A peek into the immersive electro-pop world of Tarana Marwah aka Komorebi

Bengaluru: The music that Tarana Marwah creates is an immersive electro-pop world where her alter ego Komorebi is on a trip of her own.

Komorebi sometimes looks like she stepped straight out of a Manga comic. Sometimes she could be someone from graphic novelist Amruta Patil's world. And her latest single, ‘I Grew Up’, in which she gets an over-the-top makeover, is clearly a nod to Lady Gaga.

"That is because I like to create characters, even with how I present myself on stage," says Marwah, who has also composed music for popular OTT shows such as "Made in Heaven", "Dahaad" and "Modern Love".

Her alter ego Komorebi stepped in for 'I Grew Up' because Marwah says she is not a huge fan of "being herself". Instead, she prefers to let her alter ego express all the feelings and emotions that she has.

"And now, I have taken it to the next level. For my upcoming album ‘Fall’, which also includes ‘I Grew Up’, I have actually created a comic book character,” adds Marwah.

The comic book will also be released along with the album, most likely in September, she says.

Marwah acknowledges that a childhood filled with anime comics and movies left a lasting impression on her, always pushing her to look for a story to tell rather than just write "simple love songs".

"I really enjoy Japan's larger-than-life culture and their fantastical storylines, plots, visuals, and the escapism in the art. It's what inspired me to become a musician,” says Marwah.

If the bleeps and bloops that open her 'I Grew Up' video remind one of the music that accompanies arcade games like pinball, it is because Marwah is a quintessential gamer too.

"I'm an avid gamer. I play a lot of video games on different mediums, like PlayStation, Xbox, Gameboy, and my computer. That was another escape for me in my childhood and it’s something that I continue to draw from for my art.”

While storytelling has always been her USP, Marwah says her upcoming album ‘Fall’, is a testimony to how things could be polished when someone has the right label backing or collaborators.

Growing up in Vancouver in what she terms as a dysfunctional family, Marwah says she has learnt to turn her lows into art at a very young age. For instance, her 2022 single ‘Chanda’, possibly her biggest hit so far, was something that she says she created when her grandfather was diagnosed with dementia.

"I usually use art as a medium to express my innermost feelings. ‘Chanda’ is also in Hindi because my family, particularly my grandparents, speak in Hindi more than English.” Aside from being an indie artist, Marwah says she composes music for streaming series.

"I have done 'Bombay Begums', 'Made in Heaven', 'Made in Heaven Season 2', 'Dahaad' and 'Modern Love' and a couple of other short films which are yet to be released," adds Marwah.

Perhaps it is because she dons too many hats, that Marwah says her music tends to spill from one to another.

"I have never shied away from moving through different genres. Even within my own music, I have different genres. I think it's really interesting when artists evolve with the times and keep trying to push themselves to be creative and doing something that's out of their comfort zone,” adds Marwah.

Another thing that Marwah says worked to her benefit finally is her unwillingness to compromise on what she wants to write and produce.

“On a commercial level, it's a lot easier to sing in Hindi or in regional languages or sing about love. But I am trying to build a relationship with my art rather than please people or the industry,” says Marwah.

A global artist is the tag that she aims for, says Marwah.

“Genres are such a limiting thing. They're just words, you know. The music always trumps everything else at the end of the day. I really hope my music reaches people that actually do connect with it, wherever they are,” says Marwah.

On August 4, Marwah will be releasing her next single, ‘Watch Out’.

“The full album is releasing on September 8. And that's a 7-track album,” adds Marwah.