rra fellowship feature: bak n 4th
4 min
Hello friend, it’s Meera and I’m so excited that our fellowship is officially underway! The fellows have begun working with our wonderful project partners and are one step closer to making their song a fully-crafted piece of art. While our fellows are busy making incredible music, let’s take a peek behind the curtain to learn more about the people who are working with them in this process!
First up, hailing from the country of moose, maple syrup, and one of my favorite comedians (Martin Short), meet music producers Erwin and Shyam, from the duo Bakn4th! The two are long-time friends who grew up learning and performing classical Indian music for spiritual events. Together, they shared a passion for learning and creating music. Fast forward, they ended up attending different universities and would later find time to reconnect to make music. They would send each other samples back and forth until something beautiful was born. 6 years later, they’ve collaborated with both North American and international artists, filmed a music video, and have many projects releasing soon!
I had such a refreshing conversation with Bakn4th, I hope you enjoy reading about their work as producers, creatives, and friends!
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity and conciseness.What drew you to music production? What inspired you to be the people behind the scenes?
Shyam: Growing up learning tabla and percussion, I was always drawn to rhythm and beats. A good beat is sometimes better than what an artist does on a song, and can really make an entire song. It’s cool to support artists that way, so production was something we easily gravitated towards.
Erwin: I think for me, it stems from my experiences in high school when my band teacher would put me on a different instrument almost every year. I think the constant learning of how different instruments work helped me understand the relationships and interactions they could have once combined. When we would put on musical programs for our spiritual circles, we acted as project managers in a way by envisioning a score and then executing that.
What does your process look like working together? I’m curious how two creative forces balance each other!
Shyam: When we first started (and we still find ourselves doing this), we wouldn’t know where to start so we would just say “hey, let’s make something a little Latin” and then see where it went from there. More recently though, it’s been ingrained in us to start from a personal feeling and channel that into the music. Even that, really comes together or falls flat. And as you said, disagreements do happen… wait what is it like when we disagree? (laughs).
Erwin: It’s very gentle (laughs). The conversation is just “hey can we try this instead?” or “let’s try something like this.” We don’t get into big arguments because I think as people, we’re good at understanding each other’s nuances. For example, if I’m playing something for him and his eyes are closing, I know maybe he’s not enjoying it as much (laughs). Once we can agree on the feeling we want to capture and figuring out what we need and what we don’t in the music, it helps avoid arguing.
What project had the greatest impact on you?
Erwin: This wasn’t a project, but last year, we went to an artist intensive in Toronto and that really pushed us in terms of growth. The intensive was led by industry leaders and while we were happy to just be there in the background, they made us step outside of our comfort zone. Coming out of that really built the core identity of who we are today.
Shyam: I agree with what Erwin said about how the intensive shaped our identity. Before that, we were purely instrumental people making music for artists, but they forced us to produce, sing and write, so now it’s part of what we do consistently. They also pushed us to merge the world of Indian and Western music which has strongly impacted our work.
Why did you join the fellowship team, and what are you most excited about?
Shyam: I think the opportunity to work with such a roster of people was something that excited us. It’s just been the two of us as producers and artists, which has been great, but to be one chainlink in a fence of people who are all specialized in their own craft was a cool opportunity. Also, no one has ever mixed or mastered our work besides us, so it’s going to be cool to see what other professionals will bring to it.
Erwin: What was super appealing for me was the opportunity to work with a team of people who would take the fellow’s song idea and develop it all the way from the beginning to the end. It’s rare that something like this exists and if I could go back in time, I wish I could have applied for this (laughs). We’re going to see the fellow grow through this process and likewise, we’re going to grow with them.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Erwin: If there’s something I could change, it’s something we’re actually already working towards changing. We’ve seen how Latin music has become so palatable, but we can’t say the same about Indian music (at least in the Western world). By embedding that sound in our music, we want audiences to feel that it can be as easily absorbed as Latin music.
Shyam: There’s an exclusivity in the music industry because it exists in a capitalist world and you can’t separate those two things from each other. A lot of artists have recently been having the conversation of who owns you and who owns your music— I wish it was easier for artists to navigate that. There are also so many talented people who make it and completely deserve it, and then there are so many talented people who just don’t get lucky. I wish the industry had more equity.
What advice would you give someone breaking into this industry?
Shyam + Erwin: Early on, we had to find a lot of opportunities on our own, and so the advice I wish we could have given ourselves is don’t be afraid to reach out to people, especially over social media. People get afraid because they see numbers and followings, but what people don’t know is, that others are willing to work with you. We’ve had the opportunity to work with people just by reaching out to them and playing them our sound. And in that vein, we want people to know how accessible we are. Whether it’s just asking for advice or being interested in collaborating, we want to break down the barrier of exclusiveness.
Fast facts:
Shyam
First album you bought: Millennium by Backstreet Boys
One song that describes you: Lay Down by Son Little
Artist you want to work with: Eminem
Favorite live performance: Jacob Banks and X Ambassadors
Erwin
First album you bought: Freedom by Akon
One song that describes you: Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay
Artist you want to work with: Jonita Gandhi and The Weeknd
Favorite live performance: Arijit Singh
After chatting with Bakn4th, I was inspired by their commitment to their craft and to helping others grow. They bring so much thoughtfulness and creative power to help musicians across genres make their craft come alive. Shyam and Erwin have such warm and kind energy to them— we know our fellows are in good hands! If you would like to work or collab with Bakn4th, feel free to reach out to them at bakn4thmusic@gmail.com. And of course, if you are an aspiring artist or musician looking for help with recording, mixing, or mastering, reach out to us here.
Stay well, shine bright.
~Meera
