Arjun Kanungo, one of the panelist at the upcoming All About Music conference, is not just a singer now, but an entrepreneur as well. His company, One Mind Music, has collaborations in Japan. He is taking special efforts to promote Indie music. In an interaction with The Free Press Journal. The singer talks about his company, music, and more.
Excerpts from the interview:
You are one of the speakers at the All About Music conference. What are you looking forward to at the conference?
’m very excited to be invited as a speaker on one of the most important panels, which is about how artists make money. The last time I was there a few years ago, I was talking about the importance of YouTube Shorts. I’m looking forward to learn more things about the music industry. So much has changed in the last two years. Lot of the co-panelists with me are friends of mine. So, it will be a fun chat. It's going to be definitely a very educational opportunity for everybody involved.
From singer to music entrepreneur. Can you tell us something about your own One Mind Music?
One Mind Music is basically, something that other labels cannot be, which is super agile in terms of the music landscape. We want to be an artist services company, but we also want to be a music label and we plan on not being one or the other. We're going to be shifting between what is required for artists, for our artists, depending on the need of the hour. We want to be the first music label from India to go global. That's going to be our mission statement in terms of our USP. We’re already started working in Japan and soon we're going to be in Korea. So, that's definitely something that differentiates us from other music labels. We are not trying to compete with any of the major labels who have their own mandates, but we really believe in uplifting the independent artist and we really believe in the fact that there is a lot of value that is being undiscovered in India.
How did Japan happen and what projects are you working on there?
My visit to Japan happened in 2016 and I just loved the place. So, I was going back every twice or thrice a year. Then I decided, why not make music here? So, I started learning the language and around last year, we did some music for my second album Industry 2. The goal is to do a few singles every year and build a label there. One Mind Music in Japan is already in motion. We're building a business from scratch. It's still early but our partners there have been very supportive. I’m very excited to see what we can do in the next few years.
How different is Industry 2 compared to Industry I released in 2022?
Industry 2 was a follow-up to Industry and the idea of Industry was that we talk about the music industry and the challenges and the perils of it. Industry 2 was about taking that music industry and going abroad and going to Japan. So we had a song called India to Japan which was one of my favorite tracks on the album. Industry 2 was kind of an overindulgent album in a way because I overextended myself in my creative abilities a little bit. I was insistent that I produce, write, compose everything on that album, which I think was a mission without really a reasonable motivation. I'm doing my third album next year, so there's a lot of learning from these first two. They've been very different in terms of the zone and the genres and the second album was very indie, the first one was very commercial. The third album I'm still deciding what I want to do but I do want it to be the biggest album that I've ever made. There's no ceiling on what we can achieve on this one. It's still work-in-progress but we're looking at releasing it sometime in April next year.
I guess you learnt a bit of Japanese or can sing a song or two?
Oh yeah, I've learnt a lot of Japanese. Actually, I speak Japanese now quite conversationally. I've sung a couple of songs in Japanese as well. It’s a kind of bonding with the culture there and getting myself involved in it. I love everything about Japan. I don't know if I would live there ever, but I like the traditions. I like how this society is aligned with their values and how everything kind of just works there. It's a very big country and they have a lot of people. Tokyo is one of my favourite cities in the world. So, I love going there, love being there.
India To Japan has Japanese rapper Cyber Rui jamming with you.
It's literally about my cross-over collaboration with Japan. Cyber Rui was a rapper that I met just by chance when I was in Japan and I totally liked the vibe that she presented. The song was so perfect for her. We put it together, released it and it did pretty well. I think it was the first ever Hindi - Japanese collaboration in history. We followed it up with the first ever Hindi Indian music video shot in Japan in that same album. So, it was all about Japan.
Which Indian artists have you collaborated with recently or planning to work with?
We just did a song called Make Up Your Mind which is a really cool track. It's a cross-collaboration between me, Fotty Seven and one of our producers at the label Nemo and an American artist called Edwin Honoret. It’s just out.
All About Music
With representation from all the major social media platforms, record labels, legendary speakers to legendary artists, All About Music is the perfect way to connect with the music industry and get inspired. The three-day music conference at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai from August 6 to 8, is expected to see close to over 2,500 people who explore every facet of music making in India.
“As we gear up for All About Music 2024, our theme ‘Synthesis’ acknowledges what it really means to come together as an industry. This year, our intent is to celebrate invisible forces that form the foundations of this industry and drive conversations that shape the future. Our purpose is clear: to bring together diverse voices, spark innovation and create a unified, thriving music community,” says Ashish Jose, Business Head, Create & Collab Pvt. Ltd. Now in its eighth edition, AAM 24, India’s biggest B2B conference, also has a dedicated and much sought after ‘Connect Corner’.
From Keynote and exclusive Panel Discussions, to Informative Masterclasses & Workshops, Talent Showcases, Success Stories, AAM 24, promises you 3 days of music related opportunities you would never find anywhere.
