MUMBAI: From the hard-hitting rhymes of Baccha Kisko Bol Raha Hai, Tiger Baby Records now moves to disco and funk for the label’s third release, Dance With Me. The six-track EP, made in collaboration with the Mumbai-based music school, SoBo House of Music, is a disco and funk-powered effort showcasing six new, young voices.     

Dance With Me is a part of a series of four children’s music EPs – the first was Ankur Tewari’s Aaja Nindiya and second was the hip-hop EP with two young rappers Saniya MQ and Kavikaar – and in collaboration with Platoon Music, an Apple-owned artist services, A&R, and music distribution company.

EP releases on April 19; listen here

The EP Dance With Me is scheduled to release on Tiger Baby Records on April 19.     

Written, composed and produced by SoBo House of Music instructors – who are also musicians – Stephen Fernandes, Bradley Tellis, Garth D’mello and Nathan D’souza – Dance With Me is a collection of breezy, buoyant and danceable songs sung with smooth finesse by its young cohort of Divisha Khandelwal, Annika Nair, Shriya Rao, Sana Lamba and Soha Koradia.     

 “When the opportunity arose to collaborate with ‘Tiger Baby Records’ on something as exciting as this, we were all in!” says Stephen Fernandes, founder SoBo House of Music, adding, “We consider ourselves truly grateful to be able to produce and showcase the young talent we’ve been nurturing over the years.”     

Reminiscent of glitter balls, eye-popping hues and satin shirts, listening to Dance With Me is akin to being on a time-travel capsule. The retro-inspired productions provide its singers a platform to showcase their vocal talents but the young singers exude a confidence and self-assuredness that belies their age. Their renditions are packed with personality and pizazz, not unlike their idols – that range from Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone to Taylor swift and Olivia Rodriguez. The tracks – written in Hindi with a smattering of English – are about moments of fun in a carefree life, perfectly suited to the performers’ life perspective.     

 “When we asked some kids what they love dancing to, a bunch of them said ABBA and Disco Deewaane by Nazia Hasan,” says Ankur Tewari, Tiger Baby Records co-founder and creative director on Dance With Me. “That gave us the clue to explore the 80s throwback sounds with a slice of disco and funk. We collaborated with kids from SoBo school of music to compose and perform the music that they’d love to dance to,” he sheds light on the idea behind the EP.     

Dance With Me will be available on all streaming platforms April 19 onwards.