Amrit Ramnath Launches ‘100,000 Dreams’ Project Ahead of Mumbai Gig

At the heart of Amrit Ramnath’s new EP 100,000 Dreams is “Nila,” the song featuring his mother, vocalist Bombay Jayashri that was created when she was in a hospital intensive care unit after suffering a brain hemorrhage while on tour in the U.K.

Ramnath says, “While my mother was in a coma, I would sing to her so that she knew someone who loved her was there. When she woke up weeks later, she said she could hear everything! I have a strong connection with her, she is my mother, but also my institution and our love language is music.”

It’s no surprise, then, that 100,000 Dreams is Ramnath’s most deeply personal work, one that is reflected in the openhearted Tamil lyrics as well as the production which explores ambient, orchestral (with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra) and acoustic spaces. In the works since last year when Ramnath was writing and recording music while being in the same hospital room as his mother, 100,000 Dreams is now launching via Sony Music India and with a show on Aug. 22 at the Studio Theatre inside the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai.

Ahead of the show, Ramnath responded to emailed questions about the making and release of the project, performing in the U.K. with singer-songwriter Dhruv Visvanath and more. Excerpts:

Rolling Stone India: What has it been like making 100,000 Dreams come out in a manner that you wanted just as you were making these songs? 

Amrit Ramnath: The process of creating these songs was deeply personal, especially given the circumstances surrounding my mother’s health. “Nila” was the culmination point of the EP at the ICU, and at that point of time, I hadn’t even foreseen a release, let alone release an EP and share this music with people far and wide.

I wanted the release of this EP to be as authentic and raw as the emotions that shaped it. At that lowest point of your life, you imagine hundreds and thousands of different scenarios to emerge in front of you, but at the end there’s one lived reality that you are faced with, which is what led me to pick the name 100,000 Dreams.

Every detail, from the sounds recorded in the hospital, the collaborations with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra, the album artwork reflecting the view from the ICU, has been meticulously crafted to reflect the hope and resilience that kept us going, and in turn, inspired this music.

Seeing it all come together with the people involved in this journey, just as I intended, feels like a true testament to the power of music to transform personal trials into something universally relatable and profound. So yes, it has been extremely fulfilling.

How did your time in the U.K. go in terms of giving something back to Walton Neuro Centre in Liverpool, performing (with Dhruv Visvanath joining you on stage) and recording at Maida Vale Studios? 

The U.K. leg actually started from a seed of a thought of doing an installation at the Walton Neuro Centre. It was about giving back to the place that gave me a home and solace at the most trying time in my life, and as an ode to the staff there who looked after her so well and nursed her back to good health. The artwork of the installation describes the view I had while staying in the hospital’s charity-funded relatives’ accommodation, and is also the artwork for the EP.

Even the performance at Notting Hill Arts Club (NHAC) [in London] with so many wonderful people in the audience being invested in the EP, with Pritt (BBC Asian Network) hosting the evening and leading the Q&A, with people in the audience singing my earlier songs like “Nee Oli” and “Manase” was surprising, but very heartening. I had no idea that my music had traveled and I was super happy to see that it did.

Dhruv [Visvanath] is a brother and I was so happy to find out a week before the NHAC performance that he was around. We’ve jammed back in India a couple of times, so to be able to do it on stage and in a new territory was quite something!

Recording at Maida Vale was definitely one for the books. As soon as I stepped into the studios, I could see a giant BBC scoring room on the right where the BBC Scoring Orchestra would be recorded and those are the guys to record some of the best music ever made. I walked down and met the engineer (who would be around 60-70 and has recorded some of the greatest musicians ever) and he said “You have one take and you can do a start to finish.” So it really was about bringing my A-Game in that moment, but also an incredible learning and super humbling experience. The history that room carries is nothing short of surreal. But more on this will be officially announced soon.

In some senses, this is a concept EP that feels like one long song. Was that the intention? What kind of reference (if any) did you have when you were deciding this kind of flow to the EP? 

There was no reference really, but I like to believe [that] in your life [there] is a sort of timeline, you can put a plot at every point on the timeline which can take you back to the moment. For me “Nila” takes me back to the timeline when my mother was in the ICU. Likewise for “Kanavugal Kanden,” the various memories and thoughts that I had versus the reality I was faced with is what it takes me back to. That’s what I strive as a musician to do. So yes, with the EP I wanted to create a body of work that takes me back to that timeline. I’m glad, however, that it has come together as a cohesive narrative that feels like one continuous journey, much like a single, evolving piece of music, with each track flowing seamlessly into the next.

It’s a really powerful collaboration on “Nila.” What led you to include the “hospital” version of the track?

I wrote and recorded songs while she was recovering, right there at her bedside, and it’s influenced several songs that I’m releasing soon. The day she wrote Nila, was the day I realized that my mother has taken her first big step towards recovery. That was our moment of truth.

This track holds a very special place in my heart, as it was born out of the intense and vulnerable moments we experienced. The ambiance of the ICU and the lack of studio finesse became a part of the music’s fabric, adding a layer of reality and poignancy that couldn’t be replicated in a studio environment. By including this version, I wanted listeners to feel the immediacy and intimacy of that experience, making the connection between the music and the life events that inspired it as direct and powerful as possible.

There’s also an easter egg in the “Kanavugal Kanden” video with respect to “Nila.” But I will let the audience discover it.

There’s a mention of “combined catharsis” for you and your mother in making this music. How has time changed your perceptions of the music you’ve made and putting out now, just over a year after the emergency?

Over the past year, as I’ve had time to reflect, my connection to the music I’ve created has deepened profoundly. The process of making this EP, especially during such a vulnerable time, allowed me to tap into my instincts like never before. There were no inhibitions or barriers—just pure, honest expression. This experience has made me realize how sacred music truly is for me. It’s no longer just about crafting songs; it’s about channeling something raw and unfiltered. The music I’m putting out now feels more authentic and aligned with who I am at my core. It’s a reflection of not just the emotions I went through, but also the strength and clarity that comes from embracing those emotions fully.

What’s in store at the NMACC show in Mumbai to launch the EP? 

I’m thrilled to be performing all my original music from over the years, alongside some of the best musicians I know who bring such depth and energy to every note. Singing to an audience that is yet to explore my soundscape is both exciting and a big responsibility. It’s a moment for me to explore and see how I can bring a completely new audience into the world that I have molded, which would be very interesting. And, of course, sharing the live version of my latest EP, 100,000 Dreams, adds another layer of excitement.

What else is coming up in 2024? 

Lot more independent music, some shows in India, Singapore and the U.K., and some film compositions on the side.

Get tickets for Amrit Ramnath’s Mumbai show on Aug. 22 at the Studio Theatre, NMACC.