Inside The Making of The Indian Version of the Premier League Anthem

Originally composed by London-based Dave Connolly, the New Delhi guitarist-producer reworked one of football's most recognizable themes in under two weeks Ask Dave Connolly what defines the Indian version of the Premier League anthem and he describes a mood rather than an arrangement. It's celebratory and positive, "not dark or moody," with a party feel that comes straight from rhythmic choices.

Dhruv Visvanath, the percussive guitarist, singer-songwriter and composer-producer, already has the right setting in mind. Speaking to Rolling Stone India over a video call with Connolly, Visvanath says, "I was kind of joking with my family.

I was like, 'When I get married, when I have to walk out, I'm gonna have the PL anthem play. ' Especially this version, because it sounds exactly like a song fit for a wedding!" Connolly, founder of the London sonic branding studio Molecular Sound, has actually heard that one before.

"Funnily enough, I had an email request that I had to put to the Premier League of someone wanting to walk down the aisle to the Premier League anthem." The reimagining, launched on the eve of the new season, was framed as a version Indian fans could call their own rather than a replacement for the original. It is also a first for the anthem.

Connolly wrote the original in 2020, recording the strings at Abbey Road alongside a live choir. Molecular Sound had already made sub-brand remixes for Fantasy Premier League, ePremier League and Hall of Fame, but they then handed the track's stems to Visvanath, a longtime football fan, particularly of Chelsea FC.

Connolly appreciated that the New Delhi artist earned his chops by releasing indie music while also working in commercial projects, from Coke Studio Bharat to film and T. For his part, Visvanath - who was born in Delhi but spent his childhood between England, Zambia, Mumbai and Hong Kong because of his father's job.

"It's been one of my greatest desires to find myself involved in spaces which have this [global] possibility, like how big football is in India," Visvanath says. As with all brand-focused projects getting a makeover meant to represent a diverse country like India, the obvious risk was leaning on clichéd sounds.

Connolly, who grew up in north-west England surrounded by Oasis and the Beatles, says he went on a deep dive into the Indian scene, from hip-hop to pop. He concluded that the sound of India is now a global one, with far more to draw on than the traditional signifiers.

Visvanath, meanwhile, leaned on his percussive guitar foundations and carried that sensibility into the project.