Kshitij Anand. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
After a few years of being known for cover songs, New Delhi artist Kshitij Anand takes a dive into releasing his own songs, starting with the lo-fi “Tum Se Mila.”
Written earlier this year and produced by Wake V, “Tum Se Mila” clocks in at just over a minute, which feels like unfinished business for Anand. But the pop artist says he’d rather take inspiration from One Minute Music formats for now. “The audience got so used to my one-minute covers that I thought why not present my original song in that same format? The trend of One Minute Music was definitely an influence, as it showed me that powerful, impactful songs don’t necessarily have to be long.” He adds that with “Tum Se Mila,” the song length didn’t really matter as long as he could “convey the emotions and message effectively within that time frame.” He adds, “It’s about making every second count and ensuring that the listener feels the depth of the song in that short duration.”
For the song, Anand says the process was “quite intimate” with late-night writing sessions and working his way through different melodies until “everything just felt right.” He says about the theme, “I wanted to create a song that captured the essence of a beautiful meeting with someone special.”
Known for bringing Hindi lyrics to songs like Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You” and Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect,” Anand says his audiences were often clamoring for him to put out his own music as well. “Realizing this demand, I felt it was high time to share my original compositions with them. So, if you ask me what pushed me, it has always been my audience. Their support and encouragement have been the driving force behind this new chapter in my musical journey,” he says.
The release also comes on the back of Anand receiving attention – not entirely of the good kind – for his cover of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Javed Akhtar’s “Afreen Afreen” when it was used by Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha while sharing news of her wedding. The hitch was Anand not receiving credit for the audio used in Sinha’s Instagram post, which reached “millions” according to the artist. With the audio not being labeled accurately on Instagram, Anand says “someone else” was receiving credit for the cover, which he terms “disappointing.” However, he adds, “Many people recognized my voice and started sending me messages, acknowledging my work. They reached out to tell me how much they loved my rendition, and that validation means the world to me. It was a bittersweet experience, but ultimately, the support and recognition from my fans made it worthwhile.”
With “Tum Se Mila” out of the way, Anand promises a lot more songs are in the pipeline. “I’m really excited to share more of my original work with my audience in 2024,” he says.
