Tipriti Kharbangar (also referred to as the ‘Queen of Blues’ in India) brought her magic to Someplace Else recently. Formerly a member of Soulmate, a blues rock band from Shillong, Tipriti and her bandmates, Maya Lyngdoh, Diane Nicole Wahlang, Jeremy B Mawlong and Shaun Morehead Nonghuloo performed songs such as The Footloose Doll, I Sing the Blues, 29 Ways and Tell Me. A t2 chat with the vocalist...
How did it feel coming back to Someplace Else?
I just returned from a little tour and left for Calcutta for the gig at Someplace Else. And then I’ve plans to go to Guwahati for a gig. I’ve played in Calcutta many times before and at Someplace Else, which is the only place I’ve played in Calcutta. Well, Someplace Else holds a very special place in my heart because, you know, it’s the nearest city we often visit. Back in the days, when I was with the band Soulmate, we would visit SPE very often, maybe twice a month. We used to have a regular scene at Someplace and then we would probably fly off to other main cities in India, but the first city to fly from Guwahati would always be Calcutta.
People have an evolving taste in music and there are plenty of takers for blues, soul, and jazz from this generation. What’s your take on that?
See, when I first started playing music, it was the blues, right? That was like 20 years ago. I played the blues and it was a good genre to connect with for people at that time you know. But times have changed and people have expanded their tastes. I can’t play the blues all the time now, I can play rock, I can play funk, I can play reggae, I can play jazz! I work with different kinds of musicians right now. It’s not just the blues it’s everything.
How did you curate your playlist for Someplace Else?
It’s always this graph that goes up and down you know? That’s one thing I have learned in 20 years of my music scene that the songs need to go up and down a graph, too many fast songs can drain you, so I decided that we’ll start off with something punchy and then it’ll go to the next one and then the third one can go down a little bit more and on a serious serious note for people to connect with and after a slow track I decided to push up the energy a bit and pick up the pace again. Because most of the slow songs are more deep and meaningful and as a musician, it’s my duty to give people some food for thought and tracks to put their best foot forward to. It’s not just for Calcutta or SPE, but I follow this for all my gigs.
Tipriti epitomised unbridled energy on stage
Which artistes have inspired you? You can tell us your pick from both old and new, as well as local and international.
Well in the genre that I sing, I don’t think there is anyone in India who has inspired me. I’ve drawn inspiration from American blues guitarists and singers. If I’ve to name a few, I’d say, I'm very much inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, she’s an American jazz singer. I like Billie Holiday, Koko Taylor, Etta James and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Are there any artistes in India who you’d want to collaborate with?
I’d like to collaborate with a young female artiste, Aditi Ramesh from Bangalore. I think she’s really fun to be around and hang out with and not just to sing with. Both she and I believe that music can only be created together and shared when we’re friends first. She has that Carnatic feel to her arrangement, which I love and I keep telling her to retain that touch. So, yeah, she listens to me so….
What are your upcoming projects?
I already have enough songs to start sitting down with and recording them. At the moment I also have to make a living so playing at gigs helps me a lot. I’m looking for more musicians to join me, like Maya (Lyngdoh), who will be playing the bass for me. She’s a local girl from Meghalaya and a classical guitarist and I’m taking her under my wings. I want to do things like taking Maya under my wings and uplifting her music. I’m also always prepared for festivals because I have a ready lineup. Sitting down and recording my music is on my to-do list for now!
The band rocked the stage with numbers like Born Under a Bad Sign (Albert King), Tell Me (her original), 29 Ways (Marc Cohn), Lie (a Soulmate original), I’m a Woman (Christine Kittrell), 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (Paul Simon), The Footloose Doll (The Brian Setzer Orchestra) and I Sing the Blues (Etta James), among many others
What do you like doing apart from music?
I like to make sausages and ham (giggles).