3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Dream in D Minor: Front Man Shreyansh Mohan Verma on Leading Drops' Indie Journey
What began as a tribute to The Local Train at Delhi's Summer House Café turned into a full-blown concert by indie-rock band Leading Drops, this Wednesday. The five-piece band is fronted by vocalist Shreyansh Mohan Verma and guitarist-composer Nishant Tiwari, with drummer Sharang Arora, bassist Shubhansh Mishra, and pianist-producer Deep Chatterjee.
Formed in 2019 at a university in Punjab, where Bollywood covers were off-limits—it pushed the band towards original compositions. 'From the start, our originals were well received,' Verma recalls. The initial lineup of Verma, Tiwari, and three college mates quickly became a campus staple, gaining traction through gigs and competitions. Their big break came when they opened for Amit Trivedi at Coke Studio's Campus Concert 2019.
Then came Covid-19. Scattered across states, they kept recording remotely. During lockdown, they released their debut single 'Marz', followed by 'Pyari Maa'. After college, Verma and Tiwari moved to Noida, ready to re-enter Delhi's music scene. 'We realised we'd been in a bubble,' Verma says. 'Other bands were so tight. It was intimidating—but it also fired us up.'
In 2022, a high-profile Mumbai gig fell through when their producer caught the virus. 'I was crushed,' Verma admits. Burned out from pulling gigs, handling socials, and trying to keep the band alive, he watched three members leave. 'Suddenly, it was just me and Nishant again,' he says — back where it all began.
