Contemporary classical duo Shadow And Light launches “Raahein”
For a while it appeared that the only new releases for 2022 were variants but, fortunately, with the mid-January launch of a single called “Raahein” by Delhi-based duo Shadow And Light, the world of music just shone bright.
Consisting of vocalist/lyricist Pavithra Chari and keyboardist/composer/arranger Anindo Bose, what makes “Raahein” engaging is the sonic dreamscape so created which, at one go, makes this mid-tempo track focus on multiple-genres ranging from “contemporary classical” to world music and, dare I say, to chill out material?
Pavithra and Anindo
“Raahein” – which is described by Shadow And Light as “light hearted nostalgia, the rush of memories, and a groovy take on a person who has left us with a lifetime of emotions, feelings, and thoughts” – is one of those songs where you can press the play button, drift into a different dimension, and forget about ongoing worldly health worries. Depending on your perspective, “Raahein” is both melancholy and blissful, and succeeds in its simplicity by singer Pavithra whose disciplined vocals are a deserved credit to Shubha Mudgal’s tutelage, and instrumentalist Anindo’s stint as a founder-member of fusion band Advaita.
Shadow And Light has been part of the media and entertainment industry long enough to have released three albums – composed across various languages: Hindi, Tamil, and English – with their last album, ‘Sabar’, released four years ago.
Shadow And Light has been travelling on international tours from 2016, and made the cover of Rolling Stone India in April 2018 as the new faces of fusion in India. The duo has also opened for the likes of Anoushka Shankar, and were invited to perform their compositions at Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa, for a set curated by Ranjit Barot. Pavithra and Anindo have also collaborated with sarod players Amaan and Ayaan, multi-instrumentalist Karsh Kale, renowned jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan, bass-and-drum exponent Talvin Singh, and guitar genius Warren Mendonsa. Shadow And Light’s last tour of the U.S. featuring a collaboration with the acclaimed Berklee Indian Ensemble.
Further, Pavithra made her debut as a playback singer for composer D. Imman for Tamil film ‘Udanpirappe’ in 2021, and recently sung for composer Yuvan Shankar Raja for the 2022 film, ‘Valimai’.
Using ethereal chant-like vocals, Pavithra has spoken about her musical mission in the past while interacting with the media. “There is so much richness, and a vast scope of knowledge that helps you embrace many forms of music,” is how Pavithra has described her initiatives. “The space becomes interesting when you skilfully blend genres together.” Anindo assists in turning things around, utilizing different break beats and key changes, as required, leveraging on his past experience in the fine art of musical arrangement, mixing, and mastering at his own Plug ‘n’ Play studio. “The collaboration is a smooth process,” says Anindo, “despite role changes that happen from time to time”, the culmination of which results in the gorgeous, touching, and dreamy “Raahein”, featuring tender vocals by Pavithra, which is just an appetiser for more music to flow into 2022 from Shadow And Light.
Meanwhile, you can listen to the “Raahein” here:
- Spotify (Shadow And Light are Spotify Radar artists for January 2022)
- Apple Music
