‘WE ARE SURE THAT THINGS WILL GET BETTER SOON’ Lead vocalist

Of the alt-rock band, The Yellow Diary, Rajan Batra, says they’re looking forward to getting back to performing live

We all know about the divide in the style and feel of Bollywood and indie music. But even within indie, there are many genres that have managed to create an audience of their own. One such loved genre is pop rock or indie rock. And The Yellow Diary is one of the most popular bands in that genre. Having started their career in 2015, the alt-rock band’s first EP, Marz, released in 2018 and that’s where it all started.

The five member band comprises Rajan Batra (lead vocals, lyrics), Himonshu Parikh (keys, production), Stuart Dacosta (bass), Vaibhav Pani (guitar) and Sahil Shah (drums). And while the lockdown had been a tough time for most live musicians, they believe things will go back to normal soon. “It will take a little time, but we are sure things will not only go back to how they were, they will get better,” says Batra.

The year 2020 had started with a bang for the group, with a tour that had about 20 shows in more than 10 cities. But the Covid-19 pandemic brought things to a halt. “Most of our plans got either shelved or delayed. The biggest struggle was to not have been able to meet each other for almost 10 months. Due to the situation in 2020, we were all isolated in different locations and remotely worked on our new song Roz Roz from wherever we were. This needed a lot of transparency and strength in our communication, making us even more aware about the power that communication holds,” says Pani.

Before the pandemic, a band like them was used to doing plenty of live shows but since none of that can happen now, they say they have had to adapt to the new ways of life. “Before the lockdown was announced, we were travelling around the country for our Rab Raakha tour. From that to being completely isolated at home, was a massive change for us. But we always have each other for support, and releasing songs like Dhoondti Firaan, Kaun Mera, working on Roz Roz, and other songs really helped us stay creative. Also the love and support of our listeners is always a strong energiser for us,” says Dacosta.

Talking about the adjustments they have had to make, Shah says, “We had a lot to learn from the world. Things like digital concerts and making music over zoom calls, became routine and now seem like a part of normalcy. We know the impact that 2020 has left on people and so, as the first step, we expect things to get back to normal, in their own time. So, we’re working on things that can help us benefit from this time. We’re working on releasing a lot of music this year and that shall keep us busy.”

Adding to that, Parikh says that they all really missed being with each other and creating music together in a

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Guitarist, Diary (From left) Sahil Shah, Himonshu Parikh, Vaibhav Pani, Rajan Batra and Stuart DaCosta room. “When the five of us are in the same room, we’re always bouncing ideas off each other. It creates a synergy that makes us who we are. We missed that feeling all lockdown. But we got an opportunity to learn more, nurture our talents and grow individually as musicians as well. So, it was a bittersweet experience where we weren’t creatively dissatisfied but it wasn’t ideal at all,” says Parikh.

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