Following his previous single “Hey Betty,” global artist, Aaryan Banthia has shared his latest release “Best Day of My Life.”
The acoustic track featuring saxophonist Yuri Villar (from Rio De Janeiro ) and drummer Chris Barber (from England) captures meeting your forever love for the first time.
The feel good song is paired with an equally joyful, unscripted music video showing Banthia busking on the streets of Mumbai. .
We chatted with the singer/songwriter about “Best Day of My Life,” filming the video, and what fans can look forward to next!
How did you first get interested in music?
When I was very young, probably 6-7 years old or so, my father introduced me to artists/bands like Dire Straits, Cliff Richard, and Kenny Rogers. I just couldn’t get my ears off of their music.
How has growing up in Mumbai influenced your music?
Well I have grown up in Kolkata, West Bengal and have shifted to Mumbai for music. Mainly since it has bigger opportunities in music.
Growing up in Kolkata, where almost every other house has artists, painters and singers in them, it was such a learning experience. It motivated me not to just become a big Pop artist, but to also become a good musician. I still work at that for hours a day.
Who did you listen to growing up and do they have an influence on your music today?
I grew up listening to Dire Straits, Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi, Cliff Richard, Buddy Guy and Kenny Rogers. All of their music has influenced mine. Currently, a huge fan of John Mayer, I love how he uses guitars to do just about anything in his songs. I hope to play like him one day. I too use a lot of guitars in my music, almost biased towards it.
In your music you can hear elements of blues, folk, rock, and country. How would you describe your sound?
Well since there are so many genres, it’s really difficult to describe the sound. My many influences are to blame for it.
What inspired your new single “Best Day of My Life”?
I wanted to write a happier and a bouncy pop track given the current circumstances and hence “Best Day of My Life” – no heartbreak, death, violence, just one happy couple reminiscing about the day they met.
Many of your songs, including this single, have many layers of instrumentation. What was the writing and production process like for this single?
I had taken a rough scratch as a backing track and had performed it on the streets of Kolkata where I was accompanied by a saxophone artist who plays in a nearby cafe. This is when I decided to add a saxophone in it. I also based the groove of the track on how the public grooved to it on the streets of Kolkata when I performed. I wanted its production to be very raw and impromptu and I’m happy I pulled it off and it all came through in the end.
The song is an international project featuring saxophonist Yuri Villar (from Rio De Janeiro ) and drummer Chris Barber (from England). How did you get connected with them and what was it like to collaborate?
I connected with them through a musician friend I met in Cardiff where I had done my undergraduation. They are world class musicians who understood very quickly what I wanted for the track. It was a great experience and we will be collaborating more in the future.
The unscripted video for the single looked like a lot of fun to film. How did you come up with the concept and what was your experience like filming it?
Well, the concept was thought out by my video team “The Fictionary.” I wanted to do something very different and bold and when they came up with this idea, which I thought was bonkers, but I loved it. It was really good fun filming it, the fact that it was unscripted made it even more challenging and exciting.
If you could set fans up in the perfect environment to listen to “Best Day of My Life,” what do you imagine it looking like?
Dancing with their significant other by a candlelit dining table.
What can fans look forward to next?
Planning to make a Hindi Pop song for my fans in India. It’s been a while.
What is one quote that you have heard or that you go by that you want to ECHO out to the world?
Well I would like to quote on my track “Best Day of My Life”: “First love is always the most special though they say it doesn’t always last forever.”
“Best Day of My life” is about a man/woman’s first love remaining strong till the end of time and that seeing each other for the first time was the “Best Day of Their Lives”