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Tag: Mikey McCleary

  • Warner Music India brings eight unique tracks from ‘Maati’

    Warner Music India brings eight unique tracks from ‘Maati’

    Mumbai: Warner Music India has launched Maati, a musical project celebrating India’s folklore with eight tracks in eight languages. The lineup includes artists like Vishal Dadlani, Mohit Chauhan, Mikey McCleary, Sushant Divgikar (Rani KoHEnur), Madhubanti Bagchi, Ash King, and Nikhita Gandhi. The tracks will be released over the next two months on Warner Music India’s YouTube channel and social media, starting with the first track, Bawla, available now on all streaming platforms.

    Bawla features Sushant Divgikar, with music by Mikey McCleary and traditional sounds from The Khan Brothers. The song blends modern beats with Rajasthani folk, portraying the spirit of a carefree soul.

    Curated by composers Achint Thakkar and Parth Pandya, Maati explores India’s musical traditions, highlighting regional music and pairing contemporary artists with folk stories that cross language and regional barriers. The first season is powered by boAt.

    Warner Music India & SAARC MD Jay Mehta shared, “With Maati, our vision was to create a platform that elevates India’s folk music and artists to the global stage, while celebrating the rich diversity of our folk traditions. Through this journey, we’ve uncovered extraordinary stories from across the country, and I am deeply passionate about sharing them with the world. This first official season marks just the beginning, as we aim to make Maati a recurring seasonal property, with plans to evolve it into a live festival next year.”

    One of the curators Achint Thakkar added, “Maati is about breaking boundaries—showing that folk music isn’t confined to regional artists. Every artist involved has fully embraced the folk traditions they are representing, creating a truly immersive musical experience.”

    Co-curator Parth Pandya commented, “Working on Maati has been an incredible experience. We’ve brought together an amazing ensemble of artists to tell the rich stories of India’s culture. India is a land of languages, but music is a boundless emotion. Maati embodies that freedom—it’s everything, everywhere.”

    boAt co-founder and CMO Aman Gupta shared, “boAt, as a proud homegrown audio technology brand, has always been deeply rooted in the rich diversity and culture of India. Our journey with Maati feels like a natural extension of that pride. We understand that it’s not just about gaining a share of voice, but about truly embracing a share of culture—by meaningfully contributing to the music scene and celebrating the vibrant heritage that shapes who we are.” 
     

  • ICC unveils official song ‘Whatever It Takes’ for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

    ICC unveils official song ‘Whatever It Takes’ for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

    Mumbai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the official event song for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, titled ‘Whatever It Takes.’ The soundtrack is a collaboration between the vibrant all-girl pop group W.i.S.H., acclaimed music director Mikey McCleary, composer Parth Parekh, and produced by Bay Music House. The single is now available for download and streaming on major platforms worldwide.

    The official music video was also launched alongside the soundtrack, offering a cinematic preview of the tournament. It features highlight reels of iconic moments in women’s cricket and the choreography portrays the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 as the must-watch event of the year.

    The song for the ninth edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup embraces a global pop sound, blending excitement and energy to resonate with international audiences and connect with younger fans.

    W.i.S.H., the all-girl pop sensation, brings youthful energy and modern flair to the track, celebrating empowered women in sport through Mikey McCleary’s visionary composition. The campaign slogan for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup – “Whatever It Takes,” embodies the journey of elite cricketers who dedicate themselves to achieving excellence in their sport. The song echoes this sentiment, celebrating the commitment and pursuit of excellence that characterises champions.

    ICC general manager – marketing and communications, Claire Furlong said: “The ICC is committed to make the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 the best possible stage for world class players to shine. Women’s cricket is firmly established on the global stage, and our vision is to further enhance its recognition with the launch of the official event song. This soundtrack is not only a prelude of the extraordinary talent that will be displayed on the field of play, but also the vehicle to inspiring a new generation of heroes to women’s cricket’s ever-growing, worldwide fanbase.”

    Building on the success of the 2023 edition in South Africa, which recorded over 190 million global viewing hours – a remarkable 44% increase from the 2020 tournament – the 2024 event is expected to elevate the sport even further, attracting new audiences and increasing engagement worldwide.

    The action is set to begin at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates, on 3 October 2024, where each of the 10 participating nations will undoubtedly do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to lift the trophy at the conclusion of the Final at Dubai International Stadium on 20 October.

    W.i.S.H. shared their excitement at the launch of the song, “We are incredibly proud to share that as an all-girl group, we’ve created the official event song for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup! Cricket is a powerful force that unites people across our country and around the world, and it’s an honour to contribute to such a special occasion. As huge fans of Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana, we can’t wait for them to do the hook step from the music video and of course the other players from all the participating nations!”

    Speaking about the song, music director, Mikey McCleary said, – “I feel we have captured the vibe and the energy of a T20 cricket world cup in this song and can’t wait for cricket fans all over the world to listen to it.”

  • Amazon Prime Video launches the music album of Prime Original Series, Four More Shots Please!, with music by Mikey McCleary

    Amazon Prime Video launches the music album of Prime Original Series, Four More Shots Please!, with music by Mikey McCleary

    MUMBAI: Following the launch of two stand-out tracks from Prime Original Series Four More Shots Please!, Amazon Prime Video released the show’s original soundtrack album available exclusively on Prime Music. Composed by Mikey McCleary, the album is an eclectic mix of energetic party numbers, ballads, romantic and soulful tracks that celebrate the perfect friendship of the four imperfect girls in the show, the many moods of the characters and their journey. The album, as much as it is an intrinsic part of the story, can also be enjoyed independently as there’s something for everyone to relate to. The Four More Shots Please! album is exclusively available on Amazon Prime Music till 27th January and will subsequently be available on other music streaming services.

    The original soundtrack has been composed by songwriter, composer, performer and producer Mike McCleary, with powerful vocals by singers including Naquita D'Souza, Sharvi Yadav, Saachi Rajadhyaksha, Rachel Varghese, Abbey Fizardo, Medha Sahi and many more.  The album also features a ballad on friendship composed and sung by Darshan Raval called Yaara Teri Yaari.

    “This album has a wide variety of moods and genres as the songs highlight the ups and downs of the characters and their individual journeys and friendships. Regardless of the situation, each song portraits real women with all their strengths and weaknesses, not clichés or stereotypes. The album features several new indie singers, voices that are unique and add depth to the songs and the characters. I am thrilled to collaborate with Prime Video and Pritish Nandy Communication, to create a full-length album for a long-format series, marking a first for the digital video streaming industry,” – Mikey McCleary, Music Composer, Four More Shots Please!

  • Royal Challengers Bangalore launches anthem for IPL season 8

    Royal Challengers Bangalore launches anthem for IPL season 8

    MUMBAI: It’s that time of the year again! While the cricket fans are all geared up for this season’s IPL, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fans have something special to look forward to besides the game. RCB drums up excitement and quite literally puts a voice in your head through the launch of its latest RCB anthem!

     

    Bold and catchy, the tune promises to elevate and set the mood just right for the game. It is an anthem that needs to be sung loudly, vociferously, from the heart and with attitude. Just the way RCB play their game. Composed by Chennai born New Zealander, Mikey McCleary with lyrics from Sonal Dabral, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of DDB Mudra Group, the anthem is inspired and borrows from the bold spirit which embodies Gen-Y’s ‘never say die’ spirit that team RCB live and play by.

     

    With an impressive repertoire of films like Shaitan, Shanghai, Nautanki Saala and Shaadi Ke Side Effects under his belt, McCleary adds his magical touch to the RCB anthem as well promising to make it one of the most hummable tunes of the season for young and old alike.

     

    The new anthem unlike most, is not only about the game but is an inspiring hymn for the youth to be bold and put their heart and soul into whatever they want to achieve in life. The words are meant to inspire young Indians to be unafraid to be different, not be afraid to challenge the norm, to be bold and willing to take a chance, to make your own track, not just following the well-trodden path. These are also the values that bind the RCB team together – their bold and confident spirit which is echoed by the new anthem. Be it Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli or the young sensation Sarfaraz Khan, it is all about making a bold move in life and being extremely passionate about the game.

