5 minute read
‘MOG’ : Music of Goa - A Goan band that aims to promote Goan music across the globe
Colin D'Cruz is one of the most well-known names in the music industry here in Goa. Through the course of his glorious career spanning more than four decades, Colin has been a member of several bands in Goa and Mumbai. He has toured several countries around the world and has been a part of Sonu Nigam, Asha Bhosle and Shubha Mudgal’s bands as well.
Recently, Colin collaborated with Goan singer Hemaa Sardesai and a few other Goan musicians to launch a new band called ‘MOG’. The band released its debut album on the 20th of August on the occasion of World Goa Day. In a brief interaction with ItsGoa, Colin shared details about the newly formed band, the idea behind starting the band, details about the band’s debut album and lots more.
Can you tell us a bit about your newly formed band called ‘MOG’?
The band is called ‘MOG’. The word ‘MOG’ stand for ‘Music of Goa’. The band is composed of Hemaa Sardesai and Seby Fernandes on vocals, Daniel Miranda on guitar, Tony Dias on keyboard, myself on bass guitar and Prathamesh Chari on drums. The band’s debut album, which is also called ‘MOG’, was launched on the 20th of August 2023.
What was the idea behind starting this band?
The whole idea behind putting together this band was that for the first time, we are forming a band, composed of only Goan musicians, playing only Goan music. Every band in Goa plays a mix of different genres of music. I too have been doing the same all my life. I have played everybody else’s music for decades. And I suddenly realised that Goa is a musical state. It has got its own musical culture and unique musical identity. So, I felt that it was high time I took pride in the musical heritage of my home state and promoted it to the rest of the world. So for the first time, this band will play only music from Goa. Our debut album contains Goan songs that people in Goa enjoy the most. It also contains Konkani originals that we have
written and composed. The songs in the album are in three languages - Konkani, Portuguese and English.
Tell us more about the band’s debut album ‘MOG’.
The songs in the album have been sung by Seby Fernandes and Hemaa Sardesai, many of them individually and a few of them as duets.
The album has a playlist that every Goan home can be proud of. Goans are spread out all over the world today and MOG will take a piece of Goa to these global Goans.
Can you explain the story behind the name of the band and the album?
We wanted to come up with a title connected to Goa. ‘MOG’ is an abbreviation for ‘Music of Goa’. So, the name of the album as well as our band gives people an idea of what our band is all about and also the type of music we play.
On Which platform is the album available for listeners to access and listen to?
The album is available online as a free digital download at: www.jazzgoa.bandcamp.com/album/ mog
Is this the first time you have worked with Hemaa Sardessai and Seby Fernandes?
No. I have worked with both, Hemaa as well as Seby in the past. I have known both of them for many years. Both are wonderful human beings and working with them is always an enjoyable experience. Hemaa is a musical star in Bollywood while Seby is a local music legend. Apart from their awesome voices, both singers have an amazing stage presence and a strong audience connection. So doing live shows with them is going to be a superb experience.
Could you name any one particular song from the album which is your personal favourite?
My favourite song from the album is ‘Goa Mhojem’. It is a song about Goa in Konkani. It is an original track that I have composed and has been sung by Hemaa Sardesai.
Are there any emotions or messages you aim to convey to listeners through this album?
I have performed for Goans based in Canada, USA, Australia and other countries as well and I know how much they miss Goa. So the idea behind this band and album is to also perform for all these Goan communities based around the world. What we are essentially doing is we are taking a piece of Goa to different countries. And hopefully, apart from the Goan diaspora based in these countries, we will also get non-Goans based in these countries interested in Goan music. That's the whole idea.
Will your band be going on tours to other countries?
We plan on touring many countries because we have a whole string of inquiries lined up. We have to work out the logistics for these tours and then maybe, by the end of this year, we will start touring.
