The Indian
Super League goes beyond just football. Goans, no matter where they are,come together to cheer for the
team with their tributes. The same goes for songs and videos that are released
during this time of the year. The latest song to make it on social media is
‘This is how we play’ by Abraham Fernandes, which was released this week.
Born in Ponda,
Abraham Fernandes always wanted to be a musician. He joined Institute of Audio
Engineering in Mumbai after completing his Class 12, where he learnt about
Music Production. After moving back to Goa, he joined the Goan folk music group
‘Goenchim Noketram’ and a wedding band ‘Aqua Strings’ as a guitarist. He worked
as a promo producer for a radio station in Goa, where he got more involved with
music production. He has also produced music for a few audio albums.
“In 2016, I moved to the
UK and started working at a Radio Station (Sunrise Radio) in Manchester and
still working there. I thought I should compose a song as a dedication to FC
Goa this ISL. The song is about what we feel about our team after all these
years of FC Goa existence. It’s not just about winning. I live with my two
brothers here, Simon and Nevil, who showed a lot of excitement towards the
song,” says Abraham.
‘This is how we play’
was composed with music and lyrics by Abraham; Nevil also helped him with his
inputs for the lyrics. The song was recorded at Abraham’s home in Manchester on
September 29, 2018 as he has a small recording set-up at home itself. “The song
is a dedication from me and us Goans here in the UK and their tribute toward
our team in Goa. I wrote the song when I was on my way to work and had to do
the production during that weekend. It took us about a week from writing the
song to shooting the video. Nevil came up with the title ‘This is how we play’
and I really liked it and hence became the song catchphrase,” Abraham states.
Though Abraham has not officially received any feedback from the FC Goa team,
those involved in the music industry have sent him their appreciation. “I don’t
know if the FC Goa team is aware of the song but I received compliments by
Varun Carvalho, who first made the Official FC Goa anthem and also Carlos
Gonsalves, who is officially the cheer drummer for FC Goa, and Joed Almeida
from Radio Indigo, who was the host for the FC Goa matches.”
How has his
experience been after releasing the song online? “This is my first experience
with quite a wide response on Facebook and YouTube as I did not expect so much.
The song has also become viral on Whatsapp. In fact, some people sent me the
same song without realising that it’s my own song,” he says with a smile.
“Every song has its
virtue. FC Goa has become a really good platform for new artistes and promote
themselves online as there is 100 percent Goan audience involved, no matter
what religion or caste. I think every song should be recognised,” says Abraham.
Unfortunately,
Abraham will not be able to make it to any of the FC Goa matches during the ISL
season. “As of now, they stand first on the table and I’m excited about it. I
see them as a very sporting team as I watch the matches here and we will bring
it home this time. I wish I could have attended at least a match in Goa as I
have never missed the matches when I was living in Goa,” concludes Abraham.
