Sparsh Verma Releases Quirky Music Video for New Rock Song ‘Top of the World’

Recently, Mumbai composer-producer Sparsh Verma released his latest single, the soaring “Top of the World.” Verma joined forces with vocalist Gautam Gupta, who adds his steely singing to the mix, and axeman Aadil Jariwala, who delivers a face-melting guitar solo towards to the end of the track. Jariwala also stars in the song’s music video as he plays a salesman who runs into all sorts of dilemmas through the course of his day while the band performs the track atop a terrace. We caught up with Verma to discuss the song, his collaborators and future plans. Read excerpts below: 

When did you write “Top of the World” and how did the collaborations with Gautam Gupta and Aadil Jariwala come about? 

This song was written approximately a year ago as a result of an assignment that soon turned into a curious journey of exploration. 

I knew Gautam and Aadil from college since they were my juniors and amazing musicians. Although it wasn’t the usual tone that Gautam usually sang in, I knew that with a little alteration, his voice would really suit the song, so we decided to collaborate on this song and I loved the way it came out. As for Aadil, he was always a rock fan and I always loved his playing. Being a mutual friend, he instantly agreed to be part of the project as the guitarist and the bassist. 

What can you tell me about the song itself? 

‘Top of the World’ talks about freeing yourself from the conventional norms of society and living on your own terms. It’s a mockery of the corrupt infrastructure which we live in today and desire to break it. The name also represents the ideology to be on top of all this while watching it happen. I felt there was no better way to portray this other than the emotion of rock. It encompasses the whole idea of rebelliousness, anger and freedom for me. Gautam and I wrote the song as a joint effort and mentioned the atrocities that one wants to free themselves from and the desire to live freely. 

What was the recording and production process like? 

This was majorly a home production done through hours and hours of video calls and putting down ideas and brainstorming lyrics. The entire recording process happened remotely where Gautam recorded from his home city of Jaipur and Aadil recorded from Mumbai itself. We had long recording sessions and continuously evolved our ideas. The whole song was completed in less than a week and we sent it for mixing and mastering a few days after the production was done. I think it was also the time when all three of us really understood each other’s musicality better. 

What can you tell me about the music video and your experience of putting it together? 

It was after a long time that I was doing a music video for a song with a capable and talented team of professionals. It was an extremely fun and informative experience. The script was written and directed by my friend Geet Gangwani. After locking the idea, we quickly gathered a team to bring it to life and soon began shooting for it. The post production stage lasted for a month or two, where I was actively taking part in everything to get as close to representing the idea in the best way possible. 

What’s next for you? 

I consider myself to be an artist who likes to explore new spaces and keep experimenting with my music to tell my stories in the most appropriate and compelling way. As an Indie artist, I will soon be coming out with an EP that is currently under process. It deals with a series of apocalyptic fantasy stories I have imagined, which are set in a fictional world. It has a cinematic vibe to it with lyrics and combined elements from various genres, and soothing synth textures and pads to set the atmosphere. 

Apart from that, being a film composer too, I have scored for various short films, one of them being Summer Afternoon on YouTube, and been part of commercial series like Undekhi 2 as an assistant composer. Currently, I am involved in many such series and shows which will be released soon on various OTTs 

Watch the music video for “Top of the World” below: