The rising star 'Ajay' headed down to the brand new desitunes4u music store in Bolton to talk to Irfan about his debut album 'Kasem Se.' In between watching Ecuador give Costa Rica a thumping [in the World Cup] here's what went down!

Irfan: For those of us that have never heard of 'Ajay' - give us an intro!

Ajay: Yeah… I'm the short 'brother' with the guitar! I'm a singer/songwriter and musician. Generally I'm a nice guy, but I can get moody!

Irfan: Personally, I find it difficult to describe your style of music or more to the point define it! How would you define the style that makes 'Ajay music'?

Ajay: Interesting question! When I first got into music, I never really paid attention to separating the genres. I'd listen to Rock and Soul, followed by Bhangra and Bollywood. As far as I was concerned there were only two kinds of music: stuff that I liked and stuff that I didn't like - easy as that!

So when it comes to writing music, I don't really concern myself with sticking to genres either. I use whatever style or arrangement suits the songs. I think what gives my songs a sense of consistency is my guitar playing and my voice, both of which are quite distinctive. If I had to use some descriptive words though, I'd say funky, soulful with an Asian twist.

Irfan: You were lucky enough to perform with the Bollywood superstar 'Shah Rukh Khan.' How did that come about and how was it? Ajay: Basically the whole thing was improvised on the spot! I was originally booked as a support act, just to perform Aaja Sajana. While he was on stage, the audience asked him to sing a song and he invited me to accompany him on guitar and we performed Kal Ho Na Ho - with just vocals and acoustic guitar. It went

Ajay with Shah Rukh Khan

down so well we ended up doing about 6 songs together! It was a pretty surreal moment, but exciting all the same. He's a natural entertainer, a huge talent and at the receiving end of huge adulation. Yet he remains very calm, humble and down to earth. I felt very comfortable on stage with him and he gave me loads of space to do what I wanted to creatively. Working with him like that, it's easy to see why he is such a huge phenomenon. A while later I saw a picture of it in the paper and thought… is that really me!?

Irfan: What do you enjoy most about performing 'live'?

There's so much! The adrenaline rush, the spontaneity, the energy that surrounds it. Perhaps the most important thing is the connection you make with the audience. After all, I write songs with the hope that people will relate to what I'm saying. When I play the songs live, it makes the hard work worthwhile. It's the best buzz in the world and there's nothing quite like it.

Irfan: You were the first ever UK based artist to be signed by SaReGaMa. How does that make you feel?

Ajay: It never really hit me until people started mentioning it. So considering their legendary back catalogue, I'm very flattered. To be honest, I'm really happy to be signed to a label that has given me complete artistic control and support throughout. They never once questioned me during the making of the album. In fact the first time they heard it was when I handed in the masters.

Irfan: When making music are you conscious of it's commercial viability or is it more a case of make the music and worry afterwards?

Ajay: Always make the music first, there's loads of time to worry about what to do with it later! You should never edit an idea in your head, always get it down. It's important to allow your creativity to flow. Not every idea is going to be a winner, but every idea deserves to be executed.

For the album I wrote and demoed well over fifty songs. Once I hit upon the main theme and sound of the album that I wanted, everything, including the choice of songs, fell in to place. You have to be honest with the music you make. I think if you start playing to a particular audience or consciously try and make your music commercial, it never works. On a subconscious level, the audience always knows that you're lying.

Ajay @ Desitunes4u in Bolton

Irfan: You've been involved in music for a long time now; so what made you all of a sudden decide that you wanted to release your own album? Ajay: It's always been on the cards, but I'm a great one for being side-tracked with other opportunities. I guess because it's my own stuff I always felt that I could do it whenever I wanted to… But then 5 years later I realised that I need to pro-actively get up and do my thing or it would never happen! Luckily I've always been writing songs, so I was ready when the chance came.

Irfan: You released the EP 'Aaja Sajana' on which on the inlay you are quoted as saying 'You can never achieve anything alone, and there is no such thing as a 'solo artist.' Everyone needs help, assistance, inspiration and an occasional shoulder to cry on.'

Many artists these days in my view show a lack of appreciation for the artists helping them with so called 'solo' albums. In light of your comments 'would you agree?'

Ajay: I think it's always important to credit and acknowledge people who input in to and support your vision. All music is a collective effort - that's why it brings people together. Even if you look at the work of the great classic composers you'll find their music is influenced or inspired by other people. Be it their teachers or friends. You always have to listen and take into account peoples thoughts.

So for me, it's also not just about the musicians and producers that I work with, although they are an important link in the chain. It's also about the people around me - my friends and family. At the end of the day, those are the ones who pick me up when I'm down and inspire me. They are also the people who hear my songs first, in their rawest form.

So to just credit the face on the album cover person isn't accurate. A perfect example is films. We usually think that a film is successful because of the lead actor, but in reality, it's the efforts of a lot more people, like the director, scriptwriter, lighting guy etc. It's a collective, not an individual effort and without these guys working hard in the background, nothing would be possible.

Irfan: Talking about assistance; who have you collaborated with on your album?

Ajay: Percussion-wise I used Prithpal Rajput (ADF/Ministry of Dhol). He's a brilliant player who has a great feel and just sits on the groove. I've recorded and toured with him a lot in the past, so he was a natural choice as he knows me and my music very well. His life is actually the inspiration behind the track Funki Dholi.

In terms of production, the majority of the album was done with Niraj Chag. Again, he's a very talented guy who knows his stuff. As well as being able to get the sounds that I could hear in my head, he also acted as a good sounding-board when it came to choosing songs or parts. I also worked with a guy called Niqi Brown, who has worked with acts like Misteeq and Damage. I was looking for a chance to work with him since I bumped into him at a recording studio while working on another session. He comes from a Gospel background and was a perfect choice for SD2L, which basically works on a gospel/blues progression.

Ajay - Kasem Se

And of course there is Jackal, who did an excellent job with the mixing and vocal production of Aaja Sajana. He also introduced me to SIB, who raps on Aaja Sajana. SIB's cool, he really took the time out to understand the song before he put his vocals down.

But the album is more than just the music, so I have to credit Samir Bhamra for his excellent design work and Raj Ghai for the photography, both of which get the message of the album across. And of course my loved ones who put up with my mood swings while I was making it!

Irfan: Originally your album was meant to be called 'Sitting Down Too Long' but it ended up as 'Kasam Se.' Why did you change the album name?

Ajay: Yeah, I just sat down and stayed down on that one! The original idea for the album was to base it around what I thought was the defining theme of my life: i.e. procrastinating and putting things off. As I said before, I was always putting my album off in favour of other projects. But I guess the vibe of the title just rubbed off on me too much!

Well, actually the album just wasn't working cohesively around that song or theme. Maybe it was too negative a message? And then I wrote Kasam Se and the whole thing just fell together, both sonically and thematically. I think it was an honest declaration that the main issues in my life are currently my personal relationships, with myself, those close to me and the world at large. And that's really what the album is about. It's also a more powerful statement. So I had to follow my instincts and change the focus of the album.

Irfan: The videos made for your songs (Funki Dholi & Kasam Se) are simple yet cool and you can watch them with your family! Was that important to you?

Ajay: Thanks! The two things I want to achieve with my videos is to firstly tell the story of the song and secondly to in some way, represent the person singing it - i.e. me - and I'm just not the 'let-it-all-hang-out' kind of guy!

Ajay

I wouldn't feel comfortable pretending to be someone I'm not, so what you see in the videos is pretty much me - well, after I've shaved, combed my hair and put on some nice clothes! It's also important that they retain credibility in terms of quality. That's basically down to the ideas and detail you put in to them. You certainly don't need a big budget to make good video, just big ideas! Irfan: If you were given the opportunity to work on a Bollywood soundtrack what would you say? Ajay: I'd say "Ji haa Producer sahib, aap ko kaisa gaana chahiye!" I'd love to work on a Bollywood soundtrack, because it involves a different way of working. It's basically being commissioned to write a song for a particular situation, personality or for a particular title - and that's quite an interesting challenge. One that I'm well up for.

Irfan: What else do you have lined up in the near future that we should know about?

Ajay: The World Cup, PlayStation, Barbeques, Gigs, Band rehearsals and writing songs for my next album.

Irfan: Do you have final words for the desitunes4u.com readers worldwide?

Ajay: Thanks for listening, supporting and reading. And please stop by and say hello at www.ajayhq.com or www.myspace.com/ajayhq when you next get the chance.

That concludes the interview, firstly a big thanks to Ajay for coming down to the desitunes4u shop and taking some time out to chat to us. The new album 'Kasem Se' is out now and be sure to check out Ajay's website.