Xenon Phoenix Makes Peace With the Passing of a Furry Companion on ‘Yesterday’
The Siliguri hip-hop artist is joined by Guwahati singer-songwriter Jennifer Rabha
Siliguri-based hip-hop artist Xenon Phoenix. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
On the passing of his beloved canine friend Julia due to pancreatitis in October last year, Siliguri rapper Xenon Phoenix aka Subham Ghosh was understandably at his lowest. In the memory of his first pet dog, the hip-hop artist composed a melancholic song “Yesterday,” calling on Guwahati singer-songwriter Jennifer Rabha to add emotive hooks.
The rapper says, “It was hard as it was my first pet I ever got, so the attachment was unreal.” Their bond grew further through the pandemic when there were more days to be spent locked down. “I got more attached to it as my best companion [like] a family member.” While “Yesterday” was originally penned down with different lyrics and a different intent, the passing of his dog and coming across Rabha’s music allowed Ghosh to connect the dots once again. “She dug the concept and together we came up with something that gives you the hope to move on not only from losing someone but also being defeated in life.”
This in turn made the artist tap into the days in 2018 when he’d nearly quit music, due to work and family commitments. “It’s mixed emotions expressed so when the track was done, even Kris [Kaop, Pune-based producer] liked it,” Ghosh says. While the rapper has had several hard-hitting and rumination songs to his name – right from “Twisted Turns” and “Dead Palace” in 2017 to “Lucy” in 2020 – “Yesterday” gets real and more emotive than ever before, with the exception of his 2018 song “Hurricane.”
The latest release has also spurred Ghosh on to work on more projects with Rabha as well as the singer’s go-to producer Gemmi, also based in Guwahati. Ghosh adds, “I have some solo tracks ready under my belt for this year with no features, so if everything goes as per planning I can have them released alongside with some music videos that were shot in mid-2021. The rest are all just surprises ‘cause that’s how my releases go out, with no snippets or teasers.”
Listen to “Yesterday” below. Stream on more platforms here.
