Popular song director Rhythm Sanadhya shared that a singer’s voice plays an important role in influencing the song. She, however, stressed that when accompanied with good visuals, it creates a bigger impact.
She said, “Every singer brings a unique texture and emotional wavelength to a song. It’s absolutely crucial for a singer to align their emotional space with the composer’s vision—because that alignment defines the soul of the music. For me, the video narrative always follows the emotion carried by the singer’s voice.”
“I strongly believe that music comes first in a music video. The pace, tone, and texture decide the depth of the song. In my experience, a song’s major impact comes from the singer’s emotions clubbed with a strong visual experience,” she added.
Sharing her personal experience, she revealed that there have been instances where she had shot a song with one singer, “invested immense effort into building its narrative, and then post-release the producer decides to change the singer.”
She added, “Most of the time, that decision works beautifully—but at other times, if the singer doesn’t hit the right emotional note, it can completely dismantle the feel of the song. That’s how powerful a voice really is.”
For Rhythm, the opening of a song is critical. She said, “Especially in today’s landscape where audience retention is increasingly challenging. Viewers tend to disengage rapidly if the audio or visuals fail to captivate within the first thirty seconds. This is where the hook line becomes pivotal—it is the segment that embeds itself in the listener’s core memory.”
She shared that from a visual storytelling perspective, the hook line represents the soul of the song. She said, “Actually! It’s like the place where its true beauty unfolds, and therefore the actors, settings, and cinematic treatment must appear expansive, evocative, and larger than life.”
Asked if certain words, pauses, or emotional shifts in the lyrics directly inspire specific shots or scenes, she said, “Yes, absolutely. I’m particularly drawn to songs that feature variations in pacing—those subtle pauses and unexpected shifts.”
“For instance, when a singer takes a dramatic drop and then rises again with heightened intensity, that moment becomes incredibly powerful for me. That’s where I place the emotional climax of the character—the turning point. Depending on the narrative, it could represent profound pain or an overwhelming surge of happiness,” she added.
She mentioned that she always tries to understand why the composer chose that specific word, pause, or shift. “There is almost always a deeper intention behind it—perhaps even his own version of the story. Once I grasp that, I align my visual direction to echo the same emotional truth within the narrative,” Rhythm ended.
