For years, SANAM has existed in a unique space within India’s music industry — celebrated equally for reimagining beloved classics and creating original music of their own. While many artists treat covers and originals as entirely different creative exercises, the band doesn’t necessarily see that distinction so rigidly. During a recent interaction with Pune Times, bassist Venky opened up about how SANAM approaches music creation and why the emotional core of a song matters more to them than whether it is technically “original.” “Not necessarily,” Venky said when asked if the band currently feels a stronger pull towards creating original music. “I don’t differentiate much between originals and renditions. Ultimately, you’re expressing something real either way.” According to him, music itself has always evolved through reinterpretation, influence, and shared motifs. “There are only so many notes,” he explained. “Even globally, music builds on existing ideas — like sampling in hip-hop.” For SANAM, the process of creating a rendition is not about imitation, but about discovering new emotional textures within familiar melodies. Venky described how nostalgic elements and recurring musical ideas often become tools for expression rather than limitations. “Using these motifs and things that feel nostalgic creates a kind of musical expression that resonates with what people want to explore emotionally,” he shared. The band’s perspective also challenges the long-standing notion that originality only exists when something is created entirely from scratch. At the same time, the band continues developing its own original catalog — but without treating the two forms as opposing creative identities. For them, authenticity appears to matter more than categorization. Whether it is a classic melody from decades ago or a song written entirely by the band, the goal remains the same: to create something emotionally honest.
