Nucleya Talks New Album And Dubai Music Scene

Jan 23,2019

Fans have been patiently awaiting the return of India's most popular underground producer 'Nucleya', who is all set to perform in Dubai this weekend. Nucleya's much-anticipated return is part of Red Bull Music and will launch his latest album Tota Myna in the UAE.

We spoke to Nucleya about the latest record and his thoughts on the Dubai music scene.


You have popularized the Indian street sound. How would you categorize your music?

It's Indian street music, but produced electronically. I use melodic scaled and percussion instruments from India, but my arrangements typically follow a more western format with bass-heavy drops and a traditional pop song structure of intro verse, chorus and so on. I think my music has kind of become it's own thing, it can't really be put into a single genre and that's what actually keeps it interesting for me. I like to draw on a lot of other styles of music and incorporate those influences into my final sound. For example you will hear elements of Trap, Reggae, Moombahton, Cumbia and Dubstep in my music, but none of those will actually describe the track as a whole. 


What are you listening to these days?

I've been listening to a lot of pop music. I don't shy away from it at all and thoroughly enjoy it. There's just something really rewarding about a really well produced, arranged and mixed pop song. That's usually what i'm listening for actually, how the whole track is put together, what works and what doesn't. I also listen to a lot of Western Classical music, because that's what my son listens to when he sleeps at night so there's definitely been a lot of that lately.


Tell us a little about the new album

It's probably my most accessible work to date. The tracks on Tota Myna have intentionally been completed following a fairly standard pop arrangement, I definitely leaned more towards a pop sound on this release as opposed to the usual bass-heavy direction I take. It was an opportunity for me to try and cross breed the worlds of pop music and bass music with Indian influences drawn into the mix. 

How did the collaboration with Shruti Hassan come about?

I wanted to work with her for a few years before we were actually able to meet. I think she's incredibly talented as an actress, but I had no idea how gifted she was as a lyricist and singer. We spent an afternoon in the studio and she really blew me away with how she contributed to the song. One of the best people I've worked with in the studio. 


What are your thoughts on the Dubai music scene?

I used to live here about 15 years ago. Back then the parties were pretty wild, I can imagine they've only gotten crazier since then. I know there's massive super clubs here which can accommodate thousands of people, and I think from next year Dubai is going to become a place I perform in more frequently. I think there's great diversity here and people are really open-minded to different styles of music. 


What's in store for you this year?

More music! More shows! More collaborations! Maybe another new album...


Catch Nucleya live at the Tota Myna Album Release Party on Thursday, 24 January 2019 at Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, Al Garhoud, Dubai

Tickets start from AED 60 at


Image Courtesy: Supplied