Teaming up to bring you a refreshing experience, acoustic rock band Eventually Epic and The Mona Khan Company join forces for the video release of "KHAFA."
Originally hailing from NYC, Eventually Epic has performed at several high-profile events for the Indian diaspora in the U.S. including the Battery Dance Festival in NYC and Surati's 'Holi Hai' Festival in NJ. The Bay Area's premier dance company The Mona Khan Company has seen such successes as reaching the Top 48 in NBC America's Got Talent (Season 5) and has performed at Superbowl 50 alongside Beyonce, Coldplay, and Bruno Mars. The choreographed movements seen in "KHAFA" are courtesy of Ishika Seth, a dancer, and educator who combines Indian and Western aesthetic and movement styles to create an idiom of the Indian Contemporary dance movement. As we clasp onto the electric sounds of this masterpiece, we pick up on the passionate essence running through it. "KHAFA" has us feeling the depths of our emotions as we soar through the ease of grace in this buoyantly propelled song. The expressions performed have us latched onto dance-driven 90s Bollywood at its finest. With a rich plot narrative, we're exposed to a lighthearted plea to a lover not to be upset as the song reminds us to never give up on the adoration that makes us human. Capturing the dance number in all of its glory, The Mona Khan Company manages to symbolize the strength and beauty of love throughout the offering of their passion-fueled movements. Using red and cool blue to represent the ups and downs in every relationship, the visual component tugs at your heartstrings in an effective manner, leaving you wanting more. As "KAFA" carries on and brings us the self-assured tenors that Eventually Epic has set in place, we're thrilled to see Indian culture reaching America, and the empowering embrace of the sonic and visual message conveyed.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Eventually Epic, and congratulations on the release of "KHAFA." We love the sonic and visual pairing of the two together! How did the collaboration between yourself and The Mona Khan Company come to life?
Thank you! We are thrilled with how our vision for the song came through as intended in the music video. We have the choreographer (Ishika) and excellent dancers (Asavari, Ishika, and Roma) at the Mona Khan Company to thank for that! We started singing together when we met as graduate students at Stanford University and later formed Eventually Epic when we moved to New York. While at Stanford, we had several friends interested in Bollywood dance, including one who later joined the Mona Khan Company as an instructor. It, therefore, seemed natural for us to work with the Bay Area’s premier performing arts organization, and we were fortunate that they loved the song.
Did you always know that the visuals would turn out like this when bringing the vision to fruition? What was it like on set when filming this piece?
Initially, we weren’t sure how well we would connect the band shots and the dancer's shots since they were shot separately. But thanks to the vision of Andy Chun (director) and Wesley Woo (videographer) and the magic of our editor Eyal Be, the music video flows seamlessly and the transitions seem organic. Creating the video was an absolute blast! The video was filmed on two separate days at the studio in San Jose. For day 1 (band only) Roon and Ryan flew in all the way from New York. It was like a reunion show (with only one song on the set), with lots of energy, caffeine, smiling, and good vibes! A couple of months later we shot the dancers from Mona Khan Company. They were an absolute pleasure to watch - absolutely professional and always on point. It was evident that they loved the song and were having a fun time!
What is the main message that you hope your audience takes away from this release?
First and foremost, we want the audience to have a good time! Khafa is intended to be a fun song, and we hope that even people who don’t understand Hindi will find it catchy and hummable. For those who are familiar with the Bollywood and Indi-pop (Indian pop) songs of the 1990s, we want the song to transport them back to those days. We want them to feel the joy of discovering a new indie band through a music video playing on MTV or Channel V. Thematically, we want the listener to persevere and to never give up on love.
What is the mission statement of Eventually Epic?
Eventually Epic is a band of really good friends who share a common passion for music. We want our music to bring a smile to people’s faces, be it through our wacky covers, eclectic originals, or energetic live performances. Even though the name Eventually Epic is a bit tongue-in-cheek, we are dreamers and seriously believe that music has the power to inspire, unite, evoke and heal. We want to use our music and platform to spread joy and love to everyone around us!
What's next for you?
We plan to follow up the Khafa release with our debut album release later this year. The album primarily includes English songs - Khafa is the only Hindi song on the album - and we already have music videos lined up for two other songs. One of these is a collaboration with another dance group - the renowned Battery Dance Company based in New York City.
We also plan to do a U.S tour covering CA, NY, WA, and TX when travel is more amenable. And then later, we’ll continue working on our 2nd album, which will be an all-Hindi pop/rock album.