These days, retro ideas could be the freshest trends around. In an age where baithaks have gained a fresher audience, singer-songwriter Vidhya Gopal is taking the mehfil a step ahead. She has drawn from the past to present an album that’s not a typical studio release. Aptly titled Mehfil, this album is a live performance recorded in a single day, across three intimate sets. Gopal’s idea was to capture what she does best when she’s performing live: make Indian classical and folk music relevant to her lived experiences. Mehfil, is an unvarnished document of what Gopal has spent the past few years building onstage: a sound rooted in classical traditions, yet open to western instrumental textures and modern arrangements. Her lyrics are relevant to her and may sound modern to a purist’s ear. But it’s just her expression.

Speaking to us over a phone call, she excitedly talks about her idea behind recording her album live. “I did this for several practical reasons. One, I know what kind of time goes into bringing everyone together at the table to finish a project, especially if it’s an independent project. I felt like this would cut short the time. Second, was the fact, that I wanted it [the album] to have this live element because it was a reflection of what I sing live. I also wanted it to be a pitch to, say, festivals and to anybody who wants to know what I sound like live. Third, is that it made a lot more sense monetarily,” says Gopal.

Naturally, recording an album live came with challenges: managing the right sound, ensuring the venue had enough power, drowning out the generator’s sound, and more. However, Gopal was unaware of all this and only found out later, as her team managed it all behind the scenes.  “In retrospect, when I think of whether I should do this again, it scares me,” she says, “Somewhere the fact that you don’t know helps you get away with a lot of things because you are just reacting. But now, in retrospect, it feels like there were a lot of things that could have gone wrong.”