Keeping Track with…Brendan de Cruz: Of Merdekarya, Kris Kristofferson & Staying True

There’s a lot to be said about folk music that doesn’t try to be anything more than a guitar and a singer with a heartful of words to sing. But folk is a large genre – a constantly evolving one – where people seek to add more weight to their words by adding more layers to instrumentation; more gravity to its emotions. We explore Brendan’s evolution through that spectrum, from the first time he performed to his upcoming EP, Three.

Brendan de Cruz is a singer-songwriter who is known for his somber lyricism and minimal folk sensibilities. Some would attribute Damien Rice as his closest influence, but he begs to differ. Brendan cites one of his songwriting heroes as American singer-songwriter, Kris Kristofferson. “It’s the lyrics, man. The music is simple, but he can write about emotions I never even knew I had”.

In the interview we had with Brendan, we’ve also talked about the type of growth you’d find in his upcoming album, Three, in comparison to his previous album, Black. The overall ambience of his songs is elevated by the help of producer Ashwin Gobinath of the band Nadir.

“Ashwin would just be on his laptop and then suddenly he’ll tell me to play something I’ve never played before in my life!” – Brendan de Cruz.

Check out the interview below to find out what makes Brendan de Cruz tick!

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