The New York based EDM duo MEMBA comprising Ishaan Chaudhary and Will Curry enjoy a massive fan following in India, following their viral song in the ‘The Sky Is Pink’ soundtrack ‘For Aisha’. It catapulted them to an unparalleled stardom which MEMBA utilized by releasing two back-to-back albums SAGA-II and Phases: Remixes. Known for their pathbreaking and innovative sounds in the electronic dance music, MEMBA had returned to India once again for their performance at NH7 Weekender. During their time in the country, News18 Showsha caught up with them for an exclusive interaction around their recent works and upcoming surprises.
Here are the excerpts:
How do you feel about performing at the NH7 WEEKENDER? What’s it like coming back to India and what do you have in store for your Indian fans?
We cannot begin to explain how excited we are to play NH7 – this is our first-ever festival in India! When Ishaan was in high school he always dreamed of going to one of these festivals but wasn’t able to. So this is a pretty big deal to be not only going but playing it. We have been working on an EP to celebrate this moment titled EAST MEETS WEST. It’s dropping the day before our set and was specially made with our desi fans in mind.
Starting with the song that gave you widespread acclaim i.e For Aisha, the song which has gone viral quite a number of times in the last few years. Considering the legacy and importance that song holds in your life, do you feel every time a generation discovers or will discover that song, it is bound to go viral? What can you recall about creating it and how do you process the overwhelming response it gets even today?
For Aisha was the hardest song we’ve ever had to write. Trying to convey how I feel about my sister in a song was incredibly daunting. We are so so grateful for the response and love
everyone has shown – four years later, we still get messages about how it has resonated with people who have also experienced loss. It really means a lot to us. We have never had the chance to play it live in India. We are planning to have EVAN GIIA (Ishaan’s wife) and Ishaan’s mum (played by Priyanka Chopra) come out on stage. It’s going to be a very special moment!
What’s the story behind the name Memba? And how it represent the kind of sound and genre you represent i.e EDM? What initially fascinated you about this genre, that you pursued it with so much passion?
We made the word MEMBA up. We believe MEMBA is a spirit that gives us ideas. Our project is all about exploring the unexpected, and merging global sounds into high energy music for the dance floor – whatever genre it may be.
The EDM genre is a competitive one and yet you have created your own very space in it. What were some major hurdles that you had to encounter in this musical journey and what kept you afloat and passionate about your craft?
It is very hard to stand out at a time when music is being released at the highest rate in human history. Also not sticking to a formula or genre can make a project difficult to understand or fit into people/the industries’ boxes. We decided to risk it and just make music that we love. I think part of what helped it be accepted is that we paid it with strong visuals and storytelling – so the listener can tell all of this art is made with intention and there is an emotional and sonic through line even though each song may be quite different.
Talking about influence, which artists have inspired your musical sensibilities? And how much of that influence can we see in your original music catalogue? If you can quote an example?
Very inspired by AR Rahman (esp his 90’s/2000s jams), flume, Flying Lotus, MIA, early Baauer. You can hear pieces of this throughout our catalog.
What are your thoughts on the South Asian representation in dance music, speaking strictly in the context of the global stage? Do you feel they are aptly represented and
whether they get the same kind of opportunities and acclaim as other artists?
I feel as though this is the best time ever for the south Asian music scene. There has not been enough representation in the past but we feel the tide is turning. There are so many exciting new acts on the come up and it really feels like there is a new sound emerging. We call our exploration of it INDO FUTURE SOUND. For Aisha, Schools Out, Mumbai mode, and Jiyo are all explorations of it, and you guys are about to get even more on the EAST MEETS WEST EP.
Your last album PHASES was truly an extravagant bouquet of some brilliant collaborations. What the story behind that album? And how did you narrow down on whom you would like to collaborate with? What did you want to convey through that album?
PHASES was all about artistic cycles, and accepting change. We made 4 EPS that were released in lockstep with the full moons in 2022. Each EP explored a different sonic genre and had its own unique aesthetic and sound. We hid a mantra (written in MEMBA script) across all the music videos. The mantra was “don’t be afraid of change”.
It’s also interesting to note that you have steered clear from Bollywood music, even after the tremendous response to ‘For AISHA’. Has that been a conscious decision from your end? If yes, what’s the reason behind it?
We have not stayed away from Bollywood – we just are very selective of the projects we take on. We are keen to push the sound forward and try It in new dance music contexts. Jiyo off our UNION EP is a combination of Rajasthani folk music and UK garage. The East meets West EP is going to have 3 more songs in our “info future sound” for you to enjoy.
Speaking about collaborations, which Indian artists would you love to collaborate with? Whose music you particularly like and why? And whether we’ll see a project from you featuring such collaborations?
Our dream was to collaborate with Sidhu Moosewala. We are so devastated that he was taken from this world, he really pushed the Punjabi folk sound further than anyone else before him. May he rest in peace and always be remembered. We have written some starts with KSHMR and Yung Sammy. Hope to be able to share them with you guys soon!
What are some of your upcoming projects?
Our new 3-track EP, East Meets West. The EP explores the use of Eastern vocals with Western dance music, showcasing our “Indo-future sound”. We wrote it to celebrate our return to India after 4 years. It features Yung Sammy, Simar Gill, Kahani, Tiskoki, and 27delly. The artwork was made by cutting-edge AI artist Prateek Arora. The first single “Mehndi” is scheduled to be released on November 24, followed by the entire EP’s release on December 1 – the day before their NH7 festival performance in Pune.
What inspired the concept and theme of “Uni(*)n” as an EP? Is there a central message or story you wanted to convey through this project?
UNI(*)N is all about the meeting of minds. We worked with artists across the globe to create the project and meshed many different styles and cultures. A notable one is JIYO which features Rajasthani folk singer Chitrahlekha Sen and mixes it with UK garage in a very MEMBA way.
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