandemic means to mankind, what Mother nature is trying to tell us time and again and how more often than not we tend to ignore her. But, this time she's screaming out loud and we have to listen… That became the genesis of our song – a story, that’s certainly just ‘Not A Song’ for us. It became a kind of ballad on the existing global circumstances. We felt the song should be an Earth versus human battle, with a positive message centred on mankind’s never-give-up spirit, our innate ability to rise above our differences and to combine our efforts towards Earth’s revival. We chose rap and hip-hop as a medium to deliver the hard-hitting realities, and acoustic rock to convey that we can overcome all odds. There are individual sections that talk about how global leadership has failed us, how we tend to be fooled by stories seen in the media, and how it’s actually a war between the virus and economy.

The song has two transitions which might surprise you at first. But to the discerning listener, it will be apparent that they serve as turning points in this whole saga of nature against man, culminating in a harmonious outro of winning together and making earth liveable, yet again.

Taarini and myself during the video shoot

A screenshot from the beginning of the video, before the dark side unravels at the transition!!!

Here's the video link: https://youtu.be/oI_UCj4eGko

Our salute to the healers!: This song is also symbolic of how doctors and other Covid warriors are putting their own lives at stake, fighting this invisible enemy. We want everyone to know that India has among the best doctors in the world. And all we need is a little more love, because for people, doctors can sacrifice their even lives. There is everything noble about medicine. And lets open our hearts to them some more. And this song is a way to highlight healing abilities of a different kind. Through the universal language, language of love – music!

The release: We serendipitously released the song on Father’s Day and World Music Day, so it was a happy coincidence! We wondered if such coincidences happen when you create something with so much heart! The innocent hearts said, yes!!!

#rock #rap #hiphop #rapper #covid19 #earthvshuman #coronavirus #joerocks