Behind the scenes: Vishal-Sheykhar on the making of the Pokemon song

Composer duo Vishal Dadlani and Sheykhar Ravjiani have teamed up with the new Pokemon series, which is all set to launch on May 25. The series will have two new tracks, the opening and the end tracks, which have been composed by Vishal and Sheykhar and sung by Armaan Malik and Shirley Setia.

Speaking about their first encounter with the series, Vishal said, “Pokémon is a part of modern culture. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know Pokémon. I don’t think there is anyone who is not exposed to the story and the energy of Pokémon.”

Sheykhar added here, “My daughter introduced me to Pokémon and it got me connected to it so much – their sound and their action-packed animations, most amazing characters. It just got me hooked on to it because of my daughter.”

Speaking of about the track, Sheykhar said, “When I met the team of Pokemon first the time in Mumbai, they gifted us a video game of Pokémon and some soft toys of the characters. I went back home and showed it to my daughter and she was so excited. When I told her Vishal and I will be doing the track for Pokemon, she was very thrilled Beyond words. Thank you guys for giving us those beautiful things which we still have playing at our house every single day.”

The composers have created these tracks in different languages. Sharing their experiences, Sheykhar said, “We have worked in all languages. All these are our languages. Nothing in particular is more difficult. The idea is so natural that it does not feel like it has been done. That’s our prerogative. Everyone who hears the song feels it is their song, that was our main challenge. The Pokemon team trusted us with the title and end tracks for the series.”

He further said, “We like to fuse things. We make music with fun and not under pressure. When we met the team, they were excited about coming to India and doing something special for us. So, we decided to do our best so that it becomes very special and not just a song and title track. We felt Armaan and Shirley were the best voices to sing this song. They are cool. They have got the energy and the swag. Rashmi Viraj has written the lyrics for the song. We had a blast making this song, which everyone, regardless of their age, will enjoy. The best thing about the whole team giving us a brief about Pokemon was about the sonic space and the universe of Pokemon, which is unreal. The tracks they had up till now are super energetic, they are so cool, yet they are modern and have a certain energy to it. For us, the challenge was to match up to that and also give our vibe to it while at the same time keeping the essence and flavour of Pokemon.

Vishal admitted that it was not easy to make a song for all generations. He said, “Young children will be listening to this song, which will become a part of their culture and upbringing. So, it was a precious and important thing for us, and we wanted to do it right. We wanted to include all the elements that make a Vishal-Sheykhar song. All the elements of the song that is coming together from India and the energy and culture that has developed across the world made it a very momentous occasion for us.”

Elaborating on their approach to the song, Sheykhar said, “The brief we got was about creating a song about friendship and encompassing the energy of the Pokemon Horizon series. We wanted to make it unique and fun, while matching up to all that energy. Pokemon has a very strong base in India, hence, we have made sure that we got Indian instruments groves and styles all coming together as one.”

While exclaiming that she is a huge fan of the series, singer Shirley said, “I really like the song because it is so energetic and full dhamaal. I’ve never had the opportunity to sing something so energetic till date. The closest perhaps is ‘Disco disc song’. When I heard the song in Vishal sir’s voice I was really scared wondering how I would sing this song. But thanks to Vishal sir and Sheykhar sir and the entire team, I just felt like my childhood dream was fulfilled. I had grown up watching Pokemon, so, getting the opportunity to sing a song for this series is a very special feeling.”

“I want to thank both Vishal and Sheykhar for making such an exciting track. It’s an amalgamation of so many genres – it has Indian elements and has a very cool blend of animation pop and Indian pop. It was exciting to sing every verse. It has something new and fresh,” exclaimed Armaan, adding, “I had a blast working on this song and I am glad we all got the opportunity to do something with which we all have been fans of. It is a full circle moment for me. My journey as a singer began with Vishal and Sheykhar when I was just 10 years old. I was hooked on Pokemon at that age. Fast forward to today, when we are on the same stage teaming up for the theme song of Pokemon. The child Armaan is very happy!”