Peter Cat Recording Co’s music reminds you of pre-pandemic times, with crowds waltzing to music and concert lights!
For those fans who are missing seeing music artists, and for those musicians and artists who want a little inspiration to move forward with their art, this is for you.
We got an exclusive interview with Peter Cat Recording Co – one of India’s biggest music artists. In this interview, they talk about their creative process, their challenges and wins, and what the future looks like for their music.
Q: Tell us the story behind Peter Cat Recording Co. – why this unique name? How was the band formed?
The name came about when Suryakant realised he really liked Peter Cats (the restaurants) menu font choices.
That, combined with the existence of the Jazz club in Kyoto called Peter Cat, it seemed like an interesting name. The band was formed by Suryakant in New Delhi, 2009, started as a 4-piece it eventually became a 5 piece consisting of Dhruv Bhola, Suryakant Sawhney, Karan Singh, Rohit Gupta and Kartik Pillai.
Q: When did the band go LIVE for the first time?
The first time was at a friend’s engagement, Kaptan Kochaks to be exact. You can find a video of the performance online.
Q: Peter Cat is 11 years old! What were the roadblocks the band faced in the beginning? How has it changed now?
I think a big roadblock was losing momentum and constantly questioning oneself. We had to literally manage, book, produce, record, mix and master ourselves for the longest time and that does take you away from what your main focus should be, the music.
Thankfully we’ve been able to get some great people around us and they help us achieve what we want.
Q: How has Peter Cat been dealing with the COVID crisis?
The covid crisis led to us cancelling quite a few shows and tours we had set up for this year, on the other hand, it’s given us the chance to work on our next release which we’re hoping to start putting out promos for sometime next year.
Q: What do you wish new bands knew they were getting into?
I think more than anything I’d stress on consistency and some overarching theme of discipline, also that it isn’t easy, if you’re lucky and smart you’ll get popular quickly and sometimes (most times) you won’t.
Just know that you will have rejection and success and that as long as none of that affects your drive and love for what you’re doing then you’re gonna be fine. Just keep going, keep pushing, there’s no point to stopping or as someone once said if you fail at something long enough you become a legend.
Q: Do you think it is important for artists today to go political with their work? Have you incorporated any cultural messaging in your music?
I think it’s important for artists to be honest but also save a responsibility to tip the scales in favour of empathy. There’s a lot of insincere motifs being pushed around. Politically, if it speaks to you and it comes out of you naturally it will mean much more rather than just pushing an agenda because you think that will get you more coverage.
Q: Who inspires your music?
Our music is inspired by many different things. The state of the world, the people in our lives, tumultuous moments we amplify in our heads.
Q: How can we promote artists like you? What would you want your audience to do for you?
There are many ways to promote artists. Features and interviews such as this are a good start. Covering new releases from more niche acts would also help create a sustainable environment so not only popular or system backed acts get some coverage.
Q: What is some advice you would like to give other bands?
Be prompt, don’t sign record deals without paying attention. Check each other in a supportive way. Also, be honest, nothing better than honesty.
Q: What’s the future looking like for Peter Cat?
It’s looking alright, once the live circuit comes back it’ll be even better. So far we got a couple of films and tv shows we’re doing, working on the new album, working on ourselves. I think we have more vision than we used to, so that’s great.
View this post on Instagram
Q: How did you discover Instamojo? How has it helped you and the band?
We use Instamojo for our Indian transactions, selling digital copies of our albums and our merchandise. It’s helped us connect with our audience and allowed us to get our music out there.
You can check out their Instamojo store here
Artists like Peter Cat Recording Co are taking on 2021 with a renewed spirit, bigger ideas, and an online presence to keep their fans updated.
If you love music, art, storytelling and want to take your work online, tell us. We will help you set up an online store or just show you how it can be done.
Set up your dream business, do not delay! We will leave you with this beautiful and soulful number by Peter Cat.
