PAPER BOATS TOUR WITH CHIRAG TODI & GOURI AND AKSHA. GUEST ARTIST NISA SHETTY

Chirag Todi is a songwriter and guitarist based in Ahmedabad. He is the founding member of Heat Sink. His compositions have won him national awards such as Nexa Music award and Clef Music Award. He has worked with maestros like A.R.Rahman, Clinton Cerejo and Mikey McCleary on original music. He has been featured on the cover of Rolling Stone India Magazine and the cover of Spotify Radar India Playlist. He released his debut EP ‘Panodrama’ in 2021 through remote collaboration with indie artists across India. His songs have been featured on Apple Advertisements, Vh1 Top10, and 'Desire' won the best single of 2020 by Rolling Stone India.

Gouri and Aksha:

Singer-songwriter soul-pop duo from Mumbai. Their music is a mix of their influences ranging from Jazz to musicals to modern day Pop - all brought together by their shared love for harmonies and cathartic songwriting. They were Apple Music's Up Next Artist for the month of March 2022. They have arranged and sang harmonies on Prateek Kuhad's last two albums and were part of his Winter '21 Tour in India. They've played across India and even in Japan, and opened for Damien Rice at a special sofar Bombay show, and recently for When Chai Met Toast in Mumbai.

Song and Video Brief:

A Jazz-Pop single by guitarist and songwriter Chirag Todi, written and performed in collaboration with soul-pop duo Gouri and Aksha. This song was produced by Raag Sethi, recorded at Compass Box Studio and the video was directed by Tushar Kejriwal.

What is the song about?

Paper Boats is a song about finding joy in the little things in life. It was written around the time of lockdown so it naturally explores themes of nostalgia, isolation, and finding ways to deal with that.

What is the video about?

The video quite literally explores folding a paper boat with an underlying intention of using origami's de-stressing abilities to enhance the song's experience. The video origami tutorial is reminiscent of the old Youtube days with calming blues and cheery yellows and soft movement of paper folding.

How did the collaboration come about?

Chirag had composed a jazz sketch during the pandemic and approached Gouri and Aksha via instagram. They heard the track and immediately put words and melodies to it. They met over zoom calls to finish the composition. They also met in Ahmedabad at Compass Box Studio to record the song. Raag Sethi produced and arranged the track there. The visit to Ahmedabad made them really good friends as they hung out and explored the city together. After the vocal recordings, they got Shivang Kapadia to play drums over the track, Harmish Joshi to play the woodwind section and Protyay Chakraborty to play the strings. They finally sent the track to Drona Acharya to mix and master it.

What is in the pipeline for you?

This song is part of Chirag’s upcoming 8-track album which entails collaborations with several indie artists across India and boasts about its diverse genres and themes. Chirag is planning to do an album launch tour along with gigs leading up to the launch.

How are you planning to market ‘Paper Boats’?

They’re trying to look at Paper Boats as a whole experience to create a moment of rest for the listener. So, they’re releasing a music video which is an origami video of folding a paper boat, reminiscent of the old YouTube tutorial days. On social media, they’ll be talking a lot about the process of collaboration and post short behind-the-scenes reels of the same.

In addition to the video, they are touring all major cities across India in the months of September and October - where both Chirag’s and Gouri and Aksha’s music will be played by them.

Credits:

Music:

Chirag Todi - Guitar, Composition

Gouri Ranjit - Vocals, Composition, lyrics

Aksha Kini - Vocals, Composition, lyrics

Raag Sethi - Production, arrangement, bass

Protyay Chakraborty - String section

Harmish Joshi - Woodwind section

Shivang Kapadia - Drums

Drona Acharya - Mix and mastering

Tushar Kejriwal - Artwork

Recorded at Compass Box Studio

Video:

Tushar Kejriwal - Direction, Conceptualization, Shooting, Editing

Aksha Kini - Cast

Quotes:

When we get all stressed out with work and social media, sometimes the best thing one could do is take a break and revisit a nostalgic experience like making a paper boat. It has so much innocence and joy attached to it that you start to appreciate simple little things in life. This song is that reminder to me.

- CHIRAG

"The recent loss of some incredible musicians has opened a conversation around mental health and we wanted to write about something that would make someone forget their worries for a moment. We all did some reminiscing and racing paperboats down my lane during Kerala monsoons was something that stayed with me and we wrote about that."

- GOURI

"Music and Origami are two things I personally turn to in moments of emotional turmoil. Paper Boats is a song that I've been personally listening to center myself especially with the whole experience of the origami video. I hope it makes you feel the same way, too"

- AKSHA

Important Links:

Website:

https://www.chiragtodi.com/

Profile:

@chiragtodi

@gouriaksha

 

Images Link:

https://bit.ly/3fjb3zN

 

Press Mention:

@press_chirag 

 

Instagram:

Chirag Todi (@chiragtodi) 

Gouri and Aksha (@gouriaksha)

 

Facebook:

Chirag Todi 

Gouri and Aksha

 

Twitter:

Chirag Todi (@ChiragTodi)

Gouri and Aksha (@gouriansaksha)

Lyrics:

Floating and wasting away

finding the perfect times

to ease my mind

of all things tried

Pouring for days

I’ve been locked in to pace

out the waves

The walls seem to be closing in

And all I do is sit and count the days

These folds bring back

brighter days of rains

Paper boats along the

streams in your lane

Folded up from pages full

of things I don't say

Paper boats

ferry away this haze of grey

As they slowly soak in rain

I just ruminate

Of the grand adventures along the way

To ease my mind of all this weight

Paper boats along the

Streams in your lane

Folded up from pages full

of things I don't say

Paper boats

ferry away this haze of grey