In this interview spotlight, I chat with India based artist CryGene about the latest single and music video (Gubbara), challenges, technology and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

I’m CryGene, a 21 year old rapper/lyricist from Nagpur. I’ve been into hip-hop since I was a highschool student and over the time I’ve allowed myself to indulge in different types of rap i.e. boombap, chopper, conscious, gangsta, alternative, lo-fi, etc.

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

One day while listening to random songs I came across ‘The real slim shady’ by Eminem. The whole vibe, the words and the music was new to me and it just felt different and good and that’s how my journey started. I listened to more of his songs, I went on internet and tried to figure out the genre of music, came across more artists and ended up falling in love. I was going through some really tough times, there was a battle goin on inside and rap was my medium to express myself and I owe my life to rap. My ultimate goal would be to provide people with something that they can hold on to and cherish it til the end. That is the thought that keeps me goin, the thought that I can change this world for better, make people smile and cry and feel, that’s what motivates me.

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

Gubbara was definitely a challenge for me. I was presented with the catchphrase ‘gubbara’ and I had to write something on it. Writing a hindi song was the first challenge since I’m primarily an English rapper and second challenge was I had decided that I need to make something unique on the given topic. Gubbara is a heartfelt narrative of a mom about her son. It is different because it is storytelling with an unexpected twist. The song might talk about how happy a child gets when he holds balloons for the very first time but the end reveals a whole another layer of the song. It’s thought provoking and after listening to ‘Gubbara’ you might wanna go and hug your parent and tell them you love em!

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

Exposure and finance are the biggest challenges I’ve been trying to tackle. The world is changing rapidly and as an indie musician it’s very hard to make a name for yourself. I really wish people would be more supportive. Finance is another factor since it takes a lotta money to make a song. Beat production, video shoots, editing, recording, mixing and mastering and plus promotions. Finance is definitely a big challenge to overcome. But technology has definitely helped. It’s easier to get my songs out on social media. Technology has allowed people to listen to any songs they want anywhere. It has allowed people to connect with their favourite artists directly which is very good cuz it feels very amazing when you get a message from one of your followers telling you how much your music means to them. That’s a push that every indie musician needs!

What was the last song you listened to?

It was definitely some instrumental I was writing to haha, but I’m sure before that I can bet that it was an Eminem song.

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

I definitely prefer MP3s since you can carry them everywhere. But vinyls are something different, they are lossless! And the feeling of listening to a record on a record player or gramophone is just outta this world. But I still prefer MP3s just for the sake of mobility.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

Ahh this is a hard one. Out of the mentioned platforms I’d have to go with Spotify. Spotify definitely has better interface, it looks clean and organized which adds to the listening experience to be honest. And YouTube is also something that I use a lot, mostly because I can find songs that are not available on Spotify or Apple or any other platform.

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

I’m most active on Instagram. That’s the best way to connect with me but I’m also available on other platforms with the same name i.e. CryGene. My music could also be found on all the major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Napster, JioSaavn, YouTube, Bandcamp, Amazon music, etc. under the name ‘CryGene’.

Anything else before we sign off?

I’m grateful that I got the opportunity to connect and talk with you it was amazing. Also I’d like to shout out all the indie artists like me out there for doing what they love. Struggle is prerequisite, success is definite!