Clinton Cerejo: Aim to have Indian songs in international films

Bianca Gomes with Clinton Cerejo

The success of artistes like Prateek Kuhad, and, more recently, Armaan Malik, as English singer-songwriters from India, had already established the demand that existed in international markets. However, with RRR's Naatu naatu taking Indian music to the global stage with its Oscar win, it is only a matter of time before international filmmakers come knocking at our doors when the need to represent Indian culture presents itself.

The latest musicians to tap into the international music market with their self-publishing arm is Shor Police - comprising Clinton Cerejo and Bianca Gomes - which has tied up with the licensing company behind films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Ask Cerejo if his publishing arm will eventually serve as a platform that offers Indian songs to American filmmakers, and he says, "That is the plan - to make it to international films. This is the first part of our plan. We eventually want to build a publishing house that can serve as the vehicle for collaborations with Indian artistes [to serve] international markets, when the opportunity surfaces. Our collaborators are the best in the market to [have our songs picked for American films]. There are many artistes who would love to have their songs featured in [international] films, and [this is] the best way to be heard by a global audience."

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They may be known for their work in Bollywood films, but the duo has, over the years, created a bank of English music that they've been itching to release. "If I have to assign a style to our music, it would be electro pop. When you hear the songs from our album, you will, however, also find elements of alternative rock, '80s music, ballads, and other forms of pop as well. And that's because Clinton and I have been influenced by it all. Because of the kind of music that we consume, we didn't have to go out of our way to create this album. We listen to everything, including the top 40 [best-performing songs in the world], and are hence in tune with what masses across the globe like to consume. It is the kind of music we love to listen to as well," shares Gomes.

Cerejo asserts that the decision to put their English music on a pedestal did not stem from the exhaustion of catering to the Hindi music industry. "If people from the west wanted to know about Shor Police, the only [catalogue] they could access is our Bollywood film music. So, we took this opportunity to release work in English. Language is never a barrier, and this fact is evident with the success of South Korean bands. I recall, my daughter wanted to learn Korean so that she could understand K-Pop music. If those artistes would make music with the intention of catering to the Korean market alone, [they would not have found success]."

Monopoly money, the first single from their nine-track album, has released. They say the album is representative of how the two artistes came together to build one sonic personality. "When I started working with Bianca, I rediscovered pop. If a listener believes they would know what to expect from my music, they will be proved wrong with this album. We've found a sound that identifies with both of us in equal measure. The production reflects our voice - two musicians, one unit."