Scratch singers often find themselves the underdogs of the music industry. Their vocals are often used as a reference for the melody, lyrics, and overall feel of the song before the main singer records the final vocals.
Film composer and singer-songwriter Jaasmaan Singh portrays the struggles of an artiste in his latest album, Scratch Singer. Stating that the creative field should be free from all sorts of hierarchies, he says “Most artistes want to be able to at least express themselves freely through their art and have a decent living. But sadly, the current system jeopardises those necessities... The starting line isn’t the same for everyone.”
The Canada-based Indian-born artiste says, “In 2022, when things turned dark for me — be it with rejections from composers or the financial downfall — to a point where I didn’t even have money to put food on my table, it seemed like an end. I would think about how I wanted to create at least one song before I died.” He adds that the constant struggle of an artiste to fight for relevance, no matter how much their fraternity belittles them, is what Scratch Singer is about. “They reduce our voice to some scratch; the term ‘Scratch’ itself is derogatory,” says Jaasmaan.
