Artist Talha Mirza dropped his first album “Wahid” a couple months ago under the name Chaand Soorij. We asked him about the making of the album, his inspiration and how he got into music in the first place. “Wahid” is available for download here.
How and when did you get started in making music?
There was always a guitar nearby, and in middle school, I decided I wanted to learn how to play. I started teaching myself the blues throughout middle school and high school. By the end of high school, it was clear to me that I had a passion for music, but I wanted to do more than just play guitar. When I was 17, I met with one of my friends and incredible mentor the summer before starting college, and he taught me as much as he could in the little time we had about music production/electronic composition. That was the day I found what I wanted to do with music.
Your music is unlike a lot of music we’ve heard before. How would you describe it?
I love space! I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of feeling completely alone when being surrounded by billions and trillions of things. I take that as inspiration behind my sound, almost a blend of ambience and lo-fi music. I’ve never felt the need to learn other people’s music, but always felt the need to create my own. So, I spend hours creating my own progressions and melodic lines and my own sounds and synths, which definitely plays a role in creating an identity through sound.
Why did you name the album Wahid?
In Arabic “wahid” means “one.” It’s my first album, my first big project, my first time collaborating with other artists. It was the first time for a lot of things, and using the Arabic word for “one” brought a connection back to my Middle Eastern heritage. I also want a consistent theme with my albums, so the choice of a numbering system felt right, and it stands out because of the language choice.
You collaborated with a variety of other artists for this album. How did you get to know these artists, and what was the process of working with them like?
Most of the artists are friends from either college or high school. Jac Debaires (featured on track 3 “The Bond”) is actually an electronic artist in Buenos Aires, Argentina! I came across his music on Instagram summer of 2016, and I messaged him saying I enjoyed his work. From there we decided to work on a project together. It’s been a privilege working with him, and I can’t wait to see what we come up with next! It has been an incredible, eye-opening and inspiring experience working with such talent artists, and I’m excited to keep working with them!
Are there one or two songs that you are particularly fond of or that have an interesting story behind them?
When I write my instrumentals, I pour my emotions and thoughts into the music, and I think it conveys those thoughts and emotions accurately. When I work with another artist though, I don’t like limiting what they write about by telling them the story behind it. I like the song being able to tell two stories, the story of the vocalist through the lyrics and my story told through the instruments. For example, “Remote Control” featuring Lu Alex does well with telling two stories. For me, the instrumental was about finding balance in my personal relationships. To Lu Alex, it was about him and his girlfriend (and that’s all I’ll say to respect his privacy). The song, though, tells a story about relationships from two different perspectives.
From a mixing standpoint, the fifth track on the album, “She’s Not” featuring Bates, was a challenge that taught me a lot about how to balance a mix and create pockets for the vocals with the roughly 30 vocal tracks he sent me.
When it comes down to it, I’m very lucky to be able to work with so much talent. Every song has a story behind it — it’s hard to pick a favorite.
What musical artists have been the most influential in your career?
My all-time favorite artists are Chance the Rapper and Nico Segal (formerly known as Donnie Trumpet). The album “Surf” by The Social Experiment, a band of Chicago artists including Chance the Rapper and Nico Segal, is probably one of my favorite albums and big inspirations. But much like picking a favorite song from my album, it’s difficult to pick an influential artist when I pull from so many different artists! I love everything from singer songwriter stuff like Angus & Julia Stone to R&B like Anthony Hamilton or BJ the Chicago Kid. Blues music from B.B. King to hip-hop like Chance the Rapper or J. Cole. When I hear a sound I like, or an artist whose music speaks to me, I take it as inspiration into my own work. I’m constantly influenced by new music I hear every week, and I bring that influence into my music every day.