MUMBAI: Mayur Jumani, Music Producer and Composer, Content Creator and Founder of Aux Media is on his latest campaign for IKEA India "Ghar Aa Jao". 

To know more about the campaign, Radioandmusic got in touch with the music producer “I had an idea right away to go inside IKEA, record some strange noises, and write a song while perched on one of their workstations”. 

Check the interview below: 

Tell us about your journey?
Since I was a kid, I've been writing music and playing instruments like the piano. Before I decided to pursue my master's in music production, technology from Berklee College of Music seven years ago, it was a hobby. After receiving my degree, I worked on a few projects in Los Angeles before returning immediately to Mumbai to advance my career. What people might not know about me is that, prior to all of this, I was an engineer. Like most young people of my generation, I obtained my degree before deciding what I wanted to do with my life.

You have done your masters in music production from Berklee college of music, how did you know music was your calling?
Even though I was a student of engineering, I would practise music in my spare time. After finishing my engineering degree, I used to compose, make music, and play at local places while working a full-time job to gain additional expertise.

Many of my friends at the time advised me to take music more seriously because I had the talent, enthusiasm, and drive to succeed in the music business. I made the decision to apply to the Berklee Master's programme, and much to my surprise, I was accepted despite having no prior formal music training. For me, that was the turning point.

How did you decide to bring your music on social media platforms?
Since 2014, I've created unusual remixes and launchpad videos. I recall that 9gag shared my second-ever remix of the 1990s song Blue - Da Ba Dee. I didn't take social media very seriously because I was more interested in other activities like live performances and writing songs for web series and Bollywood.

One of my earliest meme mixes didn't get popular online until the lockdown of 2020, and that is when my social media experience really began. Every two to three days, I used to make a new one. I might be the only person who can produce, mix, and compose an entire track in such a short amount of time before recording a whole video around it.

I was able to showcase my producing abilities and become more active in the composing community thanks to social media. I received requests from brands to create 30-second ads for them.

Tell us about your recent campaign for IKEA "Ghar Aa Jao", how did it all begin?
I could tell the IKEA campaign was going to be unique from the start. I had an idea right away to go inside IKEA, record some strange noises, and write a song while perched on one of their workstations. You just can't get any better setups for the music video than the ones that are already there. Everyone was astonished by the finished product, which the IKEA employees were kind enough to let us all use our own creative freedom to produce.

We came to know, the song was created in a day using the sounds from the store. How was that done, what was the process?
Oh yes, I do recall feeling really nervous in the car on the way to IKEA. We were completely unaware of how the music would turn out. This could end up being the best thing or the worst thing. The vocalist was creating lyrics for Ghar Aa Jao while my videographer was looking for suitable places, so I had just one day to record and produce the song. Even I was surprised by the outcome because everything went off without a hitch.

Challenges while creating the song?
One big challege was the background noise while recording. Before turning the sounds into instruments, I had to take some time to clean them up. The filming of the music video was very difficult. Most of the spontaneous ideas were really ambitious and required numerous takes. Overall, we were there for a long time, but every minute was worthwhile!

Tell us about your audio production house "Aux Media"
I gained a lot of really useful abilities from my two years of work as a UX Designer prior to music. I always create content from the audience’s perspective. My thoughts are continually focused on the user's experience as they listen to my song. This is undoubtedly what gave me the advantage, and AUX media is a place where I can effectively utilise both of my skill sets. In addition to producing music, the audio production firm also develops and comes up with ideas for brand campaigns. Today, audio is the foundation of most pieces of viral material. We make sure this specific audio recording has all it needs to blow up on digital platforms.

You are a composer, Entrepreneur, content creator- how do you manage so many roles?
Oh, I guess I've always been this kind of hustler. To be honest, everything comes at an expense. I wish I could complete all of this while still enjoying some leisure time or having a social life. However, at the moment, it has been nonstop work, 24 hours a day. We've been developing a fantastic team, which has greatly aided the expansion.

Future plans
For AUX media, there are numerous plans under development. The company is being built in 4 main verticals. I won't reveal them all at once, but hopefully very soon.

In addition, I'm finally finishing my long-awaited solo EP. Additionally, we anticipate starting our live shows very soon. So, yes, this is only the beginning!