Musicians, DJs probe future possibilities, hit social media with lockdown concerts

Many are taking the lack of gigs and shows as a chance to work on their talent and develop music that they did not have time or chance to explore. For musician Kevin Paul, this is a chance to work on an album with all the free time on his hands.

“I have nothing else to do, and I’m taking the time to work on an EP. I’ve been working on this with a friend, and we both somehow manage to make it work. I’m also posting the entire making process of the album on social media through Instagram live so that people know how music is made,” he said.

For others, like Praveen Kumar, a mridangam artist, the shutdown has helped in creating music surrounding the pandemic itself.

“I have another album that I’m working on currently, but given the current scenario, I can’t get into the right headspace for it. That’s when I began making songs on the virus — the situation prior to COVID scare, the present lockdown, and with glimpses of post-lockdown scenario, using sound clipping used by various news outlets in their coverage of the pandemic,” he said.

This is also a time for these artists to solidify the social media presence and showcase their talent before a larger audience.

“I’m posting about 90-minute music mix on social media. People might not listen to all of it. But even if they listen for two or three minutes, they will remember me and contact me when they need to hire a DJ in future,” said Vinod Karthik, a DJ.

“This is a long-term investment. There is nothing much to do in the short-term,” he added.