Hear Mumbai Singer-Songwriter Sanjana Devarajan’s Pop EP ‘Mood’

It was because of Mumbai-based singer-songwriter Sanjana Devarajan’s Tamil upbringing, that she gravitated towards the arts. She began learning Carnatic music as a six-year-old before discovering global pop artists that flipped her outlook towards music. She says, “I was in awe by it all.” Now, Devarajan has used her early tutelage in music juxtaposed with her pop influences and presented her sound on the well-crafted, recently released four-track debut EP Mood.

The artist started work on Mood in 2018 and initially planned on releasing it last year, however, Devarajan met with an accident and had to shelve the project for a while. “I needed to let myself heal,” she says. With Mood, the singer-songwriter offers a visual representation of colors for every track. “Each song has a feeling and a story behind it,” says the vocalist.

The artwork for ‘Mood.’

The EP opens with “Lemonade,” symbolized by yellow. It features heavy acoustic guitar strumming while the singer-songwriter has a conversation with herself about self-doubt and anxieties. “The song is more like a cry for help that builds up to the epiphany that the only one I need to count on is me,” she says. Representing blue is the piano-led “Whole,” which is about what one goes through on the rollercoaster that is a relationship. “I wrote it at the cusp of heartbreak and new love. Love can sometimes have a bitter aftertaste and you may decide to not ‘fall’ again. But it’s not like you have much of a say – when it happens, it happens,” says Devarajan.

Epitomizing purple is the groovy and dancey “I Could Be Your Wife,” wherein the singer-songwriter explains to her folks why she’s chosen music as a career. “It’s talking about not falling prey to societal norms,” says the artist. The EP closer, a ballad called “I May Not Be A Star,” is visually repping pink. Devarajan sings about gratitude on the track and wrote the song when she learned about her friend relapsing to cancer. She says, “I didn’t get a chance to sing it to him. But I hope he’s in a better place now.”

Mood was recorded at Devarajan’s home studio as well as Mumbai studios Beatfactory and Tank9. The EP was produced and mixed by Mayur Jumani. “He’s an absolute genius,” says the singer-songwriter. Satyam Sangwan mastered the songs. While the lockdown has been life-changing for her, the musician just wants to continue to make and release more music. “I want to share my life experiences through my songs,” says Devarajan.

Stream ‘Mood’ below: