Nucleya refuses to fear AI: ‘It cannot capture the soul of my music’ | Interview

Nucleya, one of India's most influential independent artists, spoke to LiveMint about his music, AI and Indian talent. Here you go:

Q: From Udyan Sagar to Nucleya, what is one thing that remains unchanged about you as an artist?

A: I’m still an independent artist. I haven’t released my music on major labels and continue to do everything on my own. I’m also still very much a family person and prefer spending time with my family.

Q: When you first started, Indian EDM was still a niche. What resistance did you face from the industry or audiences?

A: I’ve never really seen resistance. My music worked from the beginning, though it may have taken more time to promote. I believe audiences are smart enough to know what they want to listen to.

Resistance happens when something is forced on listeners, which I don’t do. I release and play the music I believe in, and most of my set, over 90%, is my own music.

Q: Many of your tracks feel rooted in specific regions. How important is local identity to your sound?

A: I don’t think about local identity consciously. I make music based on what excites me. I enjoy how certain languages sound, like South Indian or Punjabi music, because they’re percussive and melodic, not because I understand the language. My music comes from what I feel, not necessarily from what I understand.

Q: How do you avoid repeating yourself while still sounding unmistakably like Nucleya?

A: I constantly push myself creatively. I do repeat myself at times, but I get bored quickly, so I try to do something new. My latest album sounds very different from my earlier work because I took a long break to understand what I want and don’t want to do.

Even though tracks like Death Roll, Gupt Chup and Diggy Bamba are very different, people still feel they sound like Nucleya, and that’s a good sign.

Q: What role does technology play in your creativity, and where do you draw the line with artificial intelligence (AI) tools?

A: AI hasn’t reached a point where it can understand the soul of my music. It can copy sounds, but it can’t capture what Nucleya is about. I use AI in a very limited way - for cloning sounds, voices, or getting ideas.

AI today is similar to how sampling evolved earlier; it creates samples on demand. The process remains the same, only the tool has changed.

Q: Which global electronic artist has influenced you the most, even subconsciously?

A: Skrillex. He is the god of electronic music and has influenced me, consciously and subconsciously, in every possible way.

Q: Your music is deeply rooted yet made for massive collective experiences. What does it mean to see a crowd move together in a live format like Riders Music Festival, and how important are such platforms in shaping India’s electronic music culture?

A: Platforms like RMF are extremely important because they go beyond music and give Indian artists the opportunity to perform for large audiences. If festivals focus solely on international acts, Indian talent takes a back seat.

As a country, we need to nurture our own artists; otherwise, we’ll keep importing instead of exporting talent. Supporting Indian artists through such platforms is not just important, it’s essential.