Alad from a small town called Koppa started learning the guitar online more than a decade ago. While he wanted to pursue it seriously, little did he know he’d one day become a rockstar who would churn out Kannada rock to entertain music aficionados. Zealous guitarist and music composer Hemanth Jois has come a long way since starting to learn the guitar. Not only does he create independent music and perform with his band Naik and The Jois Project, but he also composes music for Kannada films, with his next film being Anurag Kashyap’s Kannada debut. In this chat with us, the skilled musician opens up about his journey, his love for Kannada rock and more….

How and when did you get introduced to music?
I used to listen to a lot of music as a kid including Blues, Backstreet Boys and 50 Cent. One day, my friend made me listen to Crawling by Linkin Park when I was in Goa. I then listened to their other songs and fell in love with the band. I started watching their live shows and that’s when I decided I wanted to be a guitarist. That’s how my love for the guitar took birth.

How did you start playing the guitar?
In 2010, My dad passed away. I told my Mom that I wanted to learn the guitar. I’ve always been the kind of guy who would start learning something but would quit. So my Mom thought I’d quit this too. But I was very keen on learning it. I started learning how to play it online. My Mom asked me to try playing Kannada rock. It wasn’t a big thing back then. I then uploaded the rock version of Keli Premigale online and it went viral. That’s when I realised there’s a good market for it. Now there are so many bands that play Kannada rock. Some bands cover our versions too, so it feels good to hear that. It feels great to be one of the first bands to do Kannada rock.

Tell us about the albums and singles you’ve created.
I’ve come out with a lot of singles. My last single Khushi came out in 2022. I have won the KIIMA award and Shankarnag award previously. The reason I stopped putting out songs is because the market is very complex right now. A lot of cringe content goes viral but good work doesn’t. That affected me a lot. But on the other hand, I started getting movie projects which gave my career a boost. I’m very happy that things are picking up for me. I’m waiting for the right time to release my next songs. However, I did release a track called Paralyzed with an LA artist as part of an album called Sleeping With Snakes. When a song is good, but doesn’t get the reach it deserves, it hurts.

Tell us about your band.
My band is called Naik and The Jois Project. The vocalist is Chethan Naik. We’ve been playing together for 9 years now. We recently played in the US and did a tour of 2 months. We played 8 shows and had a lot of fun there. We’re a multilingual band right now.

What movies have you composed music for?
Earlier, I worked on films like Entha Kathe Maraya and Chow Chow Bath. Recently,
I’ve worked on Yuddha Kanda and Venkya. My next big project is called 8 in which Anurag Kashyap makes his Kannada debut as an actor.

Who are your musical inspirations?
My biggest musical inspiration is Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. I also listen to orchestra and western classical music. I like Andy James too. As for composers, I admire John Williams and Hans Zimmer. I try to pay attention to what others listen to so that it helps me when composing music.

What’s your musical ambition?
My musical ambition is to create very good music and inspire a lot of people. When I’m gone, I want people to remember me as a legend. These recognitions are beyond awards. Of course, I do have the Grammys and Oscars on my wish list. I want to be one of the best music composers and guitarists. I know I really need to work hard for it.

You recently toured the US. How was the experience?
We played across USA in cities like Seattle, Dallas, San Francisco etc. It was a great experience. People would come up to us and appreciate our music and Kannada rock, so that felt good.

What are your future plans?
With the way social media has taken over everything, I’ve stopped thinking about the future. I’ve been a dreamer all my life and whenever I feel low, I think of the word hope. If a small town boy like me who’s the first musician in his entire family who started music at the age of 19, has come this far, then I’m sure the universe has some big plans for me. Things are taking time, but they will happen. Comparison is a thief of joy, so I stopped comparing myself to others. I hope I get good movie projects to work on as it will give me good reach.