Kolkata Singer-Songwriter The Soham Offers Country-Blues with ‘Three Magical Words’

Kolkata acoustic artist The Soham (typeset as tHe soHam) aka Soham Bhattacharya wears his heartbreak on his sleeve in his latest single “Three Magical Words,” in which he turns to a country-tinged style.

Written in 2016, Bhattacharya says he was inspired by country music legends like Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson for the song. He adds, “New-age country artists like Keith Urban, Black Shelton’s music [also] inspired me deeply on this song. That’s the reason behind this blend between old-school and new-age country music.” Bhattacharya is joined by Mayukh Sengupta providing slide guitar as well as bass and electric guitar melodies, plus percussionist Raja Mukherjee and keys, strings and vocal harmonies by Sanjeev Sinha.

In the video directed by Bhattacharya and aided by cinematographer Souvik Nandi, a story of separation unfolds between protagonists portrayed by Payel Roy and the singer-songwriter. He says, “While directing the music video I had a minimalist approach in my mind and filmmakers like Spike Jonze and the Coen Brothers inspired me to create it. I draw inspiration from films like Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, 500 Days of Summer. We rented a small apartment and shot the music video there.” Bhattacharya counts his experience as a graphic designer as helpful in directing, plus a stint pursuing filmmaking and media studies previously during his graduation.

While he’s often sung about matters of the heart in the past, the singer-songwriter assures that there are more topics he’s exploring in upcoming releases. “My next song ‘Just Those Tears’ is about migrant workers and the problems they faced in India during the lockdown,” he adds. There’s a multi-city tour in the works as well, including crossing over to venues in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Bhattacharya adds, “Due to the current situation, I can’t think of a month-long tour as of now. There will be a few interesting collaborators in near future, few Hindi songs and music videos.”

Watch the video for “Three Magical Words” below.