The Daily Orange is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Syracuse University. Consider donating today to support our mission.

Syracuse University junior Anish Ghosh and graduate student Afamefuna Onyebadi knew what they wanted the theme of their upcoming album to be even before stepping into Ghosh’s apartment.

Their album, “Die with the Stars,” combines psychedelic and hip-hop elements with “punk and screaming” sounds, said Ghosh, a student in the Newhouse School of Public Communications’ Bandier program. The album will be released Friday, a week after the debut of their single “Locked Down.”

The album takes a serious tone at times, as both Ghosh and Onyebadi gained inspiration from the coronavirus shutdown and the Black Lives Matter movement.

“It’s definitely all over the place,” said Ghosh. “There are some fun songs, laid back songs — like stuff you can play around your friends — (and) stuff you can trash your whole room (to).”

For Ghosh, his music is a form of self-expression. He developed his love for music at age 11, when he auditioned for percussion in his middle school band. After learning the drums, Ghosh picked up bass and guitar.

Before 10th grade, Ghosh was not very serious about singing. That changed once Ghosh wanted to connect more with his family’s Indian roots. Annabelle Gordon | Asst. Photo Editor

He wasn’t very serious about singing before 10th grade, but that changed when he wanted to connect more with his family’s Indian roots. He started to take lessons in Hindustani classical music with a teacher, who inspired him to continue singing.

Ghosh also gained musical experience in high school, when he was a member of a rock band called “Deep Seas.” The band played gigs at multiple establishments and events and went to the RedEye art and music festival in Fort Lauderdale in 2018.

Since coming to Syracuse, Ghosh’s songwriting process has become quicker. He met Onyebadi in an audio arts class during the beginning of his sophomore year, and the pair grew closer and decided to collaborate on an album.

In February, that collaboration came to fruition. The production of “Die with the Stars” first started in Newhouse’s sound studio, but Ghosh recorded many of the vocals in his off-campus apartment. The first song Ghosh and Onyebadi created, “Die Lit,” was one of the only songs the two made together before the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to work remotely.

Katelyn Marcy | Digital Design Director

From May to the end of July, both Ghosh and Onyebadi spent hours on Zoom, sending beats and lyrics to one another. The two learned to collaborate in many ways and talked about hard topics such as police violence, social justice, and femininity in men, Ghosh said.

Ghosh describes working over Zoom as “really tough,” but the two developed a good workflow toward the end.

Jessie Zhai, the concept artist for “Die with the Stars,” worked on creating the album’s art until 2 a.m after hearing one of its songs. She later surprised Ghosh with her art pieces, and both Zhai and Ghosh crafted visuals for the project. She also influenced some of the songs on the album, including a song titled “Memories.”

Both Ghosh and Onyebabi gained inspiration from the COVID-19 lockdown and the Black Lives Matter protests for their album. Annabelle Gordon | Asst. Photo Editor

Zhai found the album to be emotional and to have a boldness that’s “really rare.”

“The one thing (Ghosh) is really good at is talking to people … and communicating with and relating to other people through his art,” Zhai said.

Many of the beats were inspired by another producer, Michael Bao, who has a similar sound to what the duo wanted to create. Onyebadi sampled some of Bao’s music, which has heavily influenced the project, he said.

Since “Die with the Stars” was born from collaboration, Ghosh wants to use this album as a launching pad for future partnerships. Ghosh is at his happiest when he can learn from other peoples’ perspectives and have others learn from him.

“(‘Die with the Stars’) is not about how many people’s hands it can get into,” Ghosh said. “The only thing that matters to me is the people who it does get to. Is it valuable to them?”

Published on October 21, 2020 at 11:09 pm