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When a haunting song on water scarcity and global warming was shot in the UAE

Dubai-based businessmen, Grammy winners, a rock musician and a French DOP collaborate on a track on the water crisis, shot in the deserts of the UAE

What happens when a group of 40-plus men with a creative zest, a desire to break away from the routine, a concern for social change and the will to make something happen despite the odds, come together?

They make music.

That, in a nutshell, is the story of Water, a haunting score on water scarcity and global warming shot in the UAE, through an international artistic collaboration that lasted over 18 months.

Co-produced by Dubai-based businessman Alex George and adman Jovan John, and written-composed by Kerala rocker George Peter, Water began as a passion project during the pandemic. However, over the course of two years, it assumed far larger proportions with some incredible names getting associated with it, most notably, Grammy-award winning mix engineer and record producer P.A. Deepak, Grammy winner Reuben Cohen of Lurssen Mastering, LA, French video director Maxime Casa and a talented audio team from India.

One more unique fact: in a departure from the tradition of a studio, company or band creating a song, in this case, a song ended up giving birth to a company – Likewater Studios.

How it all began

The year was 2020 with the world reeling under the impact of Covid-19. The mood was gloomy all around and the news, morbid. The period was particularly hard on creative artistes, with events and the entertainment scene practically blacked out. Alex George, a UAE-based businessman, identified with their angst.

Confined to his plush villa in Dubai, coming to terms with the anxiety and negativity all around, he was looking for ways to express himself. Music beckoned.

A self-taught guitarist, Alex experimented with lyrics and tunes, primarily to get out of the blue funk the lockdown had placed him and others like him, in. “I composed a couple of tracks, and shared them with my friend Jovan John, the founder of media firm Likewater Media. Jovan liked the lyrics and we decided to set it to music before hunting for producers,” recalls Alex.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be a frustrating exercise. “Not many were willing to bet on 40-year-old businessmen with a passion for music,” he laughs.

Finally, he contacted George Peter, a Kerala-based vocalist-composer. A familiar name among millennials, George had been the lead vocalist for the iconic rock band 13AD for years, before moving on to other musical pursuits, primarily associating with A.R. Rahman as singer, voice arranger and choir master. Alex WhatsApped George a rough draft of the song and the latter helped him finetune the lyrics and give it structure.

“Fuelled by the idea to create something meaningful, I flew to Kochi despite the Covid-related travel restrictions. We booked a space in Kochi, George converted it into a makeshift studio and we jammed for a few days. It was fun!” says Alex.

It was during these sessions that George introduced some songs in his own repertoire. One of them was Water, a song that imagined an arid world without this precious element. “When Michael Jackson wrote Earth Song, Heal The World, Man in the Mirror, etc, he was trying to whip up change, urging mankind to pause and realise what we are inflicting onto the planet. All I wanted to bring out was a song that could help us think again and not indiscriminately deforest, break down mountains for super highways and do activities that lead to global destruction,” says George.

The entire song fit in so beautifully with the mood of the time that Alex decided to produce it himself, rather than embark on a futile search for a producer who would not understand their vision. Then started the search for mobilising a team that would make this dream come true.

The recording process and shoot

Enter Pallikonda Adrushta Deepak a.k.a. P.A. Deepak who shared their enthusiasm. More WhatsApp groups were created, ideas exchanged and the track became more and more refined. Deepak and George recorded some vocals, first at A.R. Rahman’s and Alaap Raju’s studios in Chennai with a big group of equally talented musicians, and later at a studio in Dubai.

Deepak, who had won the Grammy for the ‘Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media’ for Slumdog Millionaire in 2010 and recognition of participation as Surround Mix Engineer at the 57th Grammy in 2015, was no stranger to big ideas and was keen to give Water his all. “My daily works are mostly commercial and dance music. What intrigued me about this song was that it spoke about a cause that everyone agrees is important but ignores. I hope these tracks, with the right attention and creativity, can raise some kind of awareness,” he says.

Deepak proved to be the true backbone of the project. The perfectionist that he was, he even sent some portions to Algeria to get inputs of a violinist based in the country, before the final cut. What was created was a poignant number that had potential to reach the next level.

The team had another brainwave. For greater impact, the song needed a video. And Jovan, who had until then been associated with the ad world and legacy brands in India and the UAE, would be the one to direct it.

Jovan knew the right person to give it that global touch — French DOP Maxime Casa and his Lebanese partner Amanda, the team that had worked with leading brands in the UAE and had covered prestigious federal missions.

European sensibilities meeting Indian notes for an English song shot in the UAE and recorded with the help of musicians from different parts of the globe seemed the right definition of musical globalisation.

Maxime and Amanda were signed on and a plan was made to shoot it in Ras Al Khaimah and Dubai. From the lonely mountain terrains to the dunes and a lake in Palm Jebel Ali, the team went back and forth to get the perfect shots.

“Shooting and directing Water was challenging but an exhilarating experience,” says Jovan. “The theme required us to capture the song’s emotional depth while ensuring that the video didn’t get overpowered with OTT choreography and visual effects. Coordinating all these elements was pretty difficult but it was incredibly rewarding to see the final product come to life.”

After shoots, reshoots, BTS videos and some mastering magic by LA-based Reuben Cohen (who has done mastering of movies like The Flash), the final cut emerged. Water was ready to be showcased to the world.

The road ahead: Likewater Studio is born

One song had taken nearly two years to be perfected and produced. “What started off as a rough draft being shared over WhatsApp had organically turned into a full-fledged music video with a global team working on it through different time zones, extreme challenges and varied ideas being shared sans any concrete structure,” chuckles Alex. “But amid the chaos, more songs were written, new passions were discovered and interesting dreams hatched.”

It was time to bring them all under one umbrella. And that’s how Likewater Studio was born. Jovan already had a media company, it made perfect sense to start a new vertical that would focus on music and all things creative. A strong believer in the potential of the independent music scene in the UAE, Jovan says firms like Likewater Studio can serve as a launchpad for emerging talent in the music industry. “Our aim is to contribute to this vibrant ecosystem by supporting and collaborating with independent artistes, nurturing their creativity, and helping them gain exposure locally and globally. We want to establish ourselves as a creative hub that fosters innovation, collaboration and artistic excellence.”

George, on the other hand, is buoyed by the great reception that Water has received in music circles. “I have often composed and written songs on social issues with a general perspective because I believe music is a strong medium to influence a larger audience. But Water will remain special. It was such an honour to shoot in the UAE! More importantly, fantastic people were behind this project, be it Alex, Jovan, Maxime or Deepak. It was great team work that came to fruition.”

The team now has a bigger plan: “Water was a passion project where music and content was in focus. We want the group to remain fluid, with no fixed genre, no timeframe or pressure to put out a certain number of songs and videos each year, and no expectations of a fixed return on investment,” says Alex. “What matters is that we encourage experimentations, identify new talent and give a chance to create a body of work, music lovers would be proud to own.”

wknd@khaleejtimes.com

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