MUMBAI: 'Sunn Raha Hai' from 'Aashiqui 2' marked the arrival of Ankit Tiwari – a singer-composer who understood the musical nerves of Indian audiences. His talent was reaffirmed with 'Galliyan' from ‘Ek Villain’, and now he is looking forward to taking a new leap with 'Tum Bin II'.

Tiwari does not have the wealth of experience some senior musicians cherish, but the proven expertise in his short journey so far earns him the first solo project as a composer. Director Anubhav Sinha and producer Bhushan Kumar observed Tiwari's evolution as a musician and handed Tum Bin II's responsibilities on the young shoulders.

In a candid conversation with Radioandmusic.com Tiwari talks about the ‘Tum Bin II’ journey, life as a music composer, working with a cricketer, the importance of his mother in his life and more. Excerpts.

'Tum Bin 2’ is your first project as a solo music producer. Tell us more. 

Director Anubhav Sinha and producer Bhushan Kumar were kind enough to give me the responsibility of ‘Tum Bin II’. This is my first project as a solo producer. Adding to that, I have also given the background score for the same.

"It was a conscious effort to not sing in 'Tum Bin II'"

How did you put the music together?

I worked on the project for a year. I watched ‘Tum Bin’ two to three times to understand the film. Then there were brainstorming sessions with Anubhavji and Bhushanji. Overall it was a lengthy process. Composing a song is difficult, singing is easy.

Were all the song approved in the first time?

‘Dekh Lena’, ‘Ishq Mubarak’ and ‘Tum Bin’ were selected in the first time.  (pause) Some songs take more time than the others. One has to understand the director’s point of view. Anubhavji and Bhushanji showed faith in me. They gave me an opportunity to rework on songs that they felt were not up to the mark. Their faith in me worked as a confidence booster and we got the desired results.

"Roping in Dwayne Bravo was a wild thought"

Is creating music for a sequel more challenging?

Expectations are high so you have to give 200 per cent. But, there is no competition with the old songs. The ones who created these songs have more experience than my age. So we haven’t tried competing with ‘Tum Bin’ in ‘Tum Bin  II’. It was the same when I worked on ‘Aashiqui 2’.

You roped in Dwayne Bravo for ‘Jagger Bomb’. How did that happen?

It was a wild thought. Anubhavji had roped in Akon for ‘Chammak Challo’ and that is where the thought emerged from. I suggested roping in Dwayne Bravo and our director took a call on bringing him onboard.

"Melody has been my priority in my compositions"

You’ve just sung one song in ‘Tum Bin’.

Every song has a different demand and bringing in more voices brings versatility to your project. Moreover, it was a conscious effort to not sing in 'Tum Bin II'. I am a music composer first and that is my priority. So I’ve just sung the title track, but all the songs of this film are very close to my heart. They are all my babies.

You’ve been one of the most successful composers of the Bollywood music industry – What is your success formula?

Lots of love and blessings probably (smiles). Bhatt Saab once told me that you can’t turn away from melody and that has been the priority in my compositions. Probably that is what has worked.

"My mother supported me to go ahead with my music"

How do you react to failures?

I haven’t been in the industry for too long to experience it all yet, but I am prepared for such a situation. I have seen ups and down of a musician in my growing up years. My mother is a Bhajan singer in Kanpur. She started singing when she was eight and she did it for 35-40 years. In fact, it was she who supported my music. In Kanpur, the only career options that people prefer are engineering or IPS. In such a situation, my mother supported me to go ahead with my music. It is a very big thing. I would want to be born as her son even in the next birth.

Do you think recording in a studio is an easier task than performing live?

Nothing is easy, but I enjoy both. Singing live is completely different. You get instant reactions and no retakes. If you make a mistake it will be exposed in the open, but there is this underline rush about being on the stage.