     

  • Mikey McCleary bags best composer award for ‘Margarita, With a Straw’ at AFA

    Mikey McCleary bags best composer award for ‘Margarita, With a Straw’ at AFA

    NEW DELHI: Although India dominated the Asian Film Awards nominations with three Indian films shortlisted for seven awards, it managed to walk away with just one award: Mikey McCleary got the best composer award for Margarita, With a Straw.

     

    Korean talent received rounds of applause at a lavish ceremony in Macau, but the biggest prizes at the Awards went to the Chinese. 

     

    The Best film went to Lou Ye’s Blind Massage, while Ann Hui was named as best director for The Golden Era.

     

    The biggest cheers of the evening, however, went to the veteran Korean director Im Kwon-taek, who collected a lifetime achievement award.

     

    The event had been transferred from Hong Kong to Macau last year for the first time, and it is the second year the awards have been organized and presented as a joint effort by three film festivals — Hong Kong, Busan and Tokyo.

     

    A total of 42 Asian films competed for 14 categories.  

     

    From India, Haider had four nominations: Best Film, Best Director Vishal Bhardwaj, Best Supporting Actress Tabu, and Best Production Design.

     

    Kalki Koechlin was also nominated for her performance in Margarita, With a Straw.

     

    Court, which got the best National Film Award this year was nominated for director Chaitanya Tamhane’s screenplay.

     

    Im Kwon-taek is the longest-working director in South Korea, and has directed 102 films since 1962. His latest film Revivre screened at the Hong Kong International Film Festival earlier this month.

     

    Past recipients of the AFA’s Lifetime Achievement Award include Amitabh Bachchan, Ann Hui and Raymond Chow.

     

    Im Kwon-taek (born May 2, 1936) is one of South Korea’s most renowned film directors. As of spring 2013, he has directed 101 films.

     

  • Kit Kat presents the “Baby Break”

    MUMBAI: Chocolate brand Kit Kat has launched a new ad campaign that has been created by JWT India.

    The new campaign is a follow up to the “Squirrels” and “Birds” executions in 2010 and 2012, with a creative spin on “Have a Break. Have a Kit Kat”.

    With the new campaign too, the brand urges youth, wrapped in routine, busy schedules and caught up in the race of living in the now, to take a break and not miss out on the fun and unexpected surprises that a break can get.

    The new ad campaign is led by a TVC called “Babies”.

    The highlight of the TVC is the music track, created by music producer Mikey McCleary. The TVC has been directed by Shyam Madiraju. JWT chief creative officer Bobby Pawar and Madiraju worked closely with animation experts from Crater Film Studios, Belgrade to create the mix of real and animated “baby” shots.

    The TVC is on youtube and other digital channels, and will be followed by a music video with the same track.

    Pawar said, “The idea that something good can happen when you take a Kitkat break is in its third year. We had to raise our game and inject some freshness or the campaign would lose its impact. What worked in the first two years is that the commercials borrowed from popular culture by taking and reinterpreting classic hit songs. This time around we are taking things up a notch and trying to create a pop culture moment. So the idea was to do a baby pop concert.”

    “The first part of it is the music. It‘s made up entirely of sounds made by babies, even the drumming and the rattles rattling. They were arranged in such a way that a catchy beat and hook was created. The other part of the baby concert is the dancing, which is simple yet kinda unique. Why babies? It came from the insight that watching babies play will put a smile on anyone‘s face. If you watch them doing something you haven‘t seen before, that smile will be multiplied,” Pawar added.

    The TVC opens on a student doing the usual rounds with his Professor and fellow students. He steps back to take a break with a Kit Kat. What follows is a never before seen sequence of a bunch of happy babies playing in a day care centre suddenly turn into a baby pop group who give an impromptu concert to our man who is taking a Kit Kat break. The musical interlude is replete with babies singing, or in this case gurgling, cooing, laughing and drumming and swaying to their own dance moves on the music. The music and dance surprises and then delights the student, enjoying his Kit Kat. Once the break is over, the student returns back to his group, performing a quick dance step himself, energised and refreshed.