Love, is a funny thing. No matter how hard the times get, you simply can’t fall out of it. Falling in love is easy but moving on takes time; sometimes you don’t at all. Falling out of love is lowkey impossible; however, falling apart is what many lovers go through. Breaking apart can be followed by many reasons and sometimes, they’re just inevitable. Kuhu Gracia’s first original single unfolds a story of how two lovers fall apart in the hands of fate.

Starring Kuhu and Shaurya Dutt, the music video of “Chitthiyan”, is a heartbreaking story of how love never ends despite the lovers part ways. The music video kicks off with Shaurya painting a portrait of Kuhu in a park. The title of the song literally translates to “Letters” in English. Letters have always been used as a way of communicating and they are considered a classic. Love letters come with a feeling of longing and it reminds one of their lover. The lyrics open with Kuhu awaiting letters from her lover and recalling the days she spent with him.

The first half of music video is a heartwarming sight of the two lovers spending time together. The plot twist comes when Shaurya finds a letter of acceptance for Kuhu from a foreign institution. The video first shows us two deeply in love people, spending their time together completely unaware of what the fate has in-store for them.

The vocals in the song are provided by Kuhu herself. Her falsetto is so perfect and she makes hitting a high note seem so easy. The entire song feels that warmness your cup of coffee gives to your hands while the music video feels like the chilly wind that blows and passes touching your cheeks.

Shaurya Dutt said he was pleased to be a part of the MV. He states, “after honing my craft from some of the best acting institutes in India, I was fortunate enough to get work in almost all formats in front of the camera, except music videos. As soon as I heard the composition I was on board. The story is beautiful and Kuhu has sung it so well. There were no written dialogues as such and it essentially required expressing the right emotions on cue and improvising on set, wherein my training came handy.”

Shaurya was a part of the much acclaimed short film Devi; he also recently did commercials for Amazon, Phillips, Realme and Trivago.

Lyrics of the song are beautifully penned and to our delight, Kuhu also adds two “sher” in the middle of the lyrics which add a lot of beauty to the song, overall. The video takes a lap of two years and fast forward to the time Kuhu is back after completing her studies. How will they meet this time? Watch the video to know.

Artistic creativity can, at times, be a fragile thing. Powerful, but fragile. It needs to be protected and consistently tended to, nurtured and made to grow. However, often, when faced with other pressing demands that come with life, we tend to let go of something that we may be passionate about. Arunima Wali, fortunately, does not count herself among those people. A singer-songwriter, she has, in fact, made certain that she held onto her passion for music from her childhood days, spent in the dry summers of Faridabad, up until now, where she juggles being a financial consultant while following her dream of composing music and singing. It is a delicate balance that she has struck, one that has been carefully curated and earned with sheer determination and hard work.

Wali was enrolled in music classes at the age of 7, with her parents wanting her to further develop her voice. Trained in Hindustani Vocals, she had not anticipated that she would grow to fall in love with music and actually want to pursue it in a tangible manner. In fact, till date, she still finds it difficult to pursue it as a full fledged career. For her, finishing her education was a priority. However, that did not mean that she let her love for music stay latent. No. She went on to actively participate, through her school and college days, in music societies and bands. She is, even, a member of her office band now. Music, for Wali, has always been a constant companion, one that she has seen grow with every step she has taken. 

Wali, herself, admits that it is interesting that something so incidental could happen to be such a large part of her life now. However, underneath the surprise, there are years of work and effort. 

While she has covered numerous other songs and artists, Wali conceived her debut single, ‘Can’t Breathe’, in the middle of 2020, when the world around us was shuttered inside. The track came from her own personal experiences, as well as her friends’. Initially, the track, according to Wali, was completely raw, a string of words she had stitched together. When she finally decided that this was going to be her debut single, she spent months polishing it and bringing it together.

‘Can’t Breathe’ deals with the closure we seek when piecing ourselves together from a past relationship. Wali asserts that her original music are all derivatives of her own experiences, personal stories that are told in a manner that make them universally relatable.

It hasn’t always been an easy path to tread for Wali. Nurturing her love for music for years and attempting to make something tangible out of her talent and passion has come with its own set of challenges. Not shying away from talking about the anxiety and depression she faced earlier. Wali still believes in her own ability to work through things. In fact, she draws from her past setbacks and challenges in order to better herself.

It is this same attitude that she preaches to others pursuing their dreams. Mere talent or skill is not enough to build something worthwhile. That talent, that passion needs to be protected and made to grow with consistent work and effort. And that same effort should, then, be bolstered by belief in one’s self.

It is quite a distance that Wali has walked, a path that she chose herself and stuck with, growing and learning from those around her. Perhaps, it’s just solid determination and drive to do more with everything that she has. Whatever the case may be, it is more than enough to take from.

There is always a grounding aspect to music, in spite of it being transcendental by its very nature. It can tie you to your roots, encapsulating the essence of your cultural identity in its entirety, while still being an unbound medium of creative freedom and expression. That is exactly what music has done for Saveree Joshipura. Originally from California, Joshipura takes a practical approach to music, one that is, simultaneously, an outlet for her creativity and also a pragmatic career option. There is passion here, but it is also tempered by a singular realistic perspective on her part. And that, alone, is enough to take a closer look at her journey and her work.

A data scientist by profession, Joshipura began her involvement with music at the tender age of 3. Her parents, both trained in Indian Classical Music, felt it was important for them to share the music they, themselves, had been exposed to. She began her formal training in Indian Classical Vocal Music at the age of 8, under the tutelage of Vidushi Kala Ramnath. It was around the same that she started doing local performances. Her big breakthrough, however, came at the age of 18, with the television show Rising Star India. It was an important moment in her life, one that was further compounded with the issue of her exams being just around the corner. Joshipura took her exams a week early so as to be able to go to Mumbai for the show. It was a risk, she states, well worth taking.

Getting the opportunity to perform as the US winner of Rising Star India opened up numerous avenues for Joshipura, both in terms of getting more involved with the Hindi music scene and just building on her already established foundations. It was a whirlwind of a time for her back then. She went on to build her portfolio on social media, posting videos of her music on Instagram, judged multiple singing competitions, collaborated with other talented artists and, perhaps most importantly, released her first single ‘Main Agar Kahin’.

For Joshipura, music has always been a calming escape and a tangible motivating factor. However, motivation does not always go unchallenged. The degree of a challenge may differ, but it exists all the same. 

Joshipura asserts that, luckily enough, she has not faced significant challenges or setbacks. There have been times when she was reprimanded by her teacher for not practicing enough. However, that was only another driving factor in her journey on getting better. Indeed, she counts her teacher, Vidushi Kala Ramnath, amongst those who inspire her.

Inspiration is important. But, as Joshipura claims, inspiration coupled with innate talent is never enough. Her love for music and her own voice is something that she has religiously nurtured and worked on. For her, any talent or ability must be further made to evolve through dedication and consistent practice. Without dedicated work and effort, talent is just something someone might be mildly good at. It does not go on to become an actual skill if left unattended.

Moreover, she reasserts the importance of not being blinded by your dreams. There is an impressionable importance in being able to have an option to fall back on, in case one has to put a brief pause in the pursuit of their dreams.

There is a sense of practicality in Joshipura’s words, not to be mistaken with pessimism. It is a pragmatic approach to life that balances reality and ambition. And, it is a beautiful balance at that.

Covering songs require a lot of skill and the said talent is often overlooked by masses. To cover an already released which is also loved by the masses requires a lot of courage as well. To be able to completely mimic the artistry of popular artists and sometimes maybe also sprinkle some of our own flavor is an ability that definitely deserves more appreciation. We bring you these heart-touching covers of three of the most beautiful songs of their time.

In one way or the other, we have all been inspired by musicians or their music at some point in our life. Sniti Mishra pays a tribute to the legend Rafi Sahab with her cover of ‘Toote Hue Khwabon Ne’. With her voice that sounds so soulful which leaves goosebumps rising on your skin- we’re sure you’d not want to miss this! Her perfect falsetto and stable voice are totally the epitome of beauty!   

One-sided love and its power shouldn’t be underestimated but it can also get tiring; at times like this we often go to songs that we can relate to and also get comfort from. ‘Mann Mera’ is one of those comfort songs and the brothers duo JalRaj have covered the song and given it a twist lyrically. Their voices blend so well together and are so comforting to listen to. This reprised version just reminded us how beautiful of a song ‘Mann Mera’ is. The ‘reprise’ also shows its ability to sound even better in a different semblence.

We all went through that phase where escaping ‘Beykhayali me bhi tera hi khayal aaye’ was just next to impossible. Keshab Dey has covered this heartbreak anthem and we just can’t seem to get enough of it. The cover is a ‘sad version’, Dey’s voice reflects the pain in the song. The strumming guitar in the background compliments the voice and the rearranged music really well. Comfort your broken heart.

Mumbai-based singer-songwriter, Sanjana Devarajan’s latest single, ‘Bhool’, takes her well-crafted pop cadence to speak about the complexities that come with a relationship. Often, our relationships do not resemble the picturesque stories we find in our fictional escapes. Sure, there are glimpses of it, moments of absolute peace and laughter that make everything seem okay. However, relationships rely on work, patience and, most importantly, the ability to forgive and move forward. Unconditional love only comes with the unconditional commitment to making things work. Produced under the banner of Victory Music, ‘Bhool’ is a track that speaks explicitly about the struggles of a relationship. And what better way to speak about love than music, itself?

Devarajan’s single continues the pop influences that you would find in her debut EP, ‘Mood’. ‘Bhool’ is a mellow pop track that lends itself to warm background beats and synchronized stringed leads. It is, quite literally, a song you send to your significant other when you can’t find the right words to ask for forgiveness. Mayur Jumani, as the producer for the track, has done an excellent job at building an instrumental base, laden with soft percussion beats and muted stringed backing, upon which Devarajan’s sound sits.

The official music video, released under the same banner as the track, is now available and features Avinash Mishra & Shivya Pathania. It is as much a standalone story as it is a depiction of Devarajan’s music. 

Give ‘Bhool’ a listen. Better yet, send it to someone you care about.