Listen to the groovy, alternative sounds of Cowboy and Sailor Man!
Hailing from Mumbai, India, Cowboy and Sailor Man a.k.a.Β Apurv Agrawal works with genres like Chillwave, Synthpop, and Synthwave. His style, in his own words, is “crass until polished, constantly lost and found.”
Credit: Courtesy of the Artist
His stage moniker is inspired by a lyric from a Deerhoof song entitled “My Purple Past”, that resonated with him on a personal level.“It just connected with me in some weird way where I saw it as a fictional character that was the personification of all the conflicts within myself”,Β he says.
Speaking of his first single “I’m Just Kidding”Β from his EP entitled Closet Dancer, Apurv emphasizes the importance of the right theme and mood. “Something about the idea of escaping melancholy by accepting it. Also in terms of the ‘sound’, this song was important in defining what direction I was going with this EP.” After experimenting with the song and sound on a live platform for about 8 months, it became obvious to Apurv that “I’m Just Kidding“ was a definite defining factor in his initial sound.
Watch the music video for the track here!
Having been in love with music for as long as he could remember, Apurv started playing the keys very early on in his life but claims to have never really enjoyed formal music education. Things became more serious, however, when he committed to leaving the country,Β after high school, to attend music college. “At the end of the day though, it’s just my love for music that pushes me to it. It makes me happy!“, he states.
Credit: TheStonedShark
Performing under the alias of Cowboy and Sailor Man for the first time at a REProduce Listening Room event at TIFA in Pune last year, Apurv has since worked in close collaboration withΒ Rana and REProduce. He went on to play at a few Listening Room events in Mumbai, where he appealed to a larger audience. He also performed at the New Wave Fest in Delhi last year but came away with some sour memories that had nothing to do with his performance. “It was a great experience overall, but it also kinda sucked cause I got pick-pocketed within 30 minutes of landing in Delhi and was pretty much stranded.”
Credit: TheStonedShark
Speaking of his journey so far, he says “It’s been really fun but really hard. And I guess that’s something most if not all musicians will relate to.” Even still, when asked for advice for all the newcomers to the music scene out there, he offered, “Stay at it, be open to new opportunities and most importantly, take initiative.”
Credit: Courtesy of the Artist
An avid photographer and traveller, Apurv stresses the importance of seeing and experiencing new things. He is now pursuing music full-time and has been exclusively listening to the new Slowdive record on repeat.
Look out for upcoming announcements and performances on his Facebook page here!