Kannada singer-rapper All Ok believes the way people consume music has changed dramatically — and not necessarily for the better. “Social media and short-video formats have shortened attention spans to an alarming level. Audiences no longer have the patience to sit through complete albums,” says the artiste, who recently released the single Ninna Bitre featuring actor Shanvi Srivastava. In a candid conversation with Bangalore Times, All Ok speaks about shrinking attention spans, the obsession with social media numbers, tensions within the Kannada rap community and his dream of taking Kannada music to the global stage. Excerpts from a conversation:‘People need to rediscover the joy of listening to a full-length song’Growing up in the ’90s, I remember waiting to watch my favourite songs on MTV or Channel V. No matter how many times they played, we never got tired of them. We listened to music on tape recorders and celebrated the entire listening experience. Today, music is often consumed through reels and short clips. We’ve reduced songs to 15-second moments. I believe the comeback of EPs (extended plays) could help bridge the gap between long-form albums and today’s consumption habits. People need to rediscover the joy of listening to a full-length song.‘Numbers don’t always reflect good music’I’ve become wary of the industry’s obsession with social media optics. Views can be bought, trends can be manufactured and numbers can be manipulated. Just because something has huge numbers doesn’t mean it deserves to be a hit. Many talented independent artistes are overlooked simply because they don’t have millions of views. We often judge music based on trends rather than talent. Audiences need to return to discovering music for what it truly is.‘Collaborations with film stars help the entire ecosystem’Collaborating with Kannada film stars has always worked for me. I collaborated with Appu sir long before such collaborations became a trend. Over the years, artistes like V Ravichandran, Yash and Ashika Ranganath have supported me at different stages of my career. The Kannada music market is much smaller compared to Tamil or Punjabi music. When stars collaborate with independent artistes, it helps the entire ecosystem grow, expands the market and creates opportunities for everyone.‘Indie artistes have much more to offer films’In other industries, independent artistes frequently collaborate with filmmakers, whether for film songs, OSTs or independent projects. One of my songs, Happy, was used as an original soundtrack in Cult, starring Zaid Khan. However, independent musicians are often brought into films only for rap songs. I hope that changes because indie artistes are capable of contributing in many more creative ways. Such collaborations are a win-win — producers benefit financially while artistes gain wider visibility.‘The Kannada indie scene is too small for infighting’Recently, we’ve seen growing tensions among artistes in the Kannada independent music space, especially among rappers. We are such a small community that it hurts when artistes fight with each other or spread hate on social media. Diss culture may exist globally in hip-hop, but it isn’t healthy for our ecosystem. With so few artistes, we need to build this community together. Fighting only demotivates people. Engagement shouldn’t come from hate; it should come from good music. This industry is for everybody. Personally, I choose to ignore negativity and move on.‘Why can’t Kannada music dream of a Grammy?’Despite the challenges, the growth of Kannada independent music is already visible. There was a time when people believed independent artistes couldn’t sell tickets. Today, Kannada musicians are performing at festivals like Hampi Utsava and Raichur Utsava, and selling out shows in America, Europe and Dubai.When Yash sir says he wants Kannada cinema to go global, everyone applauds — and rightly so. But when I say I dream of Kannada music winning a Grammy, people mock the idea. Why should we think small? Kannada music deserves more love, attention and faith.
