Award-winning Singer Songwriter and Musical Troubadour Ajay Mathur is not one to shy away from challenges and nuances when it comes to music. So, when the pandemic hit, he came up with a novel approach to keep himself and other artists relevant in a world where performers were no longer given a stage to perform on. Just released in October, “Blow My Cover” is the result of a daring concept to have other musicians interpret his own covers. The album keeps with Mathur’s tradition of imbuing his work with deep meaning and universal human themes. The artist spoke about this latest collaboration.
“Blow My Cover” was such a great idea, yet also something kinda scary to do I’d imagine. Were you surprised by what others did with your work?
Oh yes, I was thrilled with what I got back from the artists. Even more, by the sheer number of interpretations that got back. When I reached out to them, I was hoping to get one or two tracks back that I figured I would put on one of my future albums. But the fact that I got thirteen unique interpretations back made up for a whole new album “Blow My Cover.”
How did you come up with the idea initially?
“Blow My Cover” is the result of a desperate act of self-preservation. I didn’t plan this album at all. In the early days of the pandemic, when the shutdowns came into effect, everything ended abruptly for me, just as it did for artists around the world. All my concerts, my studio dates, my events planned well in advance were cancelled within a week, with no prospect of the situation improving any time soon. I was on the verge of an emotional downward spiral and had completely lost control of my life. I was desperately looking for a way to get out of this situation.
My partner and lyricist Mary Lou von Wyl suggested putting a creative spin on this out-of-control situation by actually giving up control of my own songs. The idea sparked instantly with me and got me thinking.
How did you choose the artists you reached out to?
I came up with a list of about twenty-five musicians that I really admire. Some I had worked with before, some I hadn’t. I sent each of them an email with links to a selection of my songs that I thought would suit their individual styles. I asked them to choose one or two songs and interpret them freely. I didn’t specify style, tempo, structure, etc., and I didn’t give them a deadline, in the spirit of giving up control and of trust. I also had no intention of following up with them. If they sent me something, I would be very grateful. If not, then no strings attached.
What interpretations surprised you the most?
Yes, I do have some favourites on Blow My Cover: “Little Boat”, song #2 on the album is one of them. What makes it special for me is that it was the first interpretation that I got back. It was done by Samuel Mosching, a jazz musician from Chicago. Besides being an excellent song about resilience, the interpretation that I got was so deep and so different from the original version, that I initially didn’t recognise my own song. I also love the current single and song #11, “Walking On The Water”. From the very first note ‘Walking On The Water’ is a foot tapper with an infectious groove and a feel-good vibe. It’s a wild mixture of country, blues, gospel and pop that features my long-time friend and musical companion Richard Koechli on guitars and percussion. I regard the 2013 Swiss Blues Award winner as one of the finest slide guitarists on the scene today. This interpretation of my 2015 “9 to 3” album original will definitely put a smile on your face. Just as captivating as the cover of my 2022 “Talking Loud” original is “Comedian”. The eighteen-year-old Schwyzerörgeli (Swiss button-accordion) wizard Marvin Näpflin interpreted my chamber music original in the style of the French musette music, which is characterized by joie de vivre but always with that touch of longing and melancholy – enchanting. The hardest puzzle for me to solve was when I had to figure out what can be created out of six avant-garde percussion tracks that I got back from my Italian bandmate Fausto Medici. I decided to magnify the tense and threatening atmosphere of the percussion tracks by using snippets from my 2015 original “My World (SOS To the Universe)”. I mashed up the percussion tracks with Mary Lou’s slam poetry samples with snippets of guitar, bass and tabla tracks and children’s choir from the original version. The result is a haunting, apocalyptic soundscape.
“Pennies To Gold”, “Forget About Yesterday”, “Oh Angel”, “Turn Around” are also very close to my heart. In fact, all these songs from “Blow My Cover” are enjoying good radio airplay.
In turning your music over to others for interpretation, I’m sure there were lessons you learned. What did you learn about yourself and your art through others’ take on your music?
The experience has given me a lot of faith in the musician community. This has been an amazing act of mutual trust. The most incredible thing I learnt about my art was the ease with which other musicians were able to slip into my songs to create their own interpretations. That speaks a lot about the depth and space that my compositions provided, on which the musicians could thrive and create. The whole experience that really boosted my confidence about my songs and about working with others.
Would you ever like to do something like this again?
Oh yes, I will definitely work with other musicians and keep experimenting in the world of collaboration.
Others have described your music and talents over the years. How would you describe your music and style in your own words?
I have an eclectic style that shifts smoothly between pop, blues, country, soul and rock. It could also be described as Americana, alternative country, psychedelic pop, urban folk. I personally don’t attach any labels to my music and I’m open to any breeze of inspiration that flows my way.
What aspect of your career do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy all aspects of my career – starting with composing, arranging, producing over to releasing and promoting my music through the media, radio, TV and of course through live concerts. I love playing live.
I think an important part of life is to keep evolving. Do you have any goals you’d still like to achieve?
My goal is to keep creating awesome music that will give me goosebumps. When I get goosebumps listening to my music, then I sure others will have the same experience listening to my music.
What’s been a career highlight for you?
I’ve been extremely fortunate to have many career highlights. I’ve won numerous prizes and even got nominated for a Grammy. My songs have ranked and even topped a number of airplay charts. In the USA “Blow My Cover” is already ranking on four airplay charts, including the Americana Music Charts, Jambands Top30, Alternative Folk and NACC album charts. These are all highlights that I’m extremely grateful for.
What do you hope others will take from your music?
My songs and lyrics are about resilience, relationships, self-worth and human condition. I’m a positive thinker, an optimist, a “glass is half full” kind of guy and that translates into my music and my lyrics. I hope people take away that joie de vivre that comes out of my music and that they can pass that joy along.
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