Born in the vibrant town of Jorhat in Assam, Joi Barua has carved a unique niche in Bollywood as a playback singer, lending his soulful voice to Assamese, Hindi, and Telugu films. His melodious contributions have graced the soundtracks of acclaimed movies like Dev D, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, and Udaan.
But Joi's musical journey doesn't end there; he recently achieved a remarkable milestone by performing with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, becoming the first artist from Assam to do so. This collaboration has not only seen him compose captivating music with the orchestra but also prepare for an upcoming performance that promises to be extraordinary.
Back home, Joi has been enchanting audiences in Guwahati with his series of Lighthouse Concerts, bringing a blend of his rich Assamese heritage and contemporary sounds to the forefront.
For an episode of Guwahati Connection, GPlus CEO Sidharth Bedi Varma had an enriching tête-à-tête with Joi Barua, discussing him, his work and his future plans.
Sidharth- How’s life? What has been keeping you busy these days?
Joi: Life’s amazing and I think life’s what you make of it. One thing that stays with me is what Charlie Chaplin said, “Why do you want a meaning, life’s is a desire,” and I think that is something that crept into me very unseemingly, unknowingly and I think that is a dictum by which I go. Life’s really amazing and you know what, I desire and I try to be there. It’s not an attainment, but it’s like am I living the desire? Perhaps, probably more, and it could be different things for different people like what do you do with a desire ? Do you attain it, do you live it, or do you jump on it ?
So I think I am trying to live with what I desire and things have been great.
Sidharth- What have you been busy with these days?
Joi: These days have brought me into the light house. It’s an idea and probably it will be a foundation that will focus on conversations with people, special people who have created a social impact through their work. And my personal quest is to go after those people who have tried to create an impact. So lighthouse is an effort towards finding people focusing on specific work and specific impacts they have created. And I believe that’s really the true test of an individual, like we all know what we do, but what do we impact is I think what changes the society, You are really doing your bit to create a little difference for the 10 or 100 people around you.
Sidharth- Tell us about your journey, and how today you’re in a position where you want to create an impact.
Joi: I think it’s been a love affair with not a person, but with music and gradually, as with whatever I did, I think for me, the impact of what I was doing was changing all the time. If it was just singing a song in the beginning, then it was creating. Having said that, I grew up in a small town called Jorhat, and out of all the things, I grew up around my great grandfathers poetry “ Dhulikona Moi”.
So that had an early impact on what I would do all the time, even the songs I heard growing up in the small town. Then life in a Catholic school, then moving on to Shillong. I think music has been that constant which has impacted me all the time and how it brought about change. Then coming to Guwahati, Delhi, Mumbai and some other parts of the world.
Geographically my GPS is Mumbai but my heart could be anywhere and most of the time it’s home. But I like to create a distance between the objective and myself so that I can create from a point where there is distance between what I do, some of my work has taken me abroad and I’ve been working with symphonies for which i am very lucky! And I consider that an amazing part of what I do. I've been working with the Royal Philharmonic, The London Symphony, so maybe it takes a few things or maybe it takes a lot of things but it’s been an exciting thing.
Sidharth- Do you think artists are not always appreciated in their time?
Joi: What I think is you are asking the right question, probably the best. Somebody like Freddy Mercury, he was great when he was alive, but not as great as in the movie.
Creating groundbreaking work often means venturing into the future, much like Mozart, who was buried in a mass grave, unappreciated in his time. Those who strive to shape tomorrow face the challenge of being misunderstood today.
Sidharth- You’ve moved from singing in your hometown to performing in Bollywood and then now, you’ve moved to London performing with the Orchestra. How has it been?
Joi: I’m a composer on the project and I will be performing with. I think my favorite music has one thing that it had no ambition, if you get me right it had no ambition. I feel amazingly blessed for a musician who’s unlearned, who’s not learned, who’s been taught , who’s had to pick up from here and there I think life’s been kind, thanks that God exists.
Sidharth- Is the Bollywood industry perhaps a little dirty? Is it in murky waters, what do you think?
Joi: I don’t think so, as personally I can’t term it as murky waters, not at all. I think every industry will have some things which are amazing and some things which are not very amazing, and as I worked there for a while, I think as it's evolving.
Sidharth- Do you like Diljit Dosanjh as an artist ?
Joi: I do. He’s a good artist. I was talking to a very dear friend Manish who is an amazing documentary maker and we are doing things together, like just to put you in context, he told me that he doesn’t understand music so much, but Dilijit’s only motivation is music. And that’s what I would put out for Diljit.
Sidharth- People from our industry who are doing well, namely Papon , Anurag Sikia, Niltpal Bora are in Mumbai, but none of them have blown up like Diljit Dosanjh. What do you think could be the reason? Do you think there is a hindrance somewhere that there’s no one from Assam, who is blowing up?
Joi: Diljit blew up with Punjabi audience and their music has been very big. They have amazing pride in their music whether good or bad. Diljit didn’t blow up because of Bollywood, he blew up before Bollywood found him and I don’t think he is the next actor out for sure. He’s an artist yeah and he'll do what it takes if there's another role for him.
Sidharth- I would love to understand a little bit more about the Lighthouse Concert with which GPlus has proudly associated with?
Joi: I think relevant conversation exists as being one person you can only do so much you know, and that is where lighthouse as an entity will steer conversations with people who have had social impact to the work you know that is paramount.