Baroda-based multifaced artist Shashwat Bulusu has launched his debut album ‘Fitrat,’ a jocular ode to Indian cinema clichés and the heroic masculine figure.
In this feature, we break down the multilingual album and also dive into the mind of the artist Shashwat Bulusu.
Whipped up at his studio in Baroda and with twelve years in the making, Shashwat describes ‘Fitrat’ as “a meditation on masculinity, melodrama, and the politics in between,” via a press statement. “It explores the politics of relationships and the toxic impulses prevalent in the trope of a masculine Bollywood hero. The sound is a sad joyride in the downfall of the hero.”
Following the release of the record’s lead single ‘Tanashahi‘ (dictatorial) last month, the multi-talented musician etches six new emotive compositions that are produced, performed, mixed and mastered himself. Opening tracks ‘Ainga’ (mirror, reflection) and ‘Bhula Do’ (forget it) are shrouded in melancholy, threaded together with minimal production and sauntered instrumentation. The latter also stocks in audible clicks, percussive rattles, and bleak piano arrangments.
Sitting at thirty-two seconds with an eerie, pensive theme, ‘Enter-Mausam’ serves as a preview to ‘Mausam’ (season or weather), which opens with strummy acoustic guitars caressed by Shashwat’s benign voice. Lyrically calling back ‘Tanashahi,’ the single also splendidly features poignant keys, gloomy bass sequences, and assertive vocal harmonies.
‘Fitrat,’ the album’s title track, ensues next, serving a mellow singer-songwriter composition supported by rhythmic guitar chords and steady drum work. ‘Exit-Mynah’ concludes the album, commencing with thunderous stomps and stellar vocal textures, plucky acoustic guitars, and crisp fretwork shape the canvas onto which this ballad is spread as the melody concludes with wistful oscillating sonics.
“The album stemmed from the writing practice I undertook in 2021 and 2022, where I was writing almost every single day. The album was distilled into seven songs off the sixteen songs that were produced during this period,” further communicated the artist.
In our email exchange, Shashwat traced his first steps into music, developing ”Fitrat’ as an EP that pivoted into an album, his songwriting inspirations, and much more.
“I wanted to play the guitar like everyone else and wanted to write my own music.”
Shashwat began his musical learning at the age of four in classical music. He completed his Visharad in Tabla and by the age of sixteen, moved away from formalistic traditions in classical music. Looking back, the artist expressed, “Once I picked the guitar and attempted songwriting, I decided to learn everything on my own. Unknowingly, in that process, I was able to develop a songwriting practice that was unique to me. This came to shape when I wrote Fitrat.”
Building on this approach, Shashwat conveyed, “My practice involves writing every day, building a vocabulary and repository of words and phrases that make their way into the songs. The excitement of something new helped me build a regiment.”
The singer/visual artist originally intended for ‘Fitrat’ to be released as an EP; however, upon submission, he realized it had to be put forward as a full-length album. He touted this experience as “quite climactic” and stated, “I was holding onto the feeling of releasing a debut album for a few years later but this change made it a surprise, which was quite exciting. For me, the release, more than anything else, gave me the confidence to put out a body of work together. It’s a testament that I can write a cohesive body of songs that I am happy with.”
Shashwat took us to the bare bones of his album, breaking down a few of the songs, their themes, and how they came to be written, nicking typical traits seen across Bollywood and Telugu action films he was watching during his songwriting. Shashwat noticed “very similar beats and relied on the same tropes, misinterpreting false bravado and violence as masculinity.” In such movies, heroes or protagonists would often respond to circumstances with extreme emotions only; fittingly, Shashwat pinned this rhetoric as “quite melodramatic.”
“I am trying to talk about the savior complex people like me with privilege hold and how it actually plays out when you see it from a distance.”
To this, he explained, “In that process, I realized how in the real world we as men often are melodramatic even though it’s not associated with us. The politics comes from the coercion that happens in interpersonal relations and how that creates an imbalanced power dynamic.”
Dipping into some of the music produced, Shashwat explained, “‘Mausam’ deals with anger. The pulp hero always processes anger outwardly, often with violence. The entire song is a warcry of sorts that this fictional hero is going to bring pain to the world in his vendetta. In ‘Fitrat’ comes his reckoning of all the destruction that follows our hero. ‘Exit-Mynah’ is an epilogue. It’s about a man who rescues an injured mynah and puts it in a cage. In return for treating the bird, the man asks it to just sing a song before it flies away.”
Departing from a label and wearing multiple caps on this album, Shashwat’s methods of songwriting and production stayed the same, yet he noted that the process of creating the album and how he communicates the album with everyone has changed.
“The lack of a team throws you in the deep end,” admitted the musician. “I have been focusing on communicating the album and its themes on a grassroots level. My communication has also been focused on tier two and three cities to make the music more accessible.”
The remaining few months of this year will see Shashwat Bulusu ferry his solo theatre production ‘Exit-Mynah’ across the country, leading to an album tour with his band early next year. Shashwat’s hands are also occupied with developing the background score for a film with director Vasudha Rungta.
‘Fitrat’ by Shashwat Bulusu is currently streaming on all music platforms
Find Shashwat Bulusu: Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp
All Images courtesy of the artist
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