David Britto
Mar 01, 2022
Chennai-based singer-songwriter Aditya Rao aka MANGAS. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
New Jersey-born, Chennai-based singer-songwriter Aditya Rao informs us that he’s always been surrounded by music all his life. Rao recalls sitting in on his drummer father’s jam sessions and rehearsals. He says, “I would sit through and just observe the whole band.” From forming his own band in the 11th grade to now pursuing music full-time, Rao feels that it is one of the best decisions he’s made.
Rao began writing his own material three years ago and released his debut dream-pop single “Shattered Reflection” in 2021 first under his real name which he’s since altered to reflect his moniker MANGAS. Now, he’s out with his sophomore track — the retro offering “Starcity.”
In this interview with Rolling Stone India Rao gives us a sense of his new track, how it came together and what he’s got in store next.
When did work on “Starcity” begin and what can you tell us about the song?
Right after ‘Shattered Reflection’ came out, I started working on a bunch of new projects, and one in particular stuck out because it had a completely different sound than the others. I knew I had to finish writing this one because it was going more in the direction of the tone I wanted. At that time, I was listening to a lot of 1975, Dayglow and Fall Out Boy, so the guitar tones and the synths were definitely inspired by them.
‘Starcity’ is sung from the perspective of a boy dreaming about escaping the city with his romantic interest and sailing away to a place where they would have the time of their lives.
One detail that’s pretty interesting in this track is the intro which is just feedback from a guitar paired with drums. Something that I think was really a part that brought the whole song together was the backing vocals and this was the first time I had ever had an idea and added a role for backing vocals in one of my tracks, but it blended in beautifully with the chorus and it’s definitely one of my favorite elements in the song.
What was the recording process like?
I recorded the whole track at my home studio, started off with the guitar, drums, vocals and synths. And for the bass, I wanted something that was going to elevate the track to another level, so I asked my friend Matthew who’s a musician who I’ve played numerous shows with to write and record and he absolutely killed it! The production and the mixing were done by me and for the mastering, I had it done by Ed Degenaro, who is a musician based in Germany.
What’s next for you?
Since ‘Starcity’ came out, I’ve been writing a whole lot of new music. There’s a possibility for an album in 2022 but that isn’t confirmed as of yet. I have a ton of content coming out soon in the next couple of weeks and I think it’s easily my best work to date. I can’t wait for y’all to hear it. I’m also hoping for a complete recovery of the live music scene so we can start playing some shows and getting the scene back together.
Stream “Starcity” on Spotify below: