Striking the major chord!

Published in Mega Modelz magazine – Oct-Dec 2009 Issue – © Manali

From Sydney to London, New York and back to mystical Mumbai, the powder-puff Dandekar girls are all set to cast a spell on every music lover with their new wave magical and melodic tunes. The band that is formed by sister group Anusha Dandekar, Shibani Dandekar and Apeksha Dandekar, is called Dmajor. While each of them boast impressive list of solo credits in their respective hometowns, they are finally living their dream of working on a project together. The concept behind Dmajor’s unique sound is inspired from the idea of bridging their gap between the Indian culture and Western influences. With Dmajor’s pioneer song writing sense, heartfelt harmonies, powerful vocals and walloping beats, these gorgeous girls are all set to make waves in the music world with the launch of their first studio album.

MM Life gets its readers an exclusive excerpt:

MM: Many talented Indian bands had come, made their presence felt and vanished with the speed of wind. Dmajor is perhaps the first girl band of the country that is trying a whole new wave and innovation in the music. Conversely, is the band focusing on any particular genre?

Dmajor: Since our childhood, we have been influenced by many different genres of music. We love everything from pop, rock, hip hop, R&B to classical, bollywood and jazz. Our album is a compilation of the different types of music that we are inspired by. We didn’t sit down and say ‘okay lets make a pop album’, we just wrote what we felt, how we felt and over a period of time put together a body of work that has become our album. The creative process was essentially an indication of how we felt musically at the time we were writing the album so parts of it are pop, some of it is R & B. Hopefully our music serves to be universal enough that everyone loves it!

MM: From producing music, singing, anchoring, acting, hosting live shows – three of you have succeeded in your individual careers. How did the idea of uniting together as a band struck?

Dmajor: Being sisters, the love for music and art has always been in our blood and the decision to work together was natural and in a way inevitable too. It just seemed like the right thing to do and so far it has worked well for us. As a band, our voices blend nicely together and we compliment each other well. Each one of us bring something different to the table that makes us better as a band. Besides, working together is so much fun and everything we do is part of the bonding process that makes us stronger as a team and a family.

MM: All you three sisters grew up and established yourself in 3 different countries. So why did you girls choose to launch the band’s first album in India?

Dmajor: Sydney, London and New York – yes, we do come from all parts of the world to work on this project and India seemed like the natural choice for our launch. At the end of the day, we are three Indian girls who just lived abroad and are returning to our roots, our hometown, and our people. We want to make our mark here and do something that has never been done in India before. We want to be the first successful Indian girl band and pursuing this seemed like the natural choice.

MM: Coming from varied musical background, how did all of you manage to sink in tune with each other, specially your tastes? And how was the experience?

Dmajor: Being sister definitely helps. It’s funny that without rehearsing much together, the connection exists. This makes our job easier… whatever we do, can only make this better!

MM: Like most of the musicians who conceptualize their albums, does Dmajor have any particular concept behind the music of the first album too?

Dmajor: Being singers, dancers and performers, we have to produce the kind of music that helps us showcase all these talents. Growing up amid women has definitely influenced the kind of concept we wanted for this album. Our music is edgy yet hard hitting – something that enables us to show what we really can do.

MM: Dmajor’s first live performance in Bangkok with Juggy D saw a huge crowd base and spells quite a raging success. How was the experience for you girls?

Dmajor: Bangkok was absolutely phenomenal. The crowd showered us with so much adoration and love that we are hoping to perform there on regular basis. It was one of the most amazing experiences for Dmajor, especially after you work on a project for so long and pour your heart and soul into it, only to receive this kind of appreciation is a great feeling. Opening for Juggy was grand too. He is a dear friend and a brilliant artist. We think, we have a great fan base in Bangkok now.

MM: Congratulations for such impressive hit… What’s the next step for Dmajor? How do you girls plan to launch your first studio album?

Dmajor: A lot of stuff is happening for Dmajor at the moment. We have a bunch of shows lined up all over India as well as a music video that we are going to shoot very soon. There will be an official launch shortly and we are in the rehearsals everyday for choreography, vocal training and the like. So definitely, a very busy as well as an exciting time for all three of us.

MM: It’s a well known fact that each of you girls individually boast strong identity, style and personality. How do you sisters plan to balance the look of the band?

Dmajor: Being sisters, we have so many things in common that as artists we tend to compliment each other and it all blends really well. Having said that, we all have different qualities that different people can relate to. It is important to show our individuality that our fans will notice. Our different characteristic will be seen through the videos, interviews and live performances.

MM: Considering such fashion addicts that you’ll are, any special fashion plans for styling to match the band’s funky music?

Dmajor: Oh yes, fashion is a huge part of the final package. Each of us have our own style and our image as an artist on and off the stage is important to us. We love fashion, so we are completely involved in the styling aspect of band. Based on three different styles, fans will definitely be able to relate to each member of our band.

MM: Our readers are eager to know the launch date for Dmajor’s first album, when is it scheduled? Any tours in the pipeline?

Dmajor: The launch of the album is in the works. Release date will out be very soon and of course a tour will follow after that. For more updates on our launch and forthcoming show dates, audiences may follow us at www.dmajoronline.com.