With this album, Shor Police has further established its sonic identity and we look to jumpstart this platform, Tunes Without Borders, for other artists to benefit in the coming times: Bianca Gomes & Clinton Cerejo

Shor Police, a band comprising Clinton Cerejo and Bianca Gomes, is known for its genre bending music and eclectic sound scape. They’ve had solo careers for over two decades before they joined forces, so Shor Police doesn’t need too much of an introduction anymore. They have recently announced their debut album, ‘Well Hello’ and the first song ‘Monopoly Money’ is already turning heads. They have released their second song from the album, ‘You Got Me Good’ just two days back. We had an interaction with them to know more about the album, their work in general and about their newly set up Shor Police Publishing division. Read to know more:

You are releasing 9 songs back-to-back from the album. Give us some details about it

Clinton: There is a larger picture here and the album is just the first piece of content that we’re releasing. First and foremost, as a band we have been active for a while but we haven’t had an album. So, that’s the first thing we wanted to address with this debut album of ours, ‘Well Hello’. Additionally, we, as Shor Police Publishing, have partnered with Reel Muzik Werks, a publishing company based in Los Angeles, USA, who are the industry veterans in sync and licencing. This album forms a part of this collaboration in terms of our music reaching a wider audience and reach and creating a cross pollination of sorts.

Bianca: Over the past few years we have been doing various projects, be it films, Nexa Music and much more. Over this time, we had released only two English original songs, ‘Calling Your Name’, and ‘We Took It All For Granted’, nothing much beyond that. We’re best known for our mashups and also our Bollywood film catalogue that we’ve just begun building, but we very much express ourselves musically in English, hence, we realised it was time to put our music together and put it out there as an album.

Watch ‘Monopoly Money’ here:

How do you see audience growing in India for English music from an Indian artist?

Bianca: Things have really opened up in the last few years. Even though artists in India were writing English music, there weren’t as many avenues, for reaching out. Streaming platforms weren’t as big as they are today. Hence, I don’t believe that it matters anymore, the language.  People want to explore different music. It’s a great time right now to be English musician in India.

Clinton: English music in essence is more for a metro audience, in India, in the same way there are certain movies which are made for them. I think, as Shor Police, we have a conviction to reach out to this audience and that might well be the case for others who write in English. There is an audience for English music, that may not be as big as that of Hindi or regional languages, but it is substantial.

How are these nine songs of ‘Well Hello’ connected with each other?

Bianca: While the songs are composed in different genres, the songwriting and production can be seen to have a common thread. With this album, Shor Police has definitely further established its sonic identity. While most of the songs can be broadly categorised as Pop, some of the songs draw a connect with Alternative Rock, RnB Ballads, etc.

Clinton: This album has also been a cathartic process for us as composers. Bianca and I are very different as artists and the album is also an amalgamation of our identities as musicians. All the songs in this album are first connected to us in that manner and thereby with our fans and audiences.

Watch ‘You Got Me Good’ here:

Is indie becoming a genre, now that record labels are actively getting into that space?

Clinton: I think it has been a genre in itself for a while now. Indie music in India sounds very different from Bollywood. If we look to define it stylistically and from a signed vs unsigned status, the lines are being blurred now.

How does Shor Police publishing going to shape up in the coming times and what can artists expect?

Bianca: The next phase of Shor Police Publishing will be about collaborating with other artists and creating new work. We would also like to bring other independent artists on board eventually with Shor Police Publishing as we take on a more curative role.

Clinton: There is a lot of interest in India, as a country for music. Licencing of music has opened up globally and there has never been a better time that way for Indian music to be licenced across various geographies. Today for example if an indie artist like Prateek Kuhad has an audience base in the US, that can happen for other artists as well. They just need the right mentoring and guidance. We look to grow the brand and help younger artists under Shor Police Publishing grow, in their careers too.

How many songs will be released in audio-video form?

Bianca: All the songs will be released with videos! We wanted to also give our fans and listeners a visual experience. We’ve shot performance based videos to give them a live concert kinda vibe and all the songs will be out over the coming three months. We want our audience to connect with us through both, the video and the audio, whether they choose to watch the song on YT or just stream the music on the streaming platform of their choice.

Clinton: When you see the videos, you will realise that even though they’ve been shot in the same physical space, we’ve done a little something in each video to make each song feel a little different and unique. The videos are merely created to be the vehicle for the listener to experience the song visually and to breathe life into the music. Music is definitely still the Hero! We had an amazing team with people like Shome Makhija and Gairik Sarkar advising us on visual design and the overall look and feel.

Tell us about Tunes Without Borders

Clinton: Under Shor Police Publishing, we have essentially created this new platform which is gaining traction. Our YouTube Channel, Tunes Without Borders, is just about touching 300 subscribers and we look to grow organically with this album. This channel will serve as the destination for other artists to showcase their work. With this album, ‘Well Hello’, we look to jumpstart this platform, Tunes Without Borders, for other artists to benefit in the coming times.

When you have Clinton Cerejo and Bianca Gomes, you are sure to discuss music in its most authentic form. Be it their stint with Nexa Music, in Bollywood or as independent artists, they have the capacity to attract an audience. With ‘Monopoly Money’, the first song from their debut album, ‘Well Hello’, the bar is already set high. We are eagerly waiting for their next releases and playing ‘Monopoly Money’ on loop till the next song comes up!