The Hyderabad singer-songwriter teamed up with folk/indie band When Chai Met Toast’s keyboardist Palee Francis and producer Vivek Thomas
Hyderabad-based singer-songwriter Rinky Sharma. Photo: Bala CS Dasari
In what were Hyderabad singer-songwriter Rinky Sharma’s formative listening years in the early 2000s, she was listening to a lot of heavy metal and rock. Yet, her debut EP Tangled is an all-out soft pop rock offering, melodramatic and grounded in wisdom at different points. Sharma says, “I know what I was influenced by, but I don’t find them when I hear my music. It’s definitely subconsciously crept in.”
Sharma, who had been in an all-girl rock band previously, started out solo in 2014 after she took a break from working. “I’d never owned an acoustic guitar, so I bought one and posted a few covers online and I had pub owners contact me to play,” she recalls. While work resumed back then, Sharma left her professional commitments to become a full-time musician in 2017, releasing songs like the cheerful, energizing “Zindagi.” The song was produced, mixed and mastered by Keshav Dhar (from prog band Skyharbor and electronic act No Honey).
On Tangled, there’s Hindi and English songs fed through Sharma’s pop lens. Tracked in Kochi at producer and sound engineer Vivek Thomas’ studio, the songs feature programming and arrangement by keyboardist Palee Francis (from Kerala folk/indie act When Chai Met Toast). Sharma isn’t afraid to admit she’s been “obsessed” with When Chai Met Toast, with string arrangements shining through on the title track, as well as folksy flourishes on songs like “Ankahi” and the charged-up “Flame.” Lyrically, Sharma is upfront about keeping things simple. “I enjoy music that’s intricate, but while expressing myself, I want the listener to relate to it,” she says.
With one EP out of the way – and a live session at video series Music Mojo – Sharma and her band are plotting out a launch tour across Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi in the end of July and the next record. Sharma says, “We’re in the process of arranging these songs. I’m excited to see where it goes.”
Listen to ‘Tangled’ EP below. Also available on Apple Music, JioSaavn and Google Play Music.
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