World Music Day Exclusive! Prasen: TikTok generation doesn’t know the real creators of hit numbers

Before the concert, the musician talked to OTTplay about the event and how lyricists often don’t get their due.

Prasen

Composer-lyricist Prasen has offered one after the other hit numbers in films and the independent music scene. His recent song, Palash, features Debchandrima in the video, was dropped recently and garnered appreciation. Now he is all geared up to host a musical gala to celebrate this year’s World Music Day. At the event, several singers and musicians, including, Anindya Chattopadhyay, Rupankar, Upal Sengupta, Sidhu, Anidya Bose, Pata, Khnada Bhattacherjee, Arpan, Sayan, Prashmita Paul, Durnibar Saha, Ranjan Prasad, Saikat Mitra, Rudranil Ghosh, Prathama, Winy and a lot others, will perform on June 21 at EZCC. Before the concert, the musician talked to OTTplay about the event and how lyricists often don’t get their due.

Prasen started his journey in the Bengali Film industry in 2009. Ever since he offered multiple hit numbers, including Bolo Na Radhika from Srijit Mukherji’s Shah Jahan Regency, Ami Shanto Ekta Pa Dolano, Tomake Bujhina Priyo from Anindya Chattopadhyay’s Projapoti Biskut and a lot more.

Talking about celebrating World Music Day, Prasen said, “Every year I, along with my friends of Prasener Dolbol, celebrate the day. This year I thought why don’t we make it bigger? I have so many musician friends and we make music and jam together almost all round year. I called them and they immediately said yes to the show.”

Prasen pens lyrics and also compose songs. Which role does he like the most? “The lyricist in me is an extension of my musician soul. I like to think of myself as a musician,” he confessed. He also admitted that like everywhere in India, the Bengali entertainment industry is also oblivious to its lyricists. “It is everywhere. People still know the composers as they are seen on stage sometimes. But lyricists have no visibility. As a result, they often go into oblivion,” said the musician.

Moreover, Prasen thinks that the younger generation is well aware of the singer and the actor/ actress who lip-sync the song on the screen but has no idea about the musicians behind the hit tracks. “I attended a music reality show recently and realised that almost all the participants identify songs through the playback singers and the actors who sing them on the screen. Nobody has any idea or interest in the lyricists and composers. Strangely, the so-called ‘digital creators’ in TikTok generation don’t know the real creators of hit numbers,” he said.

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