R E S T
Sabu’s “Rest” is a song that is almost counter-cultural in a time when everyone is very hyped about productivity and hustle. It’s a soothing track, with a brand new video highlighting the solitudes of everyday life. From the evocative ‘Sheets’ to ‘Rest’ the tracks capture a mood that many have passed through at some point in their lives. We caught up with Sabu to get the low-down on his latest track and the story behind it.
The inspiration for Rest, was borne of personal experiences. He says- “Last year I was going through depression, I wasn’t writing or making music or anything.” He speaks openly of the mental health struggles during that time, which led him to the creation of this song. At a time, when pushing through is the virtue of the hour, how does one cope with periods when it becomes an absolute impossibility?
“2018-19 was a very challenging time for me” He says “In the present day when you feel like you’re not contributing or bringing value, that’s a very tough feeling to live with”. How did he cope with the days he was unable to make music? “Initially you feel like shit but that’s very normal. You can’t really avoid that. Then after a while you’re like okay, this is the reality now and I have to live with this reality for a bit. At one point I even thought that music’s not meant for me.” He adds “It was like having a dark filter. I honestly don’t remember much of it. I don’t remember what mood I was in, how dark I was feeling and have no recollection of how my time went by. I just know that I let myself sit in that feeling.”
What did it look like to move away from that space? He describes his journey from then to where he is now “You take small steps. You start by being kind to yourself but I also had to call myself out. And these are parts that are really uncomfortable. But once I was able to accept myself as a person and was able to accept my flaws, I started feeling a better.”
For decades now, people have obsessed over their favourite celebrities and their mental health. A large chunk of it manifesting in the form of an easy acceptance of the ‘tortured artist’ stereotype. What is his take on that? To this, Sabu says “I didn’t choose to be this way. I didn’t choose to be depressed right? I’d rather not be depressed. I came out of it and now I’m able to talk about it. But I’m not somebody who was trying to “find a silver lining.” I was in this dark place where I didn’t know what was happening and everything felt automated. There’s no black and white answer. There are nuances.” The effort has also been about communicating this experience as is without glamourizing it.
With music that seeks to be honest, it’s then no wonder that since the song came out, many people have been reaching out to Sabu to share their own mental health struggles. This is something he recognizes to be one of the most rewarding aspects of this experience. He adds, “A lot of people say music makes them happy and that’s great. But music doesn’t only have to make you happy. It should also make you feel sad or upset, or take you to your dark places.. Sometimes it’s okay to feel these emotions too. It’s important you embrace these emotions.” It’s a rare message of acceptance when much of the focus is to avoid sadness, anger or anxiety at any cost. It’s also a movement away from a larger narrative that stresses the importance of “Happy!”- in a culture that whips out listicles and blogs that promises to crack the code for you.
So what does rest look like for him? “For me it looks like a lot of napping, playing with my cats, sometimes ordering food from outside. Rest also doesn’t need to mean doing activities that are low on energy. It could also be a jog in the park or like a really intense work out”. Something that’s also been helping Sabu during this lockdown? (and we shall repeat this!)- Routine!
Catch his music and the gorgeous video “Rest” shot by Gorkey Patwal, Prateek Verma and edited by Sohan Ray. The video stars Gorkey’s caretaker Pandeji. A beautiful, languid video- its sure to make you unwind. And really, what better way than this to get through the mid-week blues?