Why Sampreet Salim Kumar says his début album will bend genres

The Canada-based music producer speaks of the inspirations for ‘Perspectives’, which will have at least 10 songs

After ten months of work, Canada-based music producer Sampreet Salim Kumar, is ready with the first song from his dream debut album Perspectives. The album, he says, would challenge the idea of labelling in music. “For me, this is an exploration through different kinds of music. I want my listeners to experience music without having to put labels on it,” he says, over phone from Ottawa.

The album, with 10 to 12 songs, would be a cross-genre collaboration with artists from around the world.

The first song, which would be released next week, is titled ‘Pingamikal’, featuring hip hop artist Thirumali and alternative hip hop group Street Academics from Kerala. Both home-grown hip hop artists have carved a space for themselves in the independent music scene and this would be the first time that they are joining forces, says Sampreet.

The danger with labelling is that it tends to create a prejudice about songs and artists, he says. “A number of up and coming musicians don’t make it to the top spots just because they don’t have a label or a smart marketing strategy,” Sampreet says.

The second song in the album is likely to be a pure EDM trap song, he adds. “My idea is simple. I want to bring artists from different corners of the industry and create a unique album, where the only quality of music matters,” Sampreet says.

The tracks in Perspectives therefore will move freely between hip hop, pop, trap, EDM and rock. He hopes to complete the album by mid-2021.

Sampreet says the album was inspired by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon’s 2019 Grammy-nominated album, Amo, which stood out for its diverse sounds and structure. “Even though they started out as a heavy metal band, they kept evolving as a band, experimenting with sounds and style,” he says.

From the beginning

A chef by profession, Sampreet has always been a fan of rock and metal music. He was a vocalist/bassist in a Kochi-based rock band, Execution. He left for Canada in 2017 where he completed his course in Culinary Management from Algonquin College in Ottawa. He worked with Canadian chef Joe Thottungal for two years during which he got a chance to cook for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his annual staff party at his residence. Sampreet, however, is devoted to music production and plans to continue his career in music.

The track ‘Pingamikal’ will be available on all streaming platforms. The video, which will be released later, is being made by Abhishek Baiju and Shambu.