23 Feb In Conversation With – Takar Nabam
The ‘In Conversation with’ series brings to you the stories of various creative professionals from the music industry and provides a glimpse into their journeys. Today’s conversation gives us a glimpse into the life of Takar Nabam. We explore his influences as a musician and also dive into his creativity and songwriting process.
“Music means liberation. It is about a sense of freedom, having faith in yourself and accepting yourself as an artist. There needs to be some relaxation that needs to be drawn out of it and when doing it, try to have a good intention in channeling a message, be it through performance or writing.”
Hailing from Arunachal Pradesh, Takar Nabam is a phenomenal guitarist and singer-songwriter. Growing up with influences from North East India and also listening to artists like Backstreet Boys, Brian Adams, Guns & Roses and Bon Iver. He received his first guitar in 2002 which was a gift from his parents, music for him was a present disguised as a blessing.
Genesis – A Teenage Fantasy
Like most of us, the beginning of Takar’s musical journey was mostly self-taught and his preferences for musical genres were ever changing. “My school had a really good music society, therefore I was always a part of the performances that were happening. I was getting exposed to a lot of genres, especially Metal and Rock ‘n’ Roll. As time progressed, my inclination and fondness kept changing, mostly because I started writing my originals.”
We grew up watching idols being made on television and a part of us always wanted to experience what that was like, for Takar it was the same however, it was his family that helped him realize his creativity. “My cousin was an active performer in Arunachal Pradesh, he always wanted to be a rockstar. I guess a lot of us have that teenage fantasy of being on stage and performing for the audience. In some aspects, music was in the family as I grew up watching my cousin and uncles dive into different creative outlets. Yet I never thought of it as a career. Living in our society, education took quite a lot of importance and an institute for music didn’t even cross my mind. But I was curious as to what lay on the other side, so I chose to further study music and get some training under my instrument. It occurred to me that there are various things one can do, you don’t always have to put on a single hat. There were many different avenues I saw and therefore had quite a lot of things to look at, be it as a session musician, making commercial music or arranging for other artists.”
Journaling to Songwriting
We are all aware of the importance journaling can have on us and for Takar, it goes beyond just transcribing his mind and heart. “It is frightening to look at the blank piece of paper as it can get quite challenging. I find it a good practice to keep writing something every other day, it doesn’t have to be sensible but it is about the craft of simply sitting down and doing something. Inspiration can hit at any moment be it while traveling, meeting new people, waking early or sleeping late. I would find ways to narrate my stories into songs and all these feelings helped me express myself to the fullest. My album ‘Same Skies’ was my launch as a writer, it wasn’t guitar driven even though everyone around me knew me as a guitarist. It struck me that journaling was slowly transforming into a creative format. Writing a song gave me a sense of liberation which only further helped me.”
Takar Nabam takes us through the process of working on his ‘Red and Yellow’ and what goes behind the process of working on an EP. “I was never really making an EP but simply writing songs and after a point, I saw a similarity between a few which shared a thread or theme in common. It was quite reflective of the phase I was going through as it was written during the pandemic. At times playing together with a band also helps, certain songs I’ve written have only been possible by jamming with a few of the artists. I miss having that jam session because it brings out the rawest and truest form of my musicality. I think we are living in a time where albums aren’t as appreciated, people’s listening span has dropped and so I find a lot of the time albums lack the thrill and beauty that once existed within music.”
We also share a conversation regarding his most recent release titled ‘Those Colourful Days’, which he wrote during the pandemic period and how a lot of his friends in major cities were going through a difficult time. “Mental health and music go hand in hand. When something is occupying space in my mind I tend to channel that into something a bit more tangible, so writing and expressing through the music makes the most sense for me. One thing that helped me in enhancing the song is singing over the guitar solo, it helped me make the track more lyrically. It was more about what I wanted to translate what I was hearing and feeling while working on the project.” Takar has also written music in his native language, Nyishi. We explore the importance of singing in our native language and how it is important for artists to dive into their roots and keep their language alive. “We as artists have a job to inform our audience about this whole new world that exists outside of their zone. It isn’t necessarily only about the language, because there are translations available and sometimes music goes beyond a language. It is about a particular emotion and sometimes when music is written in a language unfamiliar to me, I feel a stronger sense of connection with it because then the music molds itself into whatever I feel. That I find quite beautiful when it comes to music in a different language”
“I want to share my story with the most honesty and authenticity. I would continue to release my music, which is a pathway for me to channel what’s on my mind. Music needs to help and heal a person and once I have achieved that I’d feel quite purposeful with myself. It isn’t about reaching a particular place for me but more about enjoying the journey.”
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Written and Interviewed by Naman
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