Supplied Content (Edited)
Melbourne, August 7, 2022
Rudyard Kipling may have derived poetic licence in saying “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,” but two singers and songwriters in Australia strongly disagree.
Shriram Iyer (‘Siyer’) and Bobby Baskaran (‘Bobby Beebob’) are Melbourne-based singers who recently released ‘The Saffron Groove Project,’ their Indo-Western fusion album.
Although they have worked in collaboration for many years, this is their first album together.
About Siyer and Bobby
Siyer will be known to audiences in Auckland, where he started his musical journey before he migrated to Melbourne. He is a singer and songwriter who has worked with several legends from the Bollywood film music industry as well as Grammy award winners. He has performed in more than 500 concerts in a career spanning 22 years.
Bobby Beebob is an Australian music producer and singer-songwriter who has worked extensively across Australia, the USA, Europe and India. His content has accumulated more than 12 million views. Bobby is also an accomplished recording, mix and mastering engineer.
The foundation for their collaboration was based on the different schools of music that they represented. While Siyer comes from a Bollywood and Indipop genre, Bobby was brought up on a diet of Western Rock and Pop.
Audience curiosity kindled
“This album is a confluence of Eastern and Western styles of music. Most of our songs are bilingual (in Hindi and English),” Bobby said.
Echoing his thoughts, Siyer continued, “Our different approaches to music brought us together. And the tracks in the album reflect the best of both worlds.”
At the album launch, an enthusiastic audience was unable to stop asking a barrage of questions after Bobby and Siyer performed a few numbers. The fresh sounds in the album triggered the curiosity of music lovers with many wanting to know about the creative process.
“We just get together and tired every single idea. No tune or word was bad until we tested it!” Siyer said and Bobby concurred. “We disagree a lot, but when we agree, that means something special and that is what had made its way into the album,” he said.
Accolades galore
The Album has had an enthusiastic reception. Remo Fernandes, a popular Pop Singer who was honoured by the Indian government with the Padma Shri Award said, “Power to your wings guys, may they soar forever high.”
Sandeep Chowta, another award-winning singer, said, “Here is to more success,” he said and referred to Bobby as his Guru, an acknowledgement of the pedigree of the musicians involved in this project.
Nitin Malik, the lead singer of India’s famous rock band, Parikrama said: “There is a beautiful uniformity in the tracks, the instrumentation, Indian Classical and Western Vocals have all been used the right amount and approach and not overdone. Every song is beautifully melodic and aces lyrically as well. Makes for actual easy listening and flows seamlessly. Every song makes you feel happy, hopeful, nostalgic and encouraged. Overall, a perfect example of not ‘overdoing’ any one element but letting everything have its own space and moments makes it really fresh and mature. Love the EP, it is on loop on all my devices. I cannot wait to see all the love and adulation that it will bring.”
About The Saffron Groove Project
The Album consists of six well-woven tracks that cover themes of love, heartbreak, hope, ambition, inspiration, memories and betrayal. The songs are a combination of pop and ballad-style renditions fused with Indian classical and popular music culture from India.
The world has often celebrated original music and The Saffron Groove Project gives music lovers an opportunity to hear fresh music from the hearts of two distinct, yet very similar musicians.
The Saffron Groove Project can be streamed on all popular streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and other channels. It can be purchased on Bandcamp.
The Album can be streamed on
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5e6JA1ZBSsaiskpyfNdjgD
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/album/id/1632416405
Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/album/235989888
The album can also be purchased on:
Bandcamp: https://siyer.bandcamp.com/album/the-saffron-groove-project
iTunes: https://music.apple.com/au/album/the-saffron-groove-project-ep/1632416405
