Anupam Roy

“I was always a wannabe 'singer-songwriter' but nothing was happening. I was trying for albums. I was too afraid to quit my job for nothing. But my friends kept on encouraging me. I kept on writing songs. My first hit was probably my 150th song.”

“I have come to Kolkata to make music, but I can't expect one director to give me work all the time.”

“I take inspiration from my life but only twenty per cent is real the rest is all made up.”

“I try to talk as less as possible and maximise the music part. I have tons of songs on my set list and I want to sing all of them, or as much as possible. If I talk more it'll eat into the time allotted for me.”

“I compose melodies in my head and then interpret them musically with my guitar and keep them recorded. The guitar helps me to build unique chord structures on simple melodies.”

“I learned tabla for three years when in school, then started picking up the basics of the acoustic guitar when in college.”

“I believe in my kind of music and I'm happy to have reached out to people through my songs. My dream was to sing my compositions and get accepted by listeners.”

“I got introduced to Western music and it inspired me. One of my favourite bands is Pink Floyd.”

“But somehow I feel the world is taking me away from my original rock roots of inspiration. Rock and roll is losing its past glory.”

“There's workplace politics in Tollywood, like every other industry in the world. You just learn to deal with it.”

“I can contribute to the field of music, I would not have been able to contribute to the field of engineering.”

“We can see the weather change, that the birds don't come to the city anymore... we seriously have to think about preserving nature.”

“I like greenery, nature, I don't like littering the streets. The progress of science and technology comes at a cost and I don't think we can still fathom the extent of this 'cost'.”

“See, I have two selves in me - a musician and a composer.”

“When I was in college or working, I had the luxury of writing on whatever subject. Now, I'm in the business, I have a deadline and pressures. Sometimes, I have to do things that I am not in the mood for.”

“Rock and roll is not just music, it is a way of life, it has its own spirit.”

“I had no release in 2013. I worked on four films; none of them saw the light of day.”

“Love songs too have many moods. It can be sad or be joyous and upbeat when one feels jubilant and in love.”

“On stage I try to be as spontaneous as possible, feeding off the energy of the audience. I just let myself be and have fun on stage.”

“I am not an established name in Bollywood and hence I can't call the shots. In Kolkata, I have proved myself and am in a position in the industry where directors and producers easily listen to me.”