Shillong Artist Gregory Ford Nongrum’s Pensive Song ‘See You Again’ Wins JioSaavn Spotted English Round

Known for his work as a songwriter, vocalist and guitarist in Shillong act Blue Temptation, Gregory Ford Nongrum comes into his own with the “See You Again,” which has won the English bracket of talent search JioSaavn Spotted.

Garnering the most streams in the category alongside six other English indie songs, “See You Again” is clearly a labor of love, with its six-minute runtime and Nongrum intertwining his longstanding love for blues, R&B, rock and gospel. Also part of folk-fusion band Summersalt, Nongrum says it was a difficult decision to move away from a comfortable band environment and work to release his solo material. “Shared responsibilities, shared spotlights and perspectives were always the norm for me so branching out into writing my own music was always going to be difficult,” he adds.

“See You Again” was a result of writing and recording over the past year, particularly spurred on by the pandemic and restricted movement. It became part of his Instagram series Bedroom Demos, which was a collection of songs he’d begun writing on his acoustic guitar. Eventually, Nongrum brought in drummer Daryll Diengdoh and finished it in a week’s time. The lyrics came from a “final phone conversation” that Nongrum says he had with a loved one, leading to bittersweet realizations. “We all know that phase where you have a little time for a farfetched fantasy of that very relationship being back to square one with no troubles and no problems and then boom, reality hits back,” Nongrum says.

Along the way of writing, recording and showcasing his music on Instagram, he found out about JioSaavn Spotted and felt it was a “relevant springboard” to put out his solo effort. He adds, “Getting your music potentially heard by DIVINE, Jonita Gandhi, Salim Merchant and Papon is an opportunity I couldn’t have missed. These guys have paved a career for themselves as solo acts so it just was a no-brainer to get their ears on my song.”

With his solo career underway, Nongrum has his debut EP coming up and a possible tour to set up once the record is out. “I write and record basically every day and I’m super excited to share my work with the world,” Nongrum says about his process. Summersalt, for their part, will be releasing their second album and Blue Temptation are also rolling out singles through the year.  

Listen to “See You Again” here.