Talk about women-power in Folk Fusion and Indiva is the first name that comes to mind. Comprising of Hamsika Iyer and Vivienne Pocha on vocals, Merlin D'Souza on keyboards and Shruti Bhave on violin, Indiva is an eclectic blend of Hindustani and western classical music with jazz and world music. It is a culmination of four women from different walks of life, who sing in English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Konkani, Kannada, Bengali and Swahili. Indiva is an outstanding example of how four women dabbled between regular day jobs and their love for music. Merlin and Vivienne go a long way back together in theatricals, whereas Shruti and Hamsika were associates. While Merlin and Vivienne brought in Western influences, Hamsika and Shruti bore Indian elements. The culmination of these elements led to the formation of Indiva. In an exclusive tete-a-tete with Radio City, Vivienne, Hamsika and Merlin bare their views on their journeys and how the indie music scene has evolved.Vivienne says, 'When I shifted base to Mumbai from Mangalore, my only introduction to the bay was theatre. I used to do musicals under Noel Godin and Alyque Padamsee in the evening after serving as a traffic assistant at Air India during the day. I would finish my day job and rush to the musicals for rehearsals. Once the musicals were over, I would tour with my rock band across the country. And then I landed up singing for ads. The transition from a regular day job to performing for a folk-fusion band did not happen overnight as I cannot multitask. Yet somewhere, I realised that I was done handling musicals as there was meagre pay for the exhausting effort put in. Hence, I decided to take to my calling in music. I have collaborated with Salim-Sulaiman, Pritam, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and A.R Rahman. I'd like to share a story on Rahman. He is very particular about what he wants from you and will not stop unless you deliver as per his need. We were once doing a song for 'Yuvvraaj' 2008 and he asked eight of us background singers as to who can render a Tina Turner. Unknowingly, I raised my hand and we recorded the same. Rahman was extremely satisfed with the result.'Hamsika Iyer's journey can be traced from singing for ads to becoming a playback singer for mainstream Bollywood films. She is famous for her songs, 'Chanda Re' Eklavya, 'Chammak Challo' Ra.One, 'Raabta' Agent Vinod and '1 2 3 4 Get on the Dance Floor' Chennai Express. She recalls about her experience of collaborating with international sensation Akon on 'Chammak Challo'. She says, 'I received a call from Vishal Dadlani, one afternoon. He said that there is a song for 'Ra.One' and requested me that I do it. So I went over to the studio, and he handed over my lines written to me in Tamil. At first, I was at a loss for words. I was wondering why was I handed over Tamil lyrics for a song meant for a Hindi film. But then Vishal explained and I instantly liked the lyrics which were penned by Niranjan Iyengar. So I sang a mix of Tamil and Hindi lines for the song. But it proved to be a milestone for me and the biggest force to reckon with. People would recollect me if they were told that I sang 'Chammak Chalo'. So it's been a wonderful journey since then.'Popularly known as the female Rahman, Merlin D'Souza has been a theatre favorite for background scores. She has arranged and performed for leading Bollywood movies namely Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Bombay Boys and Socha Na Tha. She has also performed with the likes of Shubha Mudgal, Trilok Gurtu, Talvin Singh, Taufiq Qureshi and Rakesh Chaurasia. Charting a soundscape that fuses raga influenced melodic lines, Indian rhythm patterns, groovy arrangements and oodles of fluid piano work, Merlin creates a symphony like no other.Violinist Shruti Bhave makes the fourth pillar of this all-women band. An all-rounder, not only is she a trained violinist, but she is a also a trained classical singer and dancer.Ask them if the lines between independent music and mainstream Bollywood have blurred and Vivienne quips, 'It all started when Clinton Cerejo did background vocals for 'Dil Chahta Hai' 2001. Suddenly the use of Western background vocals seemed like the need and I am glad that I came into the scene at the right time.'Speaking about how Bollywood has come of age in terms of making music and Vivenne adds, 'I remember there was a time I would bash the industry for getting inspired through old classics and creating tunes. Thankfully with the growth of the independent music insutry, times have changed.'Ask them to highlight the highs and lows that Indiva has felt and Vivienne adds, 'We feel glad that we could make and perform the music we like. At fests, concerts, plays, no matter where we go, we feel happy knowing we are doing our thing. We have been approached by artist managers and composers who say that what we are doing is good but we need to be more stylised. Which kind of irks me, because if we were to do what everyone else is doing, nothing would remain distinctive. Indiva will not remain what it is. Hence we decided to never take the route everyone else does.'Hamsika also adds, 'We need one channel who plays and promotes independent music without looking at it from a monetary point of view. Will then a successful independent music scene endure.'To conclude, Indiva believes that for the independent music industry to scale further heights, members of the fraternity should support each other and not rely on commercial music to sell themselves.