Interview | Shararat singer Madhubanti Bagchi says no song can become big without social media, but calls it a 'not-so-great' way to discover music

Madhubanti Bagchi is the voice behind "Aaj Ki Raat", "Shararat", and even "Uyi Amma". If you scroll through Instagram, one of her songs will definitely show up on your feed. It’s not just limited to social media; her songs have taken over dance floors, and playlists across the country and even the world. But while social media is what made her songs and name trend, it’s not a space Bagchi herself enjoys scrolling through. In fact, she’s even set limits for herself on it, and never wishes to post a video of her dancing on her songs. So that's Madhubanti.

In a long chat with us, she spoke about so many things: the making of her big hits, her take on social media, what she loves most as a creative, and the life-changing moments along the way. In this article, we’ve focused on how "Aaj Ki Raat" happened, what social media means to her and what she would prefer: singing a song in a film, or creating something of her own.

Read the edited excerpts from your chat here:

WION: You have had two massive dance hits with "Aaj Ki Raat" and "Shararat''. From the moment you first read them to seeing how big they became, how has the journey of these songs been for you?

Madhubanti Bagchi: ''I think ''Aaj Ki Raat'' was very different because it was the first hit and super hit, if I might call it. I was not ready to record that day, is all I remember, because I had gone somewhere else and I got a call from Shashwat (Sachdeva) sir that we are in the studio and we are preparing this song. "Just come in and give it a shot." And I was in a completely different headspace to be recording that day, and I was like, "Can we do it tomorrow because I'm already somewhere?" And he was like, "All of us are here and we are really in the zone. So Just come" kind of a thing. So I came, I went to the studio and the situation was, I mean, the song was pretty much ready to be sung, and the track was pretty much made. The lyrics were being worked on; we started jamming on different ideas, and obviously it took me some time to get right there. I think we recorded till 4, 4:30 that day in the morning because it was a lot to kind of take in, a lot of information and a lot of variations we were doing. So that was Aaj Ki Raat. And of course, I kind of fell in love with that song. It really attracted me towards it. Though I didn't know that it's going to be a hit or not going to be a hit. That's not for me to think about. But I really wanted to do a good job in the song, which I would like to think that I did. And that's Aaj Ki Raat. And Shararat was quite different because it was more special in a way that I was also featured in the video, like in the movie itself.

WION: Both "Aaj Ki Raat" and "Shararat'' really blew up on social media with reels everywhere. What was your reaction when you saw both songs going viral like that? And how big a role do you think social media plays now in making a song part of pop culture?

Madhubanti Bagchi: I think in today's times, no song can become big without social media. I think social media is the only point of discovery at this point, which I don't think is a great thing, because not all songs are made for social media, right? That's why a certain type of songs are becoming big, because only songs with hook steps or songs with something... like some songs will only be used on travel reels. It's a very, it's a very not-so-great way of discovering music, I feel. But yeah, obviously, ‘’Aaj Ki Raat'' and ‘’Shararat'' and ‘’Uyi Amma,'' and all these songs have had a great run on social media. Hence, they became very big, because they are very danceable. And we have a lot of great dancers on Instagram and Facebook and all these platforms. And they danced on it, and they made it popular. Obviously, I try to limit my time on social media, because it gets to you after a certain point of time. So, I enjoyed seeing my music doing well there. But yeah, I would just keep it to that. I would not, like, never did it cross my mind that, "okay, maybe I should also put a real dance to these songs," because I'm not a good dancer.

WION: Do you prefer creating your own songs or the film projects that come to you? I know you had a band too. How do you look at both sides now?

Madhubanti Bagchi: Film songs are always interesting because you get to work with so many people. So many amazing people. First of all, the greatest composers in India. The best of them. The best lyricists. The best teams basically come together to make music for Bollywood and the film industry in general, not just for Bollywood. And, you get to do such varied kinds of music and so many different points of view you get to hear. So that is very exciting. But personally, I feel that when you do your own thing, that is very satisfying. In a different way. It might not get you as much fame and as much money and all that attention. Your song will not go to trending the moment you release it. But it's so truly and honestly you, and whatever decisions you have taken regarding that song, it's all yours. It's not anybody else's. No one else can ever come and take your credit that "this is all mine." This is all me. So when you do a non-film thing, it's so totally you. Whether you do a good job or a bad job or an average job, it's just totally you. So it's very authentic and very organic, and which I feel is very satisfying to an artist in general.