Two of India’s newer breed of alternative music acts who have been whipping up a storm with their standout releases in recent times, The Mellow Turtle and Tre Ess have reunited for yet another spectacular collaboration. Titled ‘Dil Aziz‘, the song combines folk music with rock accompaniment to create a unique, soulful sound that is contemporary while being deeply rooted in tradition.
Sung by 15-year old Dheeraj Kumar Gupta and penned by fellow act Subhash Kumar, the emphatic record puts the spotlight on the two visually-impaired students from St. Michael’s School for the Blind in Jharkhand whose love for their art certainly shines through. Dheeraj started training in Hindustani Classical Music at an early age of 5 and is also a multi-instrumentalist. Subhash is passionate about music and hopes to become an IAS officer in the future, while still pursuing music.
With their latest single, The Mellow Turtle and Tre Ess aim to kick-start a larger movement by showcasing and promoting local music and artists in Jharkhand, as well as to inspire those on the fringes to dare to dream bigger. They are also using the platform to launch Taal, an initiative which aims to mentor and train visually-impaired children to help them pursue music as a career. Speaking on the larger vision behind the song, The Mellow Turtle and Tre Ess said in a statement respectively,
“To us, music is more than entertainment. It can and should be the driver of significant social change, and has the potential to transform the lives of people for the better. Featuring two talented singers, Dil Aziz is the culmination of that vision. Both Tre and I want this song to inspire emerging artists across India and give them the motivation to pursue their passion, regardless of the challenges that they face.”
“Jharkhand has an abundance of musical talent. Unfortunately, most artists here don’t get the kind of opportunity that their peers in metropolitan cities do. We want to change that. Dil Aziz is not a standalone project. We want to explore more collaborations with regional artists to help them showcase their extraordinary talent, and to make music a viable career option for them.”
Released via Artist Originals, you can listen to ‘Dil Aziz‘ on JioSaavn.