‘Honest, Good Music Rarely Goes Wrong’: Sheykhar Ravjiani on Starting His New Label Garuudaa Musiic

The joy of creating art out of sheer passion is just unparalleled, Sheykhar Ravjiani will tell you. For almost two decades now, the celebrated musician has delivered hit after hit in Bollywood, both as part of the composer duo Vishal-Sheykhar as well as a distinguished playback singer himself. While millennial India continues to shake a leg to his chartbusters, the composer feels he is serving a larger purpose today with a new venture of his — the newly launched music label, Garuudaa Music. “There was a whole universe of potential within me waiting to be unlocked,” says Ravjiani about turning curator/entrepreneur. The label is only a few months old, but already six tracks down, amassing over three million views. The biggest learning for him so far has been to start unlearning the formulas to success. “When you can set aside 25 years of experience and suppress the urge to do what ‘works’ and instead challenge yourself to begin again, everything then sounds new, and fresh and inspired,” he says. 

In this interview, the musician discussed his goals for Garuudaa, upcoming collaboration and why it is important for artists to love the creative process.

You have a glorious and busy Bollywood career, and you have just launched a new label. What was the purpose or calling that made you want to start Garuudaa and pursue this new path?

My musical journey has been predominantly defined by the work that I have done for films and I have enjoyed that immensely. But there’s always been a part of me that has been curious to explore the kind of music that comes from a place of absolute creative freedom. And while I did take some detours into an independent space through a few singles that I made and released, it still felt like there was a whole universe of potential within me waiting to be unlocked!

And then lockdown hit us all. Those two years were many things for many people but for me, they were the most creative period of my life. I spent that time making exactly the kind of music that made me truly happy and I would say that Garuudaa had its genesis right then. I had hit upon a creative process that felt right, that was bringing out the best in me and where I felt a strong connection with everything I created. I had never felt this way before.

What began as an unfettered exploration turned into a dream which I have been working towards and that dream came true in February 2023 when I launched my own indie record label – Garuudaa Musiic.

The soundscape of Garuudaa is very expansive and genre-bending! As a curator and founder, are you consciously building a sound that is diverse and inclusive?

With Garuudaa, the musical intent is simple – keep it simple and heartfelt, but keep it absolutely fresh. It is about taking everything you already know and setting it aside. Unlearning is what I feel like I am doing every time I sit down to create a new song. And that’s when the magic happens. When you can set aside 25 years of experience and suppress the urge to do what ‘works’ and instead challenge yourself to begin again, everything then sounds new, and fresh and inspired.

I am definitely consciously creating a musical space with Garuudaa that is genre-agnostic and instinct-driven. It’s about breaking rules constantly and trying the unexpected. I think I am redefining the kind of sound that Garuudaa represents with each song that I put out. It’s not about standing for one particular kind of music but rather being seen as agile, adaptive and evolving with the times.

What are the most challenging bits about running a label?

When I decided to start my own label I knew there would be a lot of work beyond the just creative aspect. I feel like I am learning something new every day about the industry, the business as well as the media aspect.

I would say that the single largest challenge today is actually getting people to sit up and notice your music, and consume it. With consumers having shorter attention spans, a huge volume of musical output and total cacophony on social media it’s definitely challenging to make a mark effectively.

But without challenges, any journey is incomplete… so I say, bring it on. Because when you are doing what you truly love, you love the process unconditionally.

Tell us about the songs that are coming up this year.

Garuudaa was launched in February 2023 and since then we have released 6 tracks that cumulatively have about 3.5 million streams. The seventh song drops in a few weeks on July 7th and I have a whole lineup of absolutely inspired and pathbreaking music waiting to be shared with the world!

The upcoming songs are a mix of extremely interesting collaborations with some brand-new artists as well as very well-known ones! I’m really happy with how our soundscape is expanding and am super excited to put every single one of these beautiful songs out into the world!

I have a beautiful dream that in 2026 I will perform all my songs for a stadium full of people at the first-ever ‘Sheykhar Live in Convert with Garuudaa Music’ and I’d say I’m well on my way towards making this a reality!

Collaboration is the pillar on which successful enterprises are built. What are the pillars on which Garuudaa is built and what do you want to achieve eventually?

Garuudaa is built on a foundation of a deep love for music, a passion for creating and the willingness to work as much as one needs to in order to ensure the highest quality of music.

I believe that my music must always move people. Make them smile and make them feel.
Every single song must feel relatable and real. Honest, good, music from the heart rarely goes wrong. And that’s always going to be the guiding force behind every piece of music that comes from SHEYKHAR and Garuudaa Musiic.

Working with Gen Z talent with a blank slate must be refreshing. What have been your experiences so far?

It’s been an absolute blast working with young singers and musicians. I can’t help but admire their absolute confidence in themselves at such a young age and their ability to work on something without too much fear or doubt holding them back. They create freely and fearlessly. And are quite uncomplicated in their process as well. I find this absolutely refreshing and feel like there’s so much I can imbibe from them. I am delighted to be able to also do my bit in giving these kids the opportunity to shine and it makes me very happy to be able to showcase their brilliance to the world.