Meet ‘Call Me Bae’ singers Ruuh and Joh who exclusively share about making of ‘Yaara Tere Bin’, working with Ananya Panday, nepotism, Indie music and more.
Music is liberating. It is a common point for different souls to bond over. Music is for every mood. The soft, mellifluous voices from the album of Ananya Panday starrer ‘Call Me Bae’ did get everyone hooked. While all the songs have made it to the viral segments on the internet, ‘Baatein’ and ‘Yaara Tere Bin’ was nothing short than a fresh take on the beats. Its singers Ruuh and Joh’s hardwok over the years that bore the fruit now. In an exclusive conversation with India.com, the duo opened up about the making of their songs, functionalities of new age music, the auto tune debate and more.
Behind the Beats of ‘Yaara Tere Bin’
‘Yaara Tere Bin’ was the first official song locked for the OTT series. While it does sound fresh and very contemporary like, it was actually made years ago. “We want you to feel the music that we make. It is not just about hearing a song, it is about feeling a song. That is very important when we make our music,” says Ruuh.
Ruuh and Joh recalled that the entire cast of Call Me Bae being close knit and how Ananya Panday was the biggest supporter of this song. They also sent her another song ‘Hey Bae’ and she used it for her social media captions too!
Call Me Bae team with Ruuh and Joh (Instagram)
Inside Ruuh and Joh’s Indie Music Scene
Ruuh and Joh started working together years ago. They have created several songs. As the rite of passage takes you, from performing gigs at different venues they eventually set their foot in the world of cinema. They believe that music is about storytelling.
When asked about the evolving Indie music scene, with new independent artists coming, how challenging it is to navigate to carve a niche, Ruuh says, “If you have a good song, a good melody, truly believe that song will do well and you have to have some form of marketing, then it is not impossible.”
“We wrote ‘Yaara Tere Bin’ song together, and we did not expect it to trend or be on the charts. We just wanted to write a song that is different. We are not trying to be Arijit Singh or we are not trying to be a Vishal Mishra, we are trying to be Ruuh and Joh. That’s what clicks the audience when you are authentic,” adds Joh.
Beats and tunes run in their blood. Their father, Vijay Benedict is the voice behind the cult classic disco number ‘I am a Disco Dancer’ and ‘Zindagi Meri Dance’ from Mithun Chakraborty starring ‘Disco Dancer’, with composer Bappi Lahri. When asked about his influence on their work they said, “My dad has very hot takes on the music of our time. But I completely agree with him. The music of my dad, the music from that generation is iconic. Anything that is released now cannot be compared because that is evergreen music. So, my dad believes that the music of his time was far better and I have to agree with him.”
“With our music also he is very critical. It is not like we are his sons so everything is good. So, when he appreciates our song, it must be good.”
80s vs Contemporary Music, Autotune, Nepotism and More
Discussing about the music space in Bollywood with India.com, Ruuh and Joh shared about the difference in music creation – how times have evolved from the 80s till date. “It is much easier now. Earlier, from the stories that we have heard from our dad, there used to be a live band and you get one take. You can’t mess up. Nowadays we take lot of takes that we need to. Now you can make music on keyboard,” says Joh.
The duo highlighted how autotune is just a sound. “I have no issue with autotune. It is a sound, it is not about singing. Someone like a Shubh or AP are using autotune like a sound that defines their music which is fine. But it also has to be used in a right way and there is no issue,” the siblings affirm.
Ruuh and Joh in their element (Instagram)
When we asked about the ‘N’ word bump –nepotism – and their brush with it, Ruuh says, “This is our first song in the film space, so all we received was love and we are blessed. We have not faced any issue. If you do good work, it doesn’t matter where you come from.” “Everybody works very hard behind the scene. Ruuh and I have taken quite a few years to construct a sound and create it and invent it. I strongly believe it’s the work that you put in,” chimes in Joh.
While their dream collab is with Vijay Benedict, they do have an inclination towards Punjabi music and wish to work with Honey Singh, Karan Aujla.
When its Ruuh and Joh, it’s only about “bangers.” Much like their voices, they have their symphonies in sync too. They have a disco themed (ofcourse!) song in Waack Girls, Mismatched Season 3, and The Royals in their pipeline.
