I caught up with CJ Pandit on a Zoom call on the eve of the release of his new single ‘1 2 Free’. Pandit joined us from his studio space, excitedly talking about a busy afternoon of creativity. Sitting amidst instruments, sporting a new hat (“knitted by a lady on eBay”), the Leicester singer-songwriter showed why so much of his music starts from a conversation. Pandit enjoys listening and talking about music and life!
The Indiependent: With ‘1 2 Free’ about to be released, what does that involve for you?
Cj Pandit: In all honesty, possibly not what you expect. We finished the EP, almost a year ago, in April 2021 and, the first single, ‘Boyfriend’ was released in November 2021. I co-wrote the EP with Mike and Evelyn from Clean Cut Kid. The whole process was about the three of us pushing each other to do extra. I had been listening to the music of Carole King, Leonard Cohen and the Bee Gees, especially the turnarounds you see in their songs.
The Indiependent: Listening to ‘1 2 Free’ feels like a change of direction compared to your earlier music and a real statement. In some ways, it reminded me of first hearing Plan B’s The Defamation of Strickland Banks album. ‘1 2 Free’ feels like layers of nostalgia, what was the creative process behind the track?
Cj Pandit: On ‘1 2 Free’ we said to each other “what can we do with the voice?” We wanted to recreate the seventies vibe and the harmonies of the Bee Gees. But, we also wanted to see how far we could push this thing. We kept adding harmonies, yet it still worked.
Mike, Evelyn and I have worked together for three or four years. They helped on half of the first EP and we decided to collaborate again. There were discussions about whether this project would be under an alias but ultimately decided this would be a CJ Pandit project. We used their studio space in Liverpool. The process tends to be the same, we start to write on guitar or piano and then dream up the production. We just follow our intuition. As part of the production, we brought in Ross—the most talented drummer out there. I tend to play guitar and keys but we switch. It’s a fluid collaboration, just pushing each other.
The Indiependent: Is there a connection between the tracks on the EP?
Cj Pandit: The new EP is called +44. The title came about from the time I spent in the USA. When meeting people and swapping numbers, They asked, “what’s +44?” The EP is all about relationships. The songs are from real experiences that many people will relate to. It is about who was there for me when I picked up the phone. It is about who is your +44?
The first EP was heavy, but this was about using my imagination. I enjoyed adapting to these different characters we created and telling their story.
The Indiependent: In creating the new music, what comes first the music or the lyrics?
Cj Pandit: The songs start as a conversation. I have a notes app with pages full of song names. My thoughts are, “what does this song sound like?’”
With ‘1 2 Free’, the origins were the Jacksons and having a conversation about the simplicity of ‘ABC’ and ‘1 2 Free’ was born. It is about the early stages of a relationship, the excitement of chasing each other and sometimes asking the question ‘why am I trying to force this?’ Ultimately, it’s about the other person in a relationship always being free.
The Indiependent: You cite many different influences on your music, from Talk Talk to David Bowie, Leonard Cohen and the Bee Gees. Your music has also evolved since your first release. Who is the real CJ Pandit?
That is a difficult question to answer. I am influenced by so many things that it must be difficult to market me. The truth is that I think if you follow my music from the first release I have found my own lane although you may not find anything quite like me. I think we all have our sonic palette and if people are into my music, that’s cool.
The Indiependent: I note from your press release the mention of Springsteen. As a big Springsteen fan, I am curious how Springsteen has influenced your music.
Cj Pandit: I admire the spirit of Springsteen. The realness. It always feels like Springsteen is making music, doing what he does because he loves it. After spending time in America, I got swept up by the whole feeling of the American dream and Springsteen personifies that. I once read that he once made a soft-synth, that is one release I would like to see. I was in a studio in Oxford with a friend, Kit, a great musician and I just decided to cover ‘ Streets of Philadelphia’. I didn’t record it to release it but something I did for myself.
The Indiependent: Are there any other songs you would like to cover?
Cj Pandit: I haven’t considered it. I have been listening to Carole King and her song ‘So far away’ is one I would like to cover. I don’t know whether you have heard of Judy Sill but she is well worth checking out and ‘The Kiss’ would make a great cover.
The Indiependent: I see you have live dates planned, what do we get if we see you live and how do you recreate your sound live?
Cj Pandit: There’s six of us on stage—I play with some really great musicians. We have a drummer, bassist and backing vocalist and percussion while the rest of us rotate between guitar and keys. I have enjoyed playing ‘1 2 Free’ and ‘Boyfriend’ live. It will be great playing them as part of the tour.
It is the first time I have ever done a headline tour. I am looking forward to playing the Lexicon in London as a headline act for the first time as it is a great venue. It is also the first time I will have played Glasgow.
The Indiependent: If someone wants to impress their new partner by playing a CJ Pandit song, what should they choose?
Cj Pandit: If things have gone badly, ‘New York Time.’ Otherwise, definitely ‘1 2 Free’ and let it be new and follow your impulses.
The Indiependent: It’s New Year’s Eve 2022 and you are sitting in a bar. What do you hope to have achieved by then?
Cj Pandit: I hope the tour has gone well and I hope the album is the can. I guess I hope that my lane gets wider. I hope people find some answers in my music. Everything has always been about people. For example, for the release of my first single Karulo, we had an exhibition about ‘what does Karulo mean to you?’. For the release of +44, we are considering having a hotline where people can leave messages and tell us about their +44s.
Keep up to date with Cj Pandit: Instagram / Twitter / YouTube
Interview conducted by Andrew Butcher
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