Addy Singh Discusses Three-Act Single ‘Magnolia’

Since the last time we spoke to New Delhi artist Addy Singh for his slinky guitar-led song “Attitude” in 2020, he went on to release another single called “Shadow” in 2021 as well as a three-track EP entitled Art’s Just Another Guy from Brooklyn. Now, Singh is back with a brand-new cinematic track called “Magnolia.” In this interview with Rolling Stone India, he talks to us about his latest song and what’s in the pipeline for him.  

When did your new song “Magnolia” begin to take shape and what can you tell us about it? 
 
A friend of mine and I were playing around with riffs and the opening riff of the song really stuck its head out to me. I remember the writing process taking all of 20 minutes for the first section. And then my mixer and friend, Aditya Shukla, really used his love for hi-hats and that was that. I wanted to stretch out the first section but it also felt complete enough. So, I sat on it and worked on a different song. I wanted an ominous piano just playing single chords, so I played it out on the guitar to send to a few players, but I eyeballed myself into what now sounds like the perfect guitar tone for it. You can never go wrong with Fender Deluxe reverb sims. I finished what I thought was going to be a completely different thing, but splicing the first song worked too and that basically meant that I could take the night off. The third section was just a fluke, really. A complete fluke. I’ve always wanted a brass instrument in a song and it was just supposed to be a beat for me to practice over, but that worked too. Quite well actually, putting it in with the other sections.  
 
Lyrically, I wanted a three-act play structure, the second I realized that they fit instrumentally. The first section talks about putting the past behind you, the second’s about learning how to live with yourself, which always starts out quite dramatically – relapsing, repeating patterns, looking at trees from a window. And the third, obviously, was freedom. Just a guitar solo. Just playing. A silky resolution. Life doesn’t usually work out that way, but this song could. And for me, it did.  

What was the recording and production process for the song like? 
 
I record everything at home. I made a modest foam panel-clad studio and I choose not to leave as much as I can. Aditya Shukla, my longstanding faithful producer and mix-and-master man, and I didn’t exactly see eye to eye on a few things but as always, he came up with a few guitar fills and turned my midi drums into actual drums. He really is a lifesaver. To any guitar players out there starting out, always trust analog pedals. Forget about stock plugins and pedal sims, just go old-school. It’s always worth it. It’s quite a shame that we get precious little out here though. 

Do you have any plans to further promote the song?  

I don’t think I have the resources to make a video out of this. It’s quite cinematic and anything but the best possible outcome would really work against it, so in terms of promotion, it’s just the usual. Pumping out sections, haranguing my followers on Instagram, playlists and all that. We all know the game. I don’t like having backing tracks at my shows, so the day I find a saxophone or trumpet player out here, this song could really raise the roof, especially the third section. It wouldn’t work live without all three pieces of the song. I’m itching to play the solo live. It drives me crazy.  

What’s next for you? 
 
More music, more guitar music and I’m moving to Bombay soon. 

“Magnolia” releases on October 18th on all platforms